What do you wish you'd known before your child started A-levels?

[ainawatson]

My child is starting A-levels soon, and I'm starting to realise how different it all seems from GCSEs.
For those who have been through it with their children, what do you wish you'd known beforehand?
Was the workload more of a shock than expected? Did they need to become much more independent? Were there particular subjects that turned out to be far harder than they expected?
Or is there something you wish you'd done differently as a parent at the start?
Would love to hear what surprised you most.

Sciences content is HUGE. Agree with the above comment, my son got away with working in lessons and frees in Y12, little work at home. Regretted it come mocks time and had to really slog to make up for it Feb - May.

This ^^ is really good practice for a degree.

I see that this thread has been useful for some and that's valid for sure. But I agree with @IdaGlossop's post earlier. @ainawatson lots of people are posting in good faith and genuine responses on this and your other thread. Your replies are odd to say the least.

Your DS is going into year 12 – like, this week? But still is not sure what A levels he will be doing? Because you are asking for help making the decision (which is not yours, as you have agreed actually)?

Why not just be upfront about what you want to know and why? Do you actually have a DS who has just finished GCSEs and is starting year 12? I know a lot of teachers (I was a teacher in school until recently) and all of them are back in school now. Some started back last week, even the ones that teach in private schools are back this week. All the DC are either back now or at the very latest Monday, after insets today and yesterday.

Yes, YP may start with four A levels and drop one, or start with three and switch one in the first week or two, but it’s way too late to be dithering over whether to take maths, chemistry and English (lit?) or pick a totally different set of A levels.

Are you planning way ahead? Writing a web post? Planning an A-level choices advisory business?

My daughter always got close to 100% maths GCSE. Year 12 fine. Predicted A*. Year 13 not fine.....

Edit: Awful year 13 teachers state school comp.

@OfficiallyOnVacation Ds got pretty much full marks in maths and additional maths at GCSE level.

He got an A in AS level maths and FM in year 12, with pretty much full UMS in both (no A⭐️ at AS level), and then repeated this at A level with A⭐️in both. He worked steadily throughout the 2 years, but if they’ve got a natural aptitude for the subject then their genuine interest and understanding means it’s not particularly demanding.

Yo make really good notes and turn these into revision cards as they go along. It's very hard to do a year all at once.

I assume the DC makes really good notes and revision cards, not the parent.

That you will need to feed and feed them. All that work makes them hungry. They are growing, too. Mine used to eat as soon as they came home, and still ate dinner.

Yes, the DC needs encouraging to make the good notes in lessons and revision cards at home. I was a secondary teacher for many years so when speaking to students would say you need to make excellent notes.

Lots of them will be doing DofE most likely so while lessons will take place, the teachers will be mindful of catch up. Great chance for DS to take responsibility for his learning! Make sure he gets the CGP or recommended revision guide for each subject and checks set tasks on whatever system they use carefully.

My DD picked the least academic subjects she could find, none of which she’d done at gcse. I wasn’t involved in her A level studies at all, apart from a bit for photography - because she was often out and about taking photographs for the portfolio part. I had very low expectations of how well she might do, and she was not planning on university. I hoped if she’d just pass, that’d be enough. But she did amazingly with all As, and then applied to university on the last day - we’d done no open days. She went to an RG university where she got a first, and then a distinction at masters.

@clary Thank you for your advice. He actually starts today. We did get bridging work for Maths and he's working through it at the moment. It is English Lang he's leaning towards, not Lit.

@Keymoment That’s such a lovely example of how children can surprise you when they find subjects that genuinely suit them. It sounds like she really found her own path and absolutely ran with it!

Yup, help them to find their own best way of revising and help them to start making cards, mind maps, post it notes, or whatever right from their first lesson in sixth form. Their mocks will come before you know it, and they'll have no time to start making revision notes etc - far better that they can hit the ground running with all their revision materials ready to use. The content of A levels is huge and you simply can't do last minute "cramming" that kids can get away with for GCSEs. Make sure they have the right materials they need - find out what they want and buy them the revision cards or note books or paper or post it notes along with revision guides/books (Letts, CGP etc) sooner rather than later.

Exactly this. It's so tempting to step in because we want them to do well, but the real value is in the struggle of summarizing and organizing it themselves. If we make the cards, we're the ones getting the workout!

I have already stayed I was a teacher telling students to make the revision cards as they go along.

How much happier they were to not be doing subjects that they hated!! Studying 3 things they have chosen and enjoy creates such a different attitude to school and learning.

He starts today – and yet on your other thread you have not been to open days yet? Can you see why people are confused @ainawatson? And who starts year 12 without having a reasonable idea of what A levels they will be taking? So he is taking your choice of maths, chemistry and English lang after all? Bit late on the bridging work then.

Btw Eng lang doesn't really keep any doors open, as most unis want Eng lit or lit/lang for an Eng it degree.

I think it's important to respond to the child you have, and that should be the starting point, rather than beginning with a model of parenting for a 16-18 year old. A distant cousin of mine taught me that, long before I had DD. Her three children were all very different - a studious, scientific, quietly confident one; a shy, thoughtful, creative one; and a extrovert who was (and is) irrepressible.

My DD had very little intervention from me because it wasn't needed, happily for her. She is very self-disciplined and clear-headed, and works hard. At A level she was good at asking for help when she needed it - checking her written French and explaining grammar, mainly. I also suggested a novel for her to critique for the extended essay she had to do for English Literature on post-colonial fiction. I was amazed that she accepted my suggestion as she wouldn't go near a chapter of a biography of Charles Dickens I had suggested she read to broaden her understanding of the social background to 'A Christmas Carol' when she was doing GCSE level.

I reminded myself that the job of a parent is to create a fully functioning adult and see signs that against the odds, DH and I managed to do that. I expected trouble when it came to domestic chores and budgeting, both areas of some contention in her teenage years, but something must have gone in as the cleaning rota worked in her university house and she has a spreadsheet to manage her finances now she is working!

Oh dear @ainawatson, not getting through all of the bridging work is not a great start! He’ll be needlessly on a back foot from day 1

what subjects did he decide on in the end?

I don't understand why he still hasn't finalised his choices now term has started, and why he didn't complete the bridging work during the holidays.

@clary much as I want to believe this is a genuine post, today's revelations have brought back my doubt. Only two things are possible: 1. Not a genuine poster 2. A chaotic family, evidenced by lack of meaningful engagement on this thread (questions not answered, persistence in the view that choices are parental first and foremost, repeating advice given) and not cooperating with school (A level choices not finalised before the start of term, bridging work not completed in the holidays). I hope it's the second and that @ainawatson will apply more rigour to her future responses.

Typo

I completely get what you mean. The jump from a small cosy school to a big 6th form is massive. Week 1 is always the worst. Today was the first day of my DS.

How do you know that week 1 is always the worst, having told us you did not do A levels yourself and assuming DS is your first child to take them?

In ds’s experience, week 1 was a doddle! It very quickly ramps up though.