Year 12 DD doing badly in first A’level tests. Is this normal?

[morningmay]

DD has just done her first lot of tests for A’levels in Chemistry, Maths and Biology and done pretty badly (around 30%). She claims most of the class has got a similar mark to her but I was a bit horrified. She got 8s in the subjects at GCSE so pretty capable we thought, but she needs at least an A in each subject for the course she wants to do at university. Is it normal get this sort of grades at the start of an A’level course?

Not normal at all. She needs to buckle down asap and get revising

Different experience to PP but this happened for DD. She got all As at GCSE very easily so was shocked when her first A Level mocks were a D! Helped her realise how much higher the standard was and how much harder she needed to work. Came out with all As at the end - it was just a learning curve she had to go through.

I'd say yes, pretty normal and not to panic. It's a big step up to A level and more so than usual this year. That said, the correct response it to buckle down (if you haven't) or to keep working hard (if you are).

I should say the leap vetween a levels and gcses is pretty big in chemistry and maths.
To a lesser degree also biology.
(Comparatively i found history and english were a walk in the park)

Is she struggling with the concepts i found integration/differentiation really hard to get my head round and was in denial until i got an actual D grade in AS maths (that put the fear into me and i really studied after that, i resat everything and got an A in the end)

@Porcupineintherough

I'd say yes, pretty normal and not to panic. It's a big step up to A level and more so than usual this year. That said, the correct response it to buckle down (if you haven't) or to keep working hard (if you are).

I agree with this, it is a step up that generally catches our people who coasted very easily through GCSE. So I can very much believe that most of her class got a similar grade.

There’s a lot more responsibility on the pupil at A levels, they cannot rely on just what is taught in class so a lot of self study is required.
As it’s the first round of tests I wouldn’t worry too much. But definitely have a word with her to improve her study plan.
My sons maths teacher said as a guide , pupils should be looking at 10hours home study a week, per subject.

I work in a school science department and our y12 exams a couple of weeks ago were dire, pretty much across the board. I think it's a combination of the gaps in GCSE teaching and lack of exam experience (i.e. timing, and read the question carefully and actually answer it!) affecting this cohort.

@PollyannaWhittier

I work in a school science department and our y12 exams a couple of weeks ago were dire, pretty much across the board. I think it's a combination of the gaps in GCSE teaching and lack of exam experience (i.e. timing, and read the question carefully and actually answer it!) affecting this cohort.

I should have said lack of revision experience too - they didn't have to revise for GCSE so haven't worked out what methods work for them

I think it depends, if she got those 8s because she went to a good school, was taught well, pushed/coached or if she got them because she worked independently and is naturally bright. I went to a rubbish state comp and was essentially ignored for five years because I wasn't trying to stab anyone nor on the child protection register. I got all A* and A grades at GCSE, I found A levels a natural progression. In fact better because I went to a sixth form college where the teachers weren't just fire fighting (sometimes literally). My class mates who'd been nurtured and prepped and coached throughout GCSE from other schools, found it more difficult with more focus on independent study/motivation that led to some being a bit lost.

What level were the tests pitched at?

If the tests were at the standard of questions she should expect in the final exams, then low grades aren't unexpected at all at this early stage. But, if the tests were to check people's understanding of material they've already covered and should know well, then that suggests she and her friends who got similar scores need to be doing more.

There's a big step up between GCSEs and A-levels, and if she needs high grades to get into her preferred university courses then she needs to prioritise studying over other things that she might have given priority to in the past. Make sure she isn't over-extending herself with too many commitments and that she has time and space to study. She might also want to check out some study skills guidance - there are always opportunities to learn new tips to help boost recall and comprehension.

@PollyannaWhittier it’s interesting that you have found the same thing at your school. I hadn’t thought about DDs lack of exam experience but it does make sense that she’s not developed the revision techniques yet. Do you have any plans to help the dc at your school or will they be expected to work on this themselves? I’m hoping the low grades will encourage her to work harder.

Depends on the school so hard to know, but sometimes they do hit them with an exam style test with material from the whole course, not just that which has already been taught. It depends very much on the type of test.

You've to remember they're only a month or so into their a levels and so won't have been taught a huge amount of what they'll need to know for the exam too.

The jump up in A level from GCSE is massive and especially for this year's year 12 who basically didn't do GCSE with the pandemic disrupting learning so much.

However, this needs to be a awake up call for her that she needs to buckle down now. Remind her that it doesn't matter what the rest of the class are doing but she needs to focus on her goals and put in the extra work to get there. See if she can book a one on one meeting with her teacher(s) to go through her work so far and what they think she should be doing to fill those gaps.

I’d say pretty normal, I got all As and A stars at gcsr and I vividly remember first term of a levels getting Ed (as did many people). I was horrified!!

It’s a huge jump up though and gave us the shock we needed - A levels are a lot more i depending study and work. (I went on to get 2 A stars and an A) so don’t worry, as long as she learns from it