My son has failed 3 AS levels..advice please

[WhatsItAllAboutAlfie]

Hi, we are all in complete shock in our house. Just got back from holiday and opened the envelope and he has got a B in Maths (well done boy) and has U's in his other three subjects . He has worked really hard and did a lot of revision. We went to a parents evening in June and all his teachers said that he found things hard ( he is dyslexic) but all four said how motivated he is and how much he has improved in the last few months, and he got C's in his mocks in April.
We also got written reports at the end of June and everyone has written things like " a pleasure to teach" " has improved in leaps and bounds"," diligent and interested in the subject" etc etc.

Now we knew he would struggle to do ther written work....maths is great...no writing but we feel something has gone horribly wrong here. He did all these three on computer with extra time and he keeps saying Mum do you think they've lost half my work? We are off to see someone at the college tomorrow and will ask for photocopies of all the papers ( can you believe it £16 a paper). Does anyone know how long they take to come through?
Has anyone else been in a position like this?
We don't know whether he should repeat the year ( if they'll let him) dropping one and carrying on with maths, or whether to change to something like btec business where the workload is quite heavy but it's all coursework. I just don't know how to advise him..any ideas out there.

[lostFeelings]

was he a secure C or a borderline C/D?

[WhatsItAllAboutAlfie]

On one he was C/D and on the other two he was C/B

[WhatsItAllAboutAlfie]

Sorry, I see that you're probably asking about the mocks and I am answering with the teachers predicted grades. I don't know about the mocks ..it was back in April and I just remember him saying he'd got C's..ironically he did very badly in mock Maths and that's the good one now!

[lostFeelings]

I would question his school - why did they allow him to take 4 AS's id he was struggling with them?

I am 100% sure had he been doing 2 only he would have succeeded.

I was asking the teachers predictions re. grades, not the mocks

It looks to me liek his exam technique needs improving, regardless of his dyslexia.
he must have stressed himself badly and underperformed.

Howeve you may find out that remarking those papers may give him C's - so fingers crossed.

What were those 3 subjects?

[snorkie]

I hope it's an administrative mix up and you can sort it out quickly. Well done to him on the maths.

[slug]

Some things to check with the school

Were there backups of the work submitted?

Was there any down time/connection problems during the exams?

Did the work done on computer actually get submitted to the exam board? (I've known this to happen)

Were the course work grades included?

As an ex FE teacher, I've seen all sorts of administrative cock ups, not all the fault of the school. Sometimes the scripts simply do not turn up at the exam board or get lost there. If you can get a break down of the coursework grades and exam grades, it may point to where any problem may lie. On a positive note, I once saw a student apply for a re grade. His mark when from 27 to 72. Somebody had transposed the digits when entering his grades.

[lazarusb]

I hope this gets sorted out for him. He must be heartbroken, well done on supporting him so positively. Good Luck.

[kritur]

The transcripts should tell you the individual scores for each unit so should give an indication whether there has been an admin error. The person to talk to in these circumstances is the exams officer who will be in school since there is a lot on at this time of year!

If it's not an admin mix up.... I can't see a BTEC being great as there will be a lot of written work and he is clearly able since he gained a grade B in maths. What were his other subjects? Would he benefit from taking more mathematical subjects alongside maths eg, engineering, physics, chemistry? And 4 A-levels probably wasn't right for him, concentrating on 3 would mean he would be able to devote enough time to each one.

[WhatsItAllAboutAlfie]

Thanks for all your replies.
We have sent off for the photocopies of the xams but by the time they come, this years 16year olds will have enrolled for all their courses including the btec and they won't have room for him unless he enrolls today/tomorrow.
We have been told in confidence from his senior tutor that in one of the subjects ( I won't say which as I don't want to identify the college by accident) 50% of the whole cohort got a U which clearly says more about the teaching than the kids. This subject and department is now under review and will probably not be on offer for those wishing to start it this year and maybe not even for those few who passed and wish to continue to A2 . I an truly horrified by this.

She told us that there are several others in my son's boat and that very few are being allowed back at all, but due to his great attitude etc that he will be welcome back. She really didn't want him to do A levels again, said he could do something like accountancy as well as maths but was not allowed to do any of the ones he failed this year and that he would have to pick another as they have to be doing three.

In the end we have signed up for the btec..we have till Friday to change our mind but realistically there are no other options at this college.He may also be able to complete his Maths A2 doing Core 3 and 4 this year and the remaining option the next year. Even though there will be more writing as someone mentioned at least he will not be under an exam condition and will have the chance to take as long as he needs to complete work. He got A* for his History and Geography coursework at GCSE so maybe this is just the way of study that will work for him. At the very least I feel that the year's work will count rather than relying on performance on 3 days at the end of the year...I couldn't bear it for him if we ended up in a similar situation this time next year.

I am utterly wrung out..have aged at least 5 years in the last few days...when does the worry ever end!! Sorry this is so long.

[happilyconfused]

sounds like BTEC Business will be a safe option. If he is a solid worker and keeps on top of all the coursework he should be able to get a Distinction. Plenty of the units have an accounting element which those who are not maths confident tend to struggle with - he sounds as though he should be fine.

Like Kritur I would then suggest Physics - if it was not a U subject.

[atswimtwolengths]

I'm an A level examiner. Most A levels are marked online (though Maths isn't, or hasn't been by my colleagues who mark it.)

When you get the papers back, you will also get the mark scheme. I'd ask a teacher to match his answers to the mark scheme and see how they compare.

If they are marked electronically then the 27/72 problem couldn't possibly occur. In any event, that could only affect one module.

Most courses have coursework modules, usually worth 40%. If he's done this, what was the breakdown of marks that he was given? It's in the coursework that an inexperienced teacher can often fail a group, in that they're not aware until marking it that certain factors have to be in place to gain marks. Also this is only the second year of the new AS's, so there are not many past papers if he's taken these.

[atswimtwolengths]

Thinking now about the 27/72...

I'm not sure how that could happen. On the front of the exam paper usually each question's results are entered and then totalled. Examiners were supposed to pay someone (ie within the family) to double check the marks.

The marks were then transferred onto a separate sheet and enter OCR marks on the page eg a pencil mark to cross the matching figures.

are you sure this isn't an urban myth?

[ThatVikRinA22]

my son who is also dyslexic and has ASD hasnt done well either op - though he has passed them all but one.

he also passed maths, but got a U in physics. he really really wishes he has dropped the A levels and done the BTEC in computing - he knows he could have got much better grades. instead they made him repeat a year - so now he has a confusing mish mash of odd results - a couple of A levels here , a couple of AS here. not much use really. i felt he did not get the support he needed within college, though they pledged more support this year - 2 years too late.
he has opted to not go back for a 3rd year and to begin a foundation degree.

[slug]

The 27/72 was a few years ago. Before the time of online marking and OCR recognition. However, one of the jobs I used to have to do was check the OCR marks on the coursework grades as our admin person didn't have the best sight and we had quite a few students with similar, if not identical names. Thisgs can quite easily get mixed up.

Having said that, I once saw a whole class' A level grades go up a grade. The exam board were very closed mouth about it. We speculated widely for weeks until a mole in the exam board let slip a comment about a feck off big computer issue.

[tokyonambu]

"We also got written reports at the end of June and everyone has written things like " a pleasure to teach" " has improved in leaps and bounds"," diligent and interested in the subject" etc etc."

Of course, it's worth pointing out that all those sentences neatly side-step the question of whether he's actually doing well. It's a common problem for girls, but does happen to boys sometimes: they're diligent, polite, well-presented and affable, so no-one quite gets around to noticing that they're actually struggling with the content. The classic scenario is articulate girls, where the fact that what they're writing is literate and what they're saying is articulate conceals that what they're actually doing isn't very good, but it can happen to anyone.

Unless the mocks are blind marked, there's a sort of confirmation bias that creeps in, and the marker will give the affable (etc) child the benefit of the doubt. The cold hard reality of external marking pours water over that. I've seen anecdotal reports that stroppy children outperform mocks while biddable ones underperform their mocks; it would be interesting to see some real information.

[whendoesitgeteasier]

Hi,
Have just joined mumsnet in the hope of finding some advise and support, my son has just had his as results and has failed his psychology and got D in Gen Studies and E in Sociology. He is now adamant that he is "packing in education". I have tried all the usual conversations and suggested he retakes the as year possibly at another college. Any advise gratefully received

[MmeBlueberry]

If the results are unexpected, you can ask for a remark.

I would definitely get photocopies of the scripts so that he can see specifically where he has gone wrong. You should look at the scripts before making any momentous decisions. It takes just a few days to get the photocopies back.

[MmeBlueberry]

Note that the deadline for remarks has passed.

[overthemill]

can i hijack with a question for all you teacher/marker types?
My dss has done far worse than expected in 2 of her AS's. This includes the subject she wants to take at Uni. If she has 'only' got a C, how likely is it that she could still get an A at A2? This is a technical query only, I appreciate she will have to work really hard.

[MmeBlueberry]

If the C is a disappointment rather than what was predicted all along, then it is perfectly possible to get an A.

First of all, she needs to see where she went wrong on the AS papers, and the way to do that is to get her scripts back so that she can go over it with her teacher. If she made 'silly' mistakes, then she should be able to improve on her mark in a January resit.

She also needs to do fairly impeccably on the A2 modules.

[overthemill]

yes it is not at all what was predicted - she was expected to get at least 2 As instead of the 2 Cs she did get and an A in one she got A for and a B in the other A achieved IYSWIM

[MmeBlueberry]

She needs to get her scripts back. Do not underestimate the value of this.

[mumeeee]

When DD1 got a C in her physics and Biology. As levels she resat in the january and then took her A2 exams as usual in the June, She got A in both physics and Biology.
Don't worry a C is still a good result.

[MmeBlueberry]

A C is right in the middle of the A-level pass band. It feels like it is a scraped pass based on GCSE standards, but it is more like a B at GCSE.

[overthemill]

thanks for this. my concern is the Unis she has wanted to apply to all want AAB as a minimum so may not even look at her now. She has always been a high achiever so this just seems wrong!