Y11 2025-26 Results Day and Next Steps

Yes dd is meeting up with old friends this weekend, which I am really happy about. I think after the initial whirl, she’ll settle with a smaller group.

I went to the same sixth form and it’s so nostalgic watching her embrace the new chapter there - something I remember so well 🥹

@Drivingselfmad sounds familiar! DD is loving the new school and seems to be doing lots of socialising. But she has still been meeting with her old friends and went to a gig with one of them last night. The whole group of old friends are doing something together next week. I think seeing her old friends makes her a bit nostalgic though and question whether she's made the right choice although then when she's with the new group she's happy.

@XelaM are you on FB? The What I Wish I Knew About University group is very helpful for questions like yours and has lots of very knowledgeable people on it. My understanding is that some universities do only count A levels taken at one sitting but as she'll still have 3, she may be ok. But then at Dd's old school, the people doing FM do A level Maths in Y12 and FM in Y13, so I don't think it can matter that much.

My DD has started at a 6th form college but this week was her first week in so only really just finding her feet. She is speaking to new people in her lessons but I wouldn't say she has made any friends yet.

When DS went to the same college a few years ago, he did start mixing more and making friends and going to parties. The novelty did wear off after a few months though and he figured out which ones to hang on to and which new friends to let go of.

It's their first time for many having that sort of freedom and independence, I think they naturally want to stretch their wings a bit at first.

For people whose kids have gone to a sixth form not at their old school, how they doing socially? My dd seems to have made a massive group of new friends very quickly - which is great, but I’m a little worried she’ll drop her old friends in the thrill of the new. I hope not. I also get the feeling that we are about to enter the era of Parties and Drinking and Going Out in Town 😬 (her existing friends are a lovely nerdy little group who might have one G&T with fresh lime during their gatherings 😆). Am buckling up…

Your son should write uni reviews online - he’d be a hit! 😆

Ah ok. Could she drop a science? She only needs chemistry plus one other.

It's Vet Medicine and her GCSEs albeit good were not so exceptional, so she really needs to do her absolute maximum to try to get an offer. The reason she's doing a 4th A-level is because she's more likely to do well in the language A-level but still wants (and needs) to do the sciences. The 4th A-level she's doing outside college.

Is it medicine/ dentistry or vet med?

To be honest there is little benefit doing four alevels in any time combination. Universities only look at 3. If it’s such a competitive course, the recommendation is usually to focus on getting A* in three rather than spreading thinly for four.

Can any wise Mumsnetters who are in the know about kids taking 4 A-levels advise on whether it's better to take an A-level early in Y12 or take all 4 in Y13? Hypothetically, should the kid have a uni offer of A (star) AA, but they achieved the A(star) in Y12 and in Y13 got AAA or AAB, would the A(star) they achieved in Y12 count towards their offer or would they need to have taken all 4 A-levels in Y13?

I'm trying to decide if my daughter should take her MFL A-level in Y12 which would mean less work in Y13 or if it's pointless unless taken at the same time as the other A-levels. Also, is it better to already have an A(star) in the bag so to speak when applying to unis or it would make no difference as long as she gets predicted A(star) AA for example?

She's aiming for a super-competitive course where she really needs to pull out all the stops to even get a look-in.

We’re Going to open day at Southampton next weekend. The first stop on the tour circuit. I’m really looking forward to it. Dd is the oldest so this is all new territory. I just hope in the next week she has decided which fourth subject to drop… Still waiting on the fourth marking review to come back too.

@NotDarkGothicMama did wonder if it was cobbles but just preferred his word of bumpy.

He means cobbles, but wouldn't demean himself by giving "the ridiculous bumps" their proper name. He and his friend also managed to fit in yet another Pizza Express, so now he's up to silver tier status just 3 weeks into term. I told him he's going to be spherical if he keeps that up.

@NotDarkGothicMama I am enjoying your sons feedback.
Too bumpy 😂

DS's school came back, having reviewed his English paper (1 mark away from a 6) and have said they don't think its worth getting it checked, but we can do so if we want to pay.

@Tebheag he was happy to report that the Oxford students were better dressed than their Cambridge counterparts. However, the streets were too bumpy and therefore he would never consider going there. FML. I'm glad your DD enjoyed it.

@NotDarkGothicMama hope your ds enjoyed the open day.
DD enjpyed it got her considering what she would like to do. Discovered she needs to A stars and an A to study engineering at Oxford.
We also had parents information evening this week where told for every hr in class they had to match outside so 4.5hrs per A level.

I would ask yourself, to what end would you be getting a remark? What purpose would potentially getting the next grade up serve? If nothing much, then honestly I wouldn’t bother.

Mine has mostly (1 research this play exception) only been set “finish it off if you haven’t yet” type homework so far. Have been trying to encourage him to quiz himself on facts etc but he’s found it very difficult as textbooks seem to be unavailable/ out of date and/or the teacher is doing it all in a totally different order. And the teachers seem to want their work handed in quite often. Hopefully this will improve as they finish topics so easier to revise past stuff 🤞. Not sure how relevant to the actual classwork independent study needs to be either tbh.

No, just the good ones 😆 He was very disappointed when we went to the Cambridge open day last week.

He’s doing history, politics and economics. Or Marx,Marx and Marx… he’s been a politics nerd since he was 6 he just had to wait 10 years before he could study it!

That sounds amazing - what subjects is he doing? DC is STEM and eg maths doesn’t seem to lend itself as well to extra reading and podcasts etc

My DS is very difficult to tell. He has decided to use all free periods for study and treat A levels as a 9-5 job, which suits him. That covers what’s set. He then has a list of emails he sends himself if stuff to look up, which he does and reads. But then there is the independent learning which are his hobbies anyway - listening to podcasts etc. so I imagine he’s doing closer to 20 hours etc independent learning and a 45 hour week but it’s because he wants to.

Our one said 4-5 hours per subject. But DC only doing actual set homework at the moment which is nowhere near this much. How about your DC are they doing hw or extra study too?

My daughter's AQA Biology was marked down by 2 marks (1 in each paper) 😥 Thankfully it didn't affect the grade as she was very far away from the lower grade boundary, but I shouldn't have bothered (she was previously 1 mark off the higher grade boundary).

We're considering Chemistry too - but we are three marks away.

A girl in her class had her Chemistry reviewed as she was 2marks away, but hers went DOWN 10 marks!