Year 13 A-levels 2021 - general support thread?

My dd is planning on doing a foundation course in art to try and cipher which art direction she wants to go in for degree. There’s a good one run at a local college but that means UCAS application will be put on hold a year and do they get any support doing it like they would at school. Saying that school aren’t exactly helping us with this. Everything seems up in the air. She’s been told she doesn’t have a timed art exam next year it’s all going to be coursework. I invigilate at a different school and I’ve been told they are planning for November mocks.

I would say the problem with applying post A Levels is they will be up against the year below many of whom got spectacular GCSE grades as they were CAGS.

Ds school have advised them to submit ucas next year too. I think this is partly due to less places being available (esp in courses like medicine/vet), no predicted grades from school (no online learning or tests done at all in year 12 or to date) and the general uncertainty. It does make sense but then it also seems like an extra punishment for those who really want to press on and get on with life. Ds has also been sent a survey about home technology so expecting learning to be online only very soon. This will be a nightmare for ds as he does better with classroom learning.

That’s interesting baaaahhhh. Another mum also suggested us to do. But the medical school don’t allow re-sit A level results but my DD is also thinking of gap year now 🥴
Not sure how it’ll be 2022 🤔

NotDonna - DS was planning to go overseas, including spending significant time with DGPs, volunteer for an ambulance corp, hopefully work a bit etc. If Covid is not sorted by then though, he will struggle to get into Australia where the DGPs live, even with an Australian passport (which he has). It is completely impossible to go to Australia at the moment (did you see the article about the family sleeping a Heathrow, because they can't get home). Still, he is hopeful that they will manage to sort it in a year.

Hi Baaaahhhhh - DS is asking for a deferred place. He was planning to anyway, although we have heard all the rumours that it is harder to get deferred. Now he is hoping it might be an advantage, with medicine places going to be at the premium they are for 2021, or at least, maybe not the disadvantage others have suggested it generally is. If necessary he will reapply next year (although that means sitting the UCAT again, and he really found that quite stressful enough to do once).

That’s really interesting baaahhh and not a bad idea. What are their thoughts re the gap year? Travel & work could still be tricky.

Hi bimkom - Nice to see old GCSE'ers are catching up for ALevel.

Interesting throw away comment from DD this morning. She mentioned that quite a few of her year, several, which in her small 6th form is quite a high percentage, are not putting in their UCAS this year. They have decided to apply post ALevel. Quite surprised by this, with all the uncertainty. I suppose maybe they think everything might have settled down by next summer, and they can take stock.

Hi, glad to find you (I have mostly been looking over in Higher Education, which is where the medicine 2021 thread is, but I could do with a more general thread too). DS absolutely fixated on medicine. Don't know what he will do if he doesn't make it (probably try and resit and try again, reapply etc). We have predicted predicted grades from online assessments at the end of last year (some more thorough than others - three/four different online biology exams of the course of a week, one small online maths test). But there are tests next week (biology) and the week after (chemistry). It is not totally clear if they will definitely feed into predicted grades, or only if one is unhappy. PS well in hand (read first time by tutor, read by two other teachers now, back with tutor for final sign off).
And DS is off on a field trip for biology today and tomorrow! Apparently, as far as he knows, it is the only field trip that has been authorised in the entire school, and he thinks it may be the only field trip the entire year for anybody. Unlike other years, when I gather they would stay over, they are being coached out and back and out and back again tomorrow. The biology department clearly is quite a powerful one (witness the number of online assessments and then managing to arrange this field trip) by comparison with the others. I would have thought Geography (which DS doesn't do) would have been a priority for a field trip. It is so clear that it is not just a question of the school, but of the department and how crack the whip they are. The biology on line offerings were also the ones that DS rated most highly over lockdown. Good in some ways as biology is his weakest subject, but maybe not so good as it was the other subjects he was looking for the best grades in. Still, can't complain, as we have been very lucky in terms of online offerings. DS switched schools (from state to private) for Sixth Form, and so we are hearing a lot about what his friends from his former school are getting and not getting. I wish he didn't have to travel so far, and on public transport though. He used to be able to walk to his old school, now we are 40-50 minutes by tube or train, which I am not thrilled about. But some of the things that DS was hoping to get when he switched (old state school has zero after school clubs and options for wider interests, and he was desperate to be in school plays and discuss politics and all the things that interest him), and it sounds like the plays are all cancelled and because of year bubbling most of the clubs are not really running.

Hardly any online teaching, No reports, no assessments until last week.

Ds1s college has handled the whole situation very badly.

DD's school has gone for predicted grades based on teacher assessment of Y12 work, including lockdown (we had a report close to the end of last term). Anyone unhappy with their predicted grades can take optional formal assessments based on Y12 work.

Loads of Economics courses don’t ask for Further Maths. It’s usually taken as a 4th A level and discouraged as a 3rd. Albeit the highly regarded universities like it. Some universities don’t ask for Maths, but it’s preferred.

Can I join you?

I was going to ask about the UCAS predicted grades tests because DD isn't doing any. School have used a computer program (algorithm? Hmmm) to churn out the predicted grades.

She's been working on her personal statement all summer and was finally happy with version 3. However she's now had conflicting feedback from two teachers which has thrown her a bit.

She is going to give Oxford a go and has seen a couple of successful personal statements. They couldn't have been more different from each other.

The message when we went to a talk for DS a few years ago was to show passion for the subject and to sound like you.

They also said, however, that the personal statement is low down the list for them. GCSE grades, predicted grades, how reliable your school is re predicted grades and most importantly how well you do in their tests (if applicable) are more important when selecting for interview.

Ds in year 13 is hoping to apply for medicine. School have not mentioned ucas statements or Oct applications at all so there is very little support. He's loving being back but has been told to prepare for full exams exams next year and lots of online learning. He is really stressed and veers from being super motivated to super demotivated. There is so much uncertainty in an already stressful year.

@chillie, this is strange isn’t it? Our school is not even allowing to appeal and there is not enough time left

Ds1 did exams first week back....
Hardly any actual teaching in the preceeding 6 months, and apparently the geography exam were source questions which they had not done before.
So I'm conflicted.
Maybe assessments/exams done whilst they were actually still being taught is fairer/more accurate.

Same here aslkhhh , also a grammar school. Predicted grades from before lockdown and no exams. They have said you can appeal but need to provide 'evidence' but no idea where to get the evidence from, they only want exam conditions evidence but won't hold exams.

Well, ds1 starts his term and blended learning from Monday...
Except they've timed one of his virtual lessons for 35 mins after an actual lesson, he can't stay at college obviously and he is a 1 hour bus ride away from home 🤷‍♀️
So...I'll be picking him up every Tuesday to try and get him home in time!
I'm sorry to be a pessimist but I can't see most kids still being in school by October half term.
One year group at ds1s college is already isolating after a + test.

There were twice as I understood once in autumn and another one in January roughly. But should be something at the end of the year. If students are new to school, it takes a time to adapt especially private school curriculum is different from state etc

Are you saying there's been no testing at all in Y12?
Re the maths especially , I would have thought most of those who go on to get As or A stars would have gone in with a 9.

can I join too? we have predicted grades based on year 12 performance till lockdown. My dd moved from private to grammar for 6th form. Her GCSE was chemistry-9, biology and maths-8. Now for predicted without any exam or test, chemistry -A, maths and biology -B. We're also doing Russian outside of school. But even with that we don't meet entry for medicine. School is refusing to change or allow to take test. I'm really upset with this as it's not fair to new students who moved to new school. Anyone has similar issue? Any suggestion?

To be honest I would say they would be happy with that type of experience. Maybe mention on application or interview shes not been able to shadow and tell her to talk about wanting to work more in elderly care or peads both areas we need physios for.

@jamimmi that's good to know as she was concerned that although she has had experience working in a hospital for a week, she hasn't directly worked/shadowed a physio and thought this might count against her. She's not interested in the sport side but patient NHS in working with elderly and children. She has experience of caring for elderly relatives and has phoned lady in care home during lockdown as well as working with younger children.

eatthatfrog just seen your DD looking for work experience with a physio. As one can I say that will be fairly impossible this year due to covid. Bringing patients in is challenging enough. What she could do is look at the CSP web site if she hasn't already and be very aware that sports physio is a tiny part of physio. As a student she will have to work on wards with stroke patients respiratory patients and orthopedic patients. Often these are elderly and frail. If she has any caring experience ie voluntarily work that's great as is the ability to show great communication skills. Your local hospital may do something we do normally but this year it maybe no go. The unis do know this.

joining too.. DD currently studying Psychology, Chemistry and History she has just received predicted grades of ABB based on summer exams and last year's work. This is enough for the courses she wants to study . She has done her PS and been through one draft but it needs to address two health related careers which are similar but different, in addition she needs to complete a transferable skills form as part of her application and get some work experience with a physiotherapist which isn't proving easy.

I am trying to stay calm and hope that she doesn't face too much increased competition from last year's students who have deferred and already have grades and work experience