DD messed up AS levels. Advice needed.

[Cakeonthefloor]

My daughter did really well in her gcses (8s and 9s). She moved to a new school to do chemistry, maths and economics a-levels. She has struggled to motivate herself to study and has got 3 Es in her AS. She has a retake in a few weeks as she needs D grades to continue to A-level. She doesn't know what to do. She could repeat the year, leave with an AS level and teach herself the final A-level year and take the exam at a college. She could drop an a-level and concentrate on 2 and try and get a nhs or police apprenticeship. She could switch subjects but they were her favourites. She could try and get an apprenticeship but she needs a-levels for any she is interested in. She has asked me to post this as she is desperate for advice or similar stories. Thanks for reading.

I would suggest starting sixth form again at a local college and possibly changing subjects. The school sounds like it isn't right for it. Maybe it's too high-pressured and not encouraging enough. Or maybe it's too rigid which is why she is talking about wanting to teach herself (which isn't possible).
Can you look at colleges online and the courses they are offering? Maybe she would like to stick with those A-levels or choose different ones or maybe an entirely different course would be better.

I do think you need to be better informed though. If they aren't actual AS levels she won't be leaving with an AS level, she'll be leaving with nothing, which would mean restarting. If they are school internal exams she has to get a D in and manages that, it's still not a good enough basis really to do well at A-level.

AS chemistry is one DD1 is re-sitting - it look like she'll bring it up a grade which will help her - Welsh A-level- with A-level grade.

If she gets a D in her mocks enough to carry on - I would look at the up learn site I linked to it does have AQA chemistry - it does video and then questions - so chance to go over material again and questions to check understanding.

Has maths with that board as well but not sure how good it is - DD1 dropped maths at AS level (again can do that in Wales) they said later that all the kids who hadn't done additional maths at GCSE were at a disadvantage - DD1 was supposed to be first year that did that at her school but with covid that plan was dropped.

As an aside, your DD is probably feeling quite unsettled right now.

Like her, I did very well at GCSE (10xA, 1xA) -but then I started Physics, Chemistry, Maths, and Biology at A-Level - and got E*s in my AS levels.

That sense of 'failure' when I'd only know academic success was hard, and actually something that I later addressed in therapy.

I switched courses after my AS level results, and went to a local college (rather than the sixth form I'd been at) - and I went on to get 4xD at A-Level (humanities and arts subjects).

Again I'd 'failed' - looking back, I realise that the skillset required to pass GCSEs is very different than A-Levels, because I was bright, I'd never learned to 'study' I had no idea about repeatedly practicing the same thing, or doing additional reading, because I'd never had to.

So with my eight D-and-below AS/A Levels - I started as an intern in an ad agency.... they sponsored me through university, I got a 2:1 - and now (23 years later) - I'm in a leadership position in a tech company and love my job.

The road to success may not be linear - but what your DD is going through right now will shape her for the rest of her life, so tread with caution.

Oooo the asterisk I used for A-star bolded a bunch of stuff, apologies!

The whole point of this post is that she is capable. She just hasn't applied herself in the right ways this particular year.

Fwiw, I'm an example of your point being false.

Don't stress. I failed most of my AS levels due to messing around despite being more than capable.
I just did my AS levels and A levels all in my A level year so attending twice the amount of classes as my friends. It was hard work but I learnt a valuable life lesson.

See there are loads of us who messed up! I talk to my DC about it all the time. I think it's a really important message for teens that there isn't just one path and one mistake does not mean it's the end of the world. A friend's DC took their own life last year as a result of fears over A Levels. So tragic. Nothing is worth that of course but it feels like the end of the world at that age when things aren't going right.

There is the possibility that the OP's DD has kept her worries to herself and not told her mum that she is struggling.
DD uses me as a bouncing board for her struggles so I always knew what was going on with her education-wise.

Are you on the south coast? This exactly the same as my DCs 6th form & they only offer A levels.

They needed a D in the summer internal exams in all subjects to be allowed to study in the upper 6th (U6). They werent any AS levels, only ingernal exams 3 ties a year to check progress - I imagine your DDs college is the same so if she doesn't pass she is unlikely to end up with any qualification for this year but please do check this.

If students at my DCs 6th form didn't get a grade D or higher in the internal exams they weren't able to progress - some only struggled with 1 subject so had to attend both upper & lower 6th lessons for that subject to be able to sit it as the end of U6. Some actually left and went to a local college with more support and a wider range of subjects & qualifications types and some left and got jobs/apprenticeships.

The jump between GCSEs & A levels is huge and we found that some of my DCs brightest friends at GCSE really struggled at A levels as they actually had to work hard to get their grades where they coasted at GCSE & they genuinely weren't used to working.

I think your DD would be best speaking to the head of year at her college about her options and then taking it from there. However, if she isnt prepared to put in the work between now and her exams I think she needs to deicide if A levels are really for her.

Good luck

Thank you all for the advice and the messages of support. There are many reasons why I thought she was doing AS but it was an assumption. Firstly when my older children did their a-levels the first year was an AS which you then chose to continue to sit an A-level after the second year. This is the way it is for my nephews and nieces. The school emailed all parents before the tests to inform them the pupils had to get above a D to carry on to the second year. The tests were done in a very formal way with candidate numbers, sat in the hall etc. After parents evening, the teacher was very clear that unless she gets a D then she resits the year and leaves with AS levels which strengthened my misconception.

I had received one report prior to the parents evening. She had got D+ and she seemed confident that she would get a C at the end of the year.

My DD is very clear they are the A-levels she wants to do. My father and brothers are professors in Maths so there may be a genetic ability (which missed me out!). Maths has always been her favourite subject. The teacher in her old school was pushing her to do further maths at a-level as she felt she had a good maths brain, apparently. She did get 8 in her English GCSE and 9 in history but she hates writing essays and does not enjoy those subjects.

She has been very reluctant to talk about her school life but she opened up and I am keen to help her make the best choice for her. She feels she has the ability but didn't work effectively enough. She said she found it hard to focus and the worse she was doing, the more stressful she found studying and so the less she learnt.

I will contact the school again and request that she resits the year as an a-level student. If the school will not offer this, then we will look at other colleges. She feels this will take the pressure off and will allow her to focus when she is studying. She feels that she will be motivated enough to put in the hours that are needed. I will see how she does up to her mocks and if she has improved. If not, we will look at apprenticeships.

Thank you again for your replies, the kind words to her and the positive messages.

@Cakeonthefloor

Glad you are feeling better about it.

I really don't think it should be a choice between three really hard A levels - she could make some easier choices there - or an apprenticeship, but if that's what she wants then go for it. Good luck 👍

Thank you. Hopefully this time next year will be more positive.

The jump between gcse and A level is huge and if she has already struggled to motivate herself and make the grades she needs being taught by people that do it for a living (unless the entire year’s grades were poor, not just your DD’s) then I probably wouldn’t be supportive of this idea. If she knows the course material and just struggled in the exams, then look at different ways of approaching the exam questions to maximise marks and minimise filler words.

What did she end up getting @Cakeonthefloor

D and 2Es. The school has agreed that she can resit the year. I am just hoping that she will work this year.