Help with resitting an A level!!

[Shakilm]

I don't think I've achieved the necessary grade in Maths Alevel with Edexcel, during my first year.
My school, so far, won't allow me to resit.
I need to achieve the necessary grade so I can study Further Maths in my second year.
My plan is to take Economics at uni.

Any advice would be grateful.

Thanks 🙂

Can you not study maths again in y13 alongside FM? What other A levels are you taking and what grades are predicted for maths.

@LIZS

Can you not study maths again in y13 alongside FM? What other A levels are you taking and what grades are predicted for maths.

Hi Lizs thanks for your reply.
So to go through your questions:

1. My school only allow pupils to carry on with further in year 13 if they achieve an A* in A level maths in year 12. I believe I am capable of this grade but I do not believe I have achieved it in the exams my year 12 cohort just took.
2. I currently take geography, economics and maths; with hopes on doing further maths as well in year 13. Our predicted grade will be solely based on this test that my cohort just took last week. I find this to not be exactly fair since we have had no mock examinations building up to our main test which will determine our predicted grades and whether or not I will be able to pursue further at my current sixth form.

So you could just not take FM?

@LIZS

So you could just not take FM?

I feel like I have an obligation to take further maths as I want to study economics at universities such as LSE, Cambridge, Warwick etc. So if I don't take further I will lose competitiveness

I doubt that is the case. 3 good results better than 4 not so.

@LIZS

I doubt that is the case. 3 good results better than 4 not so.

Thanks for your advice, I'll definitely take what you've said into account when thinking of my next steps forward!

Trying to complete Further Maths in a year (or actually two terms) is a very big ask - which is probably why your school only allows the very top achievers to do so. You are much better off getting three good A-levels than trying to complete an additional one on top - your grades will suffer. Further Maths is difficult - it is not just more of the same.

That said, the unis you list are looking for Further Maths alongside Maths and at A or A* level. You will need to be honest with yourself and ask if that is really achievable.

@negrilbaby

Trying to complete Further Maths in a year (or actually two terms) is a very big ask - which is probably why your school only allows the very top achievers to do so. You are much better off getting three good A-levels than trying to complete an additional one on top - your grades will suffer. Further Maths is difficult - it is not just more of the same.

That said, the unis you list are looking for Further Maths alongside Maths and at A or A* level. You will need to be honest with yourself and ask if that is really achievable.

Hi, thanks for your reply! I understand that these grades will be very difficult to achieve, however I do believe they are very possible. That is why I wish to resit my maths exam to prove that I am capable of completing a further maths A level course at a high level.

Ultimately if your school has a policy then they have it for a reason (whether it’s a good one or not). Realistically your only option is to discuss with relevant teachers that you’d like to take further maths and see what you need to do to make it happen. This might be work over summer or similar.

Ultimately though, if they say no, then you can’t take further maths without moving to a college and restarting Y13.

But I agree with above posters. You are far better off getting 3 excellent grades than spreading yourself thin and getting 4 okay grades.

@SometimesRavenSometimesParrot

Ultimately if your school has a policy then they have it for a reason (whether it’s a good one or not). Realistically your only option is to discuss with relevant teachers that you’d like to take further maths and see what you need to do to make it happen. This might be work over summer or similar.

Ultimately though, if they say no, then you can’t take further maths without moving to a college and restarting Y13.

But I agree with above posters. You are far better off getting 3 excellent grades than spreading yourself thin and getting 4 okay grades.

Hi thanks for your reply! I get the point on not spreading myself to thin by doing four A levels, but if I were to do three A levels I think it would be best for me to do further maths, maths and economics to maintain competitiveness for top universities. I will talk further with my maths teachers in hopes of being able to do further maths

Actually I disagree. FM is typically taken as fourth not third. If you look at entry requirements I suspect breadth may be better perceived, especially if grades likely to be higher. Not all schools offer it anyway.

Could you start FM in the autumn term and retake the maths A level in the October sitting to try and obtain the A ? If you still don't get an A then you could drop FM well before being entered for the summer exam.

@SATSmadness

Could you start FM in the autumn term and retake the maths A level in the October sitting to try and obtain the A ? If you still don't get an A then you could drop FM well before being entered for the summer exam.

Hi, thanks for your reply! The issue would be that I wouldn't be able be allowed by my school to start further maths content in autumn in the first place, so I have to resit an A level maths test soon so I can prove I'm able to complete a further maths A level course.

@LIZS

Actually I disagree. FM is typically taken as fourth not third. If you look at entry requirements I suspect breadth may be better perceived, especially if grades likely to be higher. Not all schools offer it anyway.

Hi, thanks for your reply! I'll definitely take what you've said into consideration when moving forwards now!

This year A level grades are teacher assessed, so it depends on whether (or not) your sixth form will give pupils an additional chance to improve their grades.
There were "resit" exams in October / November 2020, but I haven't seen anything about whether this will happen in 2021.
Otherwise there are no resit chances for A levels until Summer 2022.

@catndogslife

This year A level grades are teacher assessed, so it depends on whether (or not) your sixth form will give pupils an additional chance to improve their grades. There were "resit" exams in October / November 2020, but I haven't seen anything about whether this will happen in 2021. Otherwise there are no resit chances for A levels until Summer 2022.

Hi, thanks for your reply!
I have already asked my sixth form for a resit of my maths test however they have said that this would not be possible. Therefore I'm thinking of perhaps moving to another sixth form or taking the test again externally in order to improve my predicted grades which I will send to universities.

Have you looked into taking Further Maths A level elsewhere as a private candidate?
There is no such thing as "taking the test again to improve predicted grade".
You could take Economics, Maths and Geography at the end of Y13 and FM privately at another centre.
Sixth forms don't usually take new pupils in Y13, so I am not sure finding another sixth form is the solution.

Op why do you feel you’ve not achieved enough? Did you struggle with the test? Because if you’re struggling at this level you need to think carefully if you’re really able to do further maths.