DS monumentally messed up on end of year 12 maths exam. Is there any hope?

@Ohthatsexciting Being taught this principle and grasping it are two different things. DH is an academic in an excellent Russell Group School of Maths. The UGs have mostly coasted in, but when they eventually start to struggle they don’t begin the problem sets ahead of tutorial; they only work backwards after solutions have been discussed/posted. I think it is based in fear.

Of course this is by no means all students. Sometimes the most successful aren’t the most able, but those who pushed through the fear.

It is pretty shocking that he has reached this age and hasn’t grasped or been taught this very basic approach to revising

STEM academic here who thinks @BlueMumDays sounds like she has a good idea of what’s probably happened. This type of passive learning is seductive and not easy to train our students out of. And they were top sixth form mathematicians. (On paper, at least.)

OP, your plan sounds excellent. I am glad you will engage the tutor as I think people frequently underestimate the importance of this step. The tutor should be someone he has good rapport with, otherwise try again as this can make a big difference. The key is for your DS to realise the difference between passive learning and proper learning as explained by@BlueMumDays Hopefully he will feel empowered once he does.

Sorry, for clarity, the improved PG for ds was PE not maths; but the grade 8 to grade B WAS maths.

Op for sure it’s not too late to improve that grade. ds2 improved an A level PG from a C or maybe even a D to an A with commitment and hard work. As long as he is not planning on med school he has the autumn term to improve his PG.

What did he get at GCSE? That’s quite a good indicator. Ds got an 8 (2019 so exams) and then a B at A level (which he was v happy with).

Could be a plan tho to look at a couple of unis with lower offers too.

you can safely ignore a lot of anecdotes from parents who have kids that sat A Level before 2018. The new A Level Maths is a lot harder than before and expects students to really know their Maths to get the top grade. Granted that grade boundaries are a lot lower but they are low for a reason.
Look at the Maths teachers’ above. Look into if your son actually understood what was being taught. Also don’t expect an E to become an A with work over the summer. More realistic to expect a C. Carry on working in the Autumn term and prove it to his teachers. If he does not need to apply by 15/10 then he has time but not much. Get a tutor and/or expect post result application if he really needs an A in Maths for his course.

Don't loose hope OP, with a lot of hard work he can definitely pull up his grade. Could you possibly hire him a tutor so that he can review all of the content?

My son did A level Maths some time ago. He got an A* at GCSE so took it easy. Also he was struggling with another subject with coursework and spent far too long on that. At A level a common mistake is not to split your time equally between your subjects. He got a D at AS and had to resit 2 out of his 3 units the following year on top of his A2. We got him a tutor and he worked hard over summer with tutor. At the end of A2 he got a high C. The 2 modules he resat he got A's on. We wondered if he should have resat third year 12 module as he only needed 2 more marks for a B. He found core 4 solid.

She is.

Why was he convinced that he knew it really well when he “had not put nearly” enough time in to studying?!

ucas deadline is 23/01/23

Her uni application is only due that early if she is applying for oxbridge or medicine though. Most kids won’t be

Ok? All I know is UCAS Apply opens in September and her Uni application is due on 15 October. Not much time to impress really….

Of course it isn’t too late to change predicted grades. They don’t go anywhere until the ucas form is completed.

“He was convinced he’d done really well”

op are you sure he is anA grade candidate and this course is realistic?

It is all very well messing up an exam, but to think you’ve done really well in an exam you got an E in - is concerning

It’s a fuck up but not irredeemable and probably the wake up call he needs.

get the work books and a tutor if you can , and that’s how summer holidays sorted.

can I just say well done as s parent for allowing him to mess up too. Lots of parents are micromanaging and kids just don’t get the amount of work needed. He’s now learning it well before he “ flies solo” post year 13.

It may have changed since I did a levels but will he not have to agree to resit the exam in January next year in order to carry on the subject to a level? If he really, really puts the work in and does well in the January resits and the summer exams he might get it up to an A

I'd be having a word with the teacher to see if your son has the aptitude to get an A.
In maths, I can't imagine a situation where a student capable of getting an A, ends up withn a E regardless of how little studying has been done.

Do they offer the opportunity to resit the exams at the beginning of yr13? Might be worth throwing himself on their mercy and working all over the holiday.

Does the intended course look at predicted grades? What are his other A levels like. He needs to do some research into what the individual universities require. Maybe also discuss the possibility of a gap year so he can apply with (hopefully higher) achieved grades.

I would be amazed if he isn't looking at worked solutions. They're all freely available online, and they can be a really powerful tool. But they can also give a false sense of confidence.

The absolute best way to do maths (I am a maths teacher BTW!) is to try a question, check the answer (NOT the full solution) immediately and then have another go BY YOURSELF to try and find where you went wrong.

A Level maths is 50% learning/understanding, and 50% exam practice.