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Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

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Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Higher education

DS flunked his exam - predicted grades now AAD - should we apply for university this year?

124 replies

JudithTaverner · 17/12/2016 09:45

So DS has just told me that he's predicted AAD (Maths, Physics, Further Maths) because he messed up/misread the question in his summer exams. He wants to study engineering.

Is it worth applying to universities now? He expects to get an A in further maths (seems D is way below his capability). Even allowing for his overconfidence, I would expect him to get at least a B. If this happens, would he get a place through clearing?

Or should he take a year out and apply next year?

He has ASD if that's relevant.

Thanks!

OP posts:

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TrishanFlips · 17/12/2016 09:48

Still worth applying. Also depends where he wants to go. Some universities have lower offers then others. He should include a range.

JudithTaverner · 17/12/2016 09:50

Well he liked Bristol, Warwick, before all of this came out although hasn't done a lot of research really.

Had decided against Imperial/Oxbridge (luckily!) although he is really bright enough for those places.

OP posts:

indiraisindiaisindira · 17/12/2016 10:01

I think that maybe he should apply and see where it gets him. Can those predicted grades be nudged or explained in the reference?

If in the worst case scenario he ends up with no offers he likes, he can have a plan B with a gap year?

AtiaoftheJulii · 17/12/2016 10:24

Internal exams or AS levels? Either way, school shouldn't really be predicting grades purely on the basis of one exam result, but also on how he's been working before and since. Whether it's the school being very rigid, or him trying to explain it away to himself, is not possible to tell from here though!

Has he talked to his maths teacher about it? (Has his term finished now?)

He can apply to e.g. three courses with slightly differing requirements, see whether he gets offers, and then add another two, using the previous responses as guides to what is realistic. If he doesn't get an offer he's happy with, he can always decline and try again next year, it's not either/or.

Kr1stina · 17/12/2016 10:35

It costs very little money and a bit of time to apply, so why not? he needs to get a move on and research what courses he likes, the closing date is very soon.

When did he get these predicted grades ? Why are the school only giving the results now , when the closing date for early applicants is long gone?

What advice has he had from his tutor / guidance teacher ?

He doesn't seem very motivated TBH. I see that he has ASD, is he normally so " laid back " ?

DollyPlastic · 17/12/2016 10:37

Can't he speak to his maths teacher, surely there will be able to look again at his prediction if it's an anomaly?

Warwick and Bristol won't give him an offer otherwise ime.

shivermytimbers · 17/12/2016 10:48

I would advise him to apply this year but make sure he explains why he thinks he underachieved in the mock and what he has learnt from this/ what he will do differently in order to make sure he does better in the proper exams. If his reference also confirms that he has made improvements to deal with this, he should be fine. Most universities understand that this can happen but are only particularly worried if the application doesn't make sense eg. student applying for competitive course, predicted grades all low, no mention or explanation of this and no indication from previous exams that high grades would be possible.

shivermytimbers · 17/12/2016 10:50

Meant to say that explanation should go in personal statement

Bluntness100 · 17/12/2016 10:54

It would be unusual to predict based solely on one exam result where he misread the paper. I'd speak to the teacher as normally how they are working is taken into account. He will have to make up ground and do better to offset the as result.

As for applying, no reason why not. He may struggle with the unis of his choice, for the reason stated above, predictions are normally based on more, and although he would get a place in clearing, again it may not be in the uni of his choice, but it's worth a shot.

As for if the worst happens and he doesn't get what he wants, then I'm never sure of the gap year and resit, because not doing it for a year then sitting the exam would concern me. I'd make him repeat the year.

RedNailsAndRedDress · 17/12/2016 10:56

Is there any reason why he doesn't have a fourth A level?

MeTehOne · 17/12/2016 11:01

The timing is a bit strange. He can still apply and if he doesn't get offers he can use Extra? If he applied for lower tariff Unis he could accept a more realistic offer and then, IF he manages to do well he may be able to 'upgrade' to a higher tariff University on results day using Adjustmemt.

I don't want to be pessimistic but it's extremely unusual for student to get higher grades than predicted. In fact more than half of applicants get two or more grades LOWER than their predicted grades. Also around 60-65% of physics A'level predictions are over predicted. INFO HERE UCAS report based on 2015 data.

JudithTaverner · 17/12/2016 12:09

He was similarly laid back for GCSEs and got A*s in the end. I think this has shocked him. He dropped the 4th A Level at the beginning of the year (Chemistry). I'm not just being his proud mother (I'm anything but at the moment) but I really don't think he is a D grade student. I agree, I think the prediction is due to something that's happened this term - I can't remember his results in the summer but I knew them and he was on for a B then iirc (missing an A grade by a matter of marks).

he had a parent's evening last week but I couldn't go due to work so I can't speak to his maths teacher until next term.

I am really cross with him.

OP posts:

frenchfancy · 17/12/2016 12:13

I hope that the we in the OP is a typo and should be he. Fine to be an interested parent but it will be him going to Uni not you.

Which engineering does he want to do? It may make a difference.

LIZS · 17/12/2016 12:27

Did he take modules early which forecast D ? Surely if he capable of an A he can resit any module he flunked or his teachers would realise it was an anomaly. It seems unlikely one misread question would have such a drastic effect on his final grade.

titchy · 17/12/2016 13:08

Maths and FM are still legacy AS plus A2. So his AS results will form part of his overall result. However modules can be resat and combined to give the best overall result - you/he really should talk to his maths teacher about this in detail with a view to increasing his prediction if that's appropriate. It's a shame this is all so last minute - this should have been sorted in September.

To your question - yes he has nothing to lose by applying now, other than £24.

MeTehOne · 17/12/2016 14:58

OP, ant you email your sons maths tutor or have they already broken up?
Has your son indicated where he might want to apply.

Kr1stina · 17/12/2016 17:02

Why can't you speak to his maths teacher until next term? Is your childs school already closed for Christmas ?

whyohwhy000 · 17/12/2016 17:06

I'd do it - you'll lose nothing (except £24) by applying.

BertrandRussell · 17/12/2016 17:09

If he genuinely messed /misread up the exam, I am quite surprised that the school is predicting a D. What about any course work, his teachers'opinion? A level predictions don't normally rest on one exam.........

User006point5 · 17/12/2016 19:06

Are you sure it's the correct predicted grade? My DS's school got the Further Maths and Maths predicted grades mixed up, and emailed only the FM and not the M prediction to us, and labeled it as Maths.

EvilTwins · 17/12/2016 19:15

It's quite late to be thinking about whether to apply. UCAS closing date is 15th Jan and so I hope he has a good form tutor/head of year who is willing and able to get the checks done and reference in quickly as soon as they go back.

Do not waste any of the 4000 available characters explaining away a potentially disappointing A2 grade. He needs to use those characters wisely to explain why he will succeed, not make excuses about messing up an exam.

Also worth asking teachers about the grade. When I submit predicted grades for my yr 13 tutor group I ask teachers for a best & worst case scenario and then discuss it with the teachers so that the predicted grade that goes on the form is the right one for the child.

Can I please suggest not emailing the teacher over Christmas though - that's hardly fair.

JudithTaverner · 17/12/2016 19:43

oh I suspect he's not being completely honest with me about what's happened this term. I need to speak to the teacher but will need to wait until they go back after Christmas. (Don't worry I won't email now!).

This is quite a shock though - last year at the parent's evening he wasn't predicted a D at all. They were all very positive about him. And the parents evening this term was only a couple of weeks ago , so hardly long enough for us think about what to do.

user his "maths" grade was a B when I last heard.

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JudithTaverner · 17/12/2016 19:44

Kr1stina, yes they've broken up already.

OP posts:

EvilTwins · 17/12/2016 19:53

Has he started his UCAS application yet?

DurdleDurdle · 17/12/2016 19:55

You can still send the teacher an email, you can say that you understand that you may have to wait until the new term until getting a reply. Some teachers would be happy to reply sooner.

Does your son have his exam results or progress reports online. My DCs school did.

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