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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

Original poster

Should DD re-take A levels or take up Uni place?

61 replies

yesbutnobut · 16/08/2018 09:07

I'd be grateful for thoughts/advice. DD's A level results today (A*, B, C) are below her predicted grades but she's been lucky enough to be accepted onto her insurance university course.

Question I have is how important it is to have good A levels on your CV? So, should she re-take her A levels to hopefully improve her grades (obviously not guaranteed) or just move on and go to university? I'm thinking that for some jobs or careers it's important to have A levels above a certain grade - if she wanted to, say, apply to one of the Big 4 accountancy firms. Or, do people think that once you get your degree, that is more important than your A levels?

OP posts:
senua · 16/08/2018 09:43

I think the answer is: it depends.
If it is a vocational degree then the A Levels aren't so important.
If it's an academic subject (so effectively just a piece of paper saying "aren't I clever") then class of degree and place of learning are more important (a third from Oxbridge will usually be worth more than a First from the University of OnlyOpenedItsDoorsLastWeek).
The results may not be stellar but they do show that, in the right circumstances, she is capable of an A*. Not everyone is.
It's up to her: are these a blip or a trend? The degree result will show that.

Bluntness100 · 16/08/2018 09:36

Move on I'd say too, as long as she gets a good degree she'll be fine.

However it can also depend on the uni? If it's a decent one then she should go for it.

Etino · 16/08/2018 09:35

Where’s the insurance offer for?

RB68 · 16/08/2018 09:35

Move on definitely. No point in wasting a yr if she has been accepted on her results as they are - they are just a stepping stone.

RiverTam · 16/08/2018 09:32

I got very bad A levels but had an EE offer from an RG uni (obscure course). I pulled my socks up and got a 2:1.

I have never been asked about my A levels and these days they’re not even on my CV.

argumentativefeminist · 16/08/2018 09:30

Could she relearn the C subject herself and enter for the exam at a college near her uni and do both at the same time?

Aethelthryth · 16/08/2018 09:27

I used to be involved with recruitment at a city law firm. A lack of straight A/A* at A level would raise questions; but it wasn't a dealbreaker if the candidate was clearly on an upward academic trajectory, so good (above 68ish %) marks in first year exams. The choice of university and course is relevant, however. Not all first class degrees are equal from an employer's perspective.

Janus · 16/08/2018 09:18

I’d say go too but have no real experience on what to base that on! There’s no guarantee a re-sit will get a better grade is there and imagine not getting any better and having that whole year gone. As long as you are happy with other choice then I’d say for dd to go.

Butterymuffin · 16/08/2018 09:15

No, if she likes the course she's got into, move on. Does she actually want to work for a Big Four firm?

KenDoddsDadsDog · 16/08/2018 09:12

Some firms want certain grades for grad programmes e.g BT but they change the UCAS points anyway. And she’d probably be ok with those results !
She may not get better grades - depends whether she wants to go to her insurance really more than anything.

irregularegular · 16/08/2018 09:12

I believe your degree is more important than A-levels (though to be honest I don't have a whole lot of evidence to back this us). So the question is whether she is sufficiently happy with the degree course and whether it will get here where she wants to be.