Son did terribly in GCSE’s

[Kat29]

My 16 year old got his GCSE results yesterday and they were awful. Everything was at least 2 grades below what he was predicted. He only passed 4 although that did include maths and English. All his plans have to do A-levels are in tatters, as is his confidence, and my confidence in my parenting ability. I just don’t know where to go from here. School didn’t care, they were too busy taking photos of their high achievers so no help there.

I'm in Wales so the grades and options are a bit different, but if by passes in English and maths you mean the equivalent of old Cs, that's a huge help as those are the ones employers and colleges are most interested in. He should definitely be able to get onto level 2 courses at an Fe college, and maybe even some level 3s might consider him (not Alevels though). Many many people will have much worse grades than that.

In our area there are very few opportunities for GCSE resits apart from maths and English, unless you pay for online courses / sitting as an external candidate, but plenty of Ievel 2 btec equivalents. Btecs may suit him better if it's the exams that seem to be the problem, rather than his school work in general.

Try not to focus too much on GCSEs / Alevels being the 'normal route'. It's not for a lot of people, and I've seen many people turn down courses they could enjoy, or be good at because 'gcses and a levels are better ' or 'i don't want to be behind my friends ', when in fact their GCSE results show they need a different route. And those messages are usually from parents, so be careful how you talk about the courses.

It's also worth him reflecting on what 'went wrong' to learn from it for next year, if he was predicted higher. Did he put in as much effort as he could, both in and out of school? Or does he just not perform well in exams? Or did something go wrong on the day of the exams?

In wales I would be saying try and speak to a careers Wales adviser. I assume there is similar in England?

I'm not sure I'd worry about remarks if he's 2 grades below what he wants.

However if he can cope with it, I would request the papers and see if you can work out what went wrong. Was it poor exam technique, not using the correct words while being technically correct, just didn't know it etc.

Has he done a whole batch of exams together before? We used to have a fortnight of exams every year whereas my DC's first set of doing exams in every subject together was mocks, and it takes a different preparation doing lots of exams.

And talk to a few colleges. Ask for suggestions, whether it's retakes or starting a new course.

It's not the end of the world. He's not limited himself at 16. Coming from an academic family doesn't mean he will automatically excel in education. We want the best for our children, but what does your DS want? If he wants to progress to A levels talk to the college and look at resits. Maybe he doesn't want to do academic subjects in which case look at that. Right now he needs support and reassurance that all is not lost at 16yrs!

I come from an academic family. When I did my 1st undergraduate I got a 1st and all I remember is being told 'that's what you should be getting, anything less is pointless going to university' the pressure I felt not to fail was awful. DS18yrs has just got a 3 in another English resit. He tried his best, he revised. His best is good enough and we're celebrating his work ethic, determination and that he kept on with the lessons and extra tuition despite it being something he struggles with. I'm academic but he's not. He excels in so many other things I can't do. Focus on your DSs strengths and what he wants to do and try reign your anxiety in a little!

Passes in English and Maths are the key to so much, so well done, as far too many students fail / have failed these exams. With the exams he has passed, apprenticeships open up, as functional skills are key and without these many providers / employers will not consider a prospective candidate. Explore the options, do not allow him to be rolled onto a Level 1 course, but he wants a L3 option and there are a huge number of these available. What does he want to do? Has he had a 'real' appointment with a careers advisor? Have a look at these sites https://www.ucas.com/explore/career-list https://www.prospects.ac.uk/ Explore all options and what comes next is not a race, it is a steady progression. Sometimes learning that life takes a little more effort, even at 16, can make all the difference to the approach to everything that is to follow. So, well done on passing the 'key' exams and onwards and upwards.

The most important thing in the short term is for him to know that these results don't define him. I don't know how it will affect his immediate options but he still has the opportunity to do well in education and life, his route might just be different.

Plenty of people in university, professional careers etc. who crashed out of GCSEs for whatever reason. Best of luck to you both.

Not GCSEs, but DD did shockingly badly at A levels. She did resits, and has now graduated with a first from uni. Try not to panic, find an alternative, and do not catastrophise ( easier said than done, I know).

You need to look as his records thus far. What were his mock results? How did he do as he went up through the school system? If he was a moderate to high achiever and this has suddenly happened, did he put in enough time to get the desired grades? Or, is he a much more practical type who has difficulty with school subjects in general? If he is a high achiever could he repeat the year or go to a FED college and repeat his GCSEs. Seems a shame to abandon a promising future for just one year. If, on the other hand he is practical and non academic and would have got these results anyway, check out all avenues of further education in the areas he is strong i.e. metalwork, woodwork, etc.

He did better than my daughter. She failed English and Maths. She had to resit them at sixth form (three years). She now at uni although not studying an academic course.

Sometimes me need to admit our children are where they are.

I find your attitude to be really awful.

Firstly, he has not limited himself. Secondly, there's no such thing as an "academic family". I really hope you're not talking in this way around him.

Can I ask you @Kat29 whether your son feels in himself that he’s academic or whether he’s more manual skilled? Could he try to do an apprenticeship somewhere instead of doing more book learning? Exams don’t suit everyone. Also there are many routes to get to the end goal, it’s never a one size fits all approach.

Best of luck to you both.

Hiya. This happened to me too. It was 30 years ago this year. Absolutely awful day. I ended up with just two GCSEs. I had always struggled to focus and I did get diagnosed with adhd as an adult.

I decided that I was going to go back to resit my GCSEs in college. It was hard as all my were doing A levels but it gave me the drive to do it!

They actually let me study one A level at the same time. I passed all my resits then did A levels and then went on to uni. Ironically a lot of my friends who did A levels failed them and then didn’t go to uni.

It was a “pick yourself up and dust yourself off moment” but I’m glad I resat!

Maybe exams just aren't for him and it's better to find that out now than push through another five years of them.

Be positive for him even if you don't feel it. He's a bright lad who works hard. That will count in life.

Go along to the FE college and look at his options. As with PP get him applying for part time jobs as well. But be clear this is not because you think this is all he can do but because he'll learn about what he likes and importantly what he doesn't but also because being punctual, always turning up and working hard count for a hell of a lot more than results in most work places and it's important for him to see that those qualities are important too.

There will be opportunities. If he still wants a more academic route and college suits a lot of unis have relationships with colleges that allow you to progress from HNDs etc.

Good luck

Whatever happens op this will be the making of him. My husband did badly at gcses and levels and took a very roundabout route to getting into his profession (one that requires lots of years at uni and chartership). He's now a director in his firm.

This need not define your son, you will find there are lots of different paths to get to the same places and institutions that give second chances to those who show aptitude in the face of adversity. The a grade students at school who go to Russell group unis aren't always the ones who do best in the long run.

What was he actually planning to do? Has he decided on a eventual job or area of interest?

Look at local FE colleges. He can certainly do a level 2 and probably a level 3 course.

Has he got a science pass? Most FE colleges do resit GCSEs in English language, maths and science, mainly because anyone going in to teaching needs a science GCSE.

He didn't do terribly, he has 4 passes and the ones at lower grades are still level 1 qualifications.

What does he want to do later? As in a job. FE colleges offer a wider range of qualifications than A levels. Things like catering, hairdressing, motor mechanics etc etc.

This is just a glitch, lots of people didn't pass GCSEs / O levels, Jamie Oliver, Sean Bean, Simon Cowell and you can probably find many other examples.

This glitch could turn out to be a good thing, we often put children on a treadmill of school, GCSEs, A Levels, uni without actually thinking about what they enjoy and the type of work they would enjoy.

There are a lot of good options out there. He can go to an FE college and then potentially look at a degree apprenticeship in a couple of years. Lots of big companies and organisations offer them including things like the Bank of England and big engineering firms.

I didn’t get the A levels I needed due to family circumstances. I went to an FE college, sat new ones, then got into Uni. I now have a Masters, professional qualifications and a well paid job. An academic blip as a teenager does not shape your entire life.

OP, exams are so hit and miss and teens feel their entire future rests on them.

My son (now 25) did well enough at GCSE to get into 6th form and got good A Levels to get onto his chosen degree and then completely bombed at degree level mainly because of covid and university shutdown and other circumstances beyond his control but he didn't handle it very well either and didn't tell anyone he was struggling (got an ordinary degree).

He had a couple of rocky years afterwards while he found himself and his feet again but now he works as an IT analyst and loves it. He's earning equally to most of his graduate peers and better than some.

It's early days. Make the phone calls and give him the reassurances because he will be ok. He's just going to need to follow a different route for a couple of years.

But he will be ok.

Check out sara Davies post on insta yesterday about grades. She off dragons den..thought it very good..she didnt do great in hers either

Hi OP
Teacher here, your son still has a huge range of options available to him, and can still progress and do well.
It sounds like academic learning might not be for him, so A levels might not be the best next step anyway. I would encourage visiting your local FE college to look at options. This could be trade skills, which can lead to wonderful, and these days very lucrative careers, or a sideways entry into a profession.
I myself never set foot in a university, having done similarly to your son at GCSE in the mid 90's, I went to college and studied Art & Design, climbing up the BTEC system, gaining and HND, then, deciding I wanted to teach the subject, followed the FE system route to gain a Cert.Ed., attained QTS and then migrated over to teaching in schools, where I have happily been for 20 years.
My wife, who I met in college, another GCSE reject did the alternative apprenticeship route into the law, becoming a solicitor, and is a partner in a local firm.
There is a whole alternative pathway out there, and it allows you access to almost any profession you can think of, either via alternative vocational learning and quals or access to degrees without going through the A level pathway.

Kat29 two years ago my daughter left high school with three GCSE's and had not passed English language. Worse position than your son and I was worried what the future looked like and where she would go from there.
We found a new sixth form that took a chance. She did three level 3 btecs ( two of them extended) and re sat her English four times in total! Eventually passing last November.

Last Thursday she was offered her first choice university course with amazing grades at Btecs.

Please do not doubt your parenting, some of us aren't great at exams but are great and can excel at other qualifications. Not every 16 year old can pass a memory test!! I firmly believe the whole system needs an overhaul.

Look around at other sixth forms. This is a moment in time and won't have any bearing on what things look like in a couple of years.

It’s not what was expected OP and I can see why that would be upsetting for you both. Together you need a plan of action! All is not lost.
Email the headteacher and ask them to look into it. Request a remark.
Meanwhile look at/call local colleges - access courses and or resits.
Apprenticeships.
I didn’t get my A levels as expected but eventually got a degree by doing a HND. I turned up at a local college to enrol and the tutor could not have been more helpful. There are still lots of options available. Good luck to your son OP

OP, this is a brilliant post from @Rumplestiltz - I agree, go and talk to the local FE college (ours is called a 'technical' college for example) and they will be able to help. Also maybe exams aren't his thing, so a course-work based course might be better for him. And yes, see about either getting one or two of those GCSEs re-marked, or look to take another one/re-take one to get his 5 passes

He will be fine, honestly. So many paths forward for them these days, and opportunities to re-take and add to qualifications in other ways.

It's really hard when you/your family are academic, because you just expect that your DC will do reasonably well and follow the well-worn path of A levels and degree. This is a common problem though OP. My sister also did poorly at GCSE. She failed maths, so had to resit that, but she moved to the local FE college and did a couple of BTECs alongside while she did her resit. If your DS has failed subjects he wanted to study at A level that doesn't really bode well for his ability to get a decent pass at A level, so a realistic path forward is needed. Not all DC of academic parents are academic themselves, or maybe he messed up because of another issue and you/his teachers know that he IS capable of much better grades, in which case resits may be his best option, however depressing that is currently. Do approach your local FE college(s) and see what the options are, because there are always options.

My DS did so much better in the courses where they were continually assessed both at GCSE & A levels.

The pressure of exams was just too much! He then chose to work and do an apprenticeship where they are again continually assessed. He's hoping to go on and do a degree apprenticeship.

Speak with a FE college and find out if there is a pathway through apprenticeship for him to get where he wants to be , or a btec or something that doesn't require an exam at the end.

Great post and illustrative that there are many paths into careers