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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

AS level results

21 replies

moomoo1967 · 20/08/2017 15:03

So DD needed 2 x D 1 x E as a minimum entry criteria to do Year 13. DD got 1 x D 2 x E. 4 marks off getting 2 x D.
Absolutely gutted and sobbed her heart out as she had worked hard. I am totally confused as to what happens now. Head of 6th has said she can take Year 12 again but with different subjects.
Why can't she retake the same subjects which she needs for a Forensic Science degree ?
Is it worth asking for a remark ?
DD is going in again to talk to Head of 6th on Thursday.
DD friend has told her that her results were 1 x A 2 x U and she is being permitted to carry on and do Year 13. Which doesn't seem fair.
Totally confused and at a loss as to what to do or where to find information. Any advise or help would be most appreciated

OP posts:
catslife · 20/08/2017 15:58

Which subjects is she taking OP. Are they linear A levels or the old modular ones (or a mixture of both)?
If modular then it is possible to retake, if linear they don't count towards the final grade at the end of Y13 and both the Y12 & Y13 material is tested next year.
Does she have to choose 3 new subjects or can she continue with 1 D and 1 E subject and just choose one new one? Could she replace one subject with an EPQ? That's the sort of question I would be asking.

moomoo1967 · 20/08/2017 17:04

Thank you for your reply ! She has taken Maths, Chemistry and Psychology. And sorry to sound ignorant but I don't know if they are linear or not. She gave up her EPQ I think to concentrate on her AS levels

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LIZS · 20/08/2017 17:10

What grades at A2 would she need for the degree? Forensic Science has become very popular and consequently competitive. Tbh a D is unlikely to become an A or B without so something significant happening. Next years y12 will not get modular courses so the syllabus may well differ.

Showandtell · 20/08/2017 17:13

I THINK the school only gets funding if they do different subjects.

Showandtell · 20/08/2017 17:14

Fwiw. Dd got DUE and they are recommending she does different subjects and starts 12 again. I think she should leave and do btecs. Nothings sorted yet.

moomoo1967 · 20/08/2017 17:15

Thank you all food for thought and questions that I can ask the Head of 6th

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moomoo1967 · 20/08/2017 17:16

I has suggested college as an alternative to DD and got a flat no.

OP posts:
moomoo1967 · 20/08/2017 17:18

She has wanted to do Forensic Science since she was 10

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LIZS · 20/08/2017 17:21

You need to go through entry requirements and routes with her. An extended btec level 3 in Applied Science for example, maybe with Maths A level might be a better route.

Mendeleyev · 20/08/2017 17:23

With those results it might be worth looking at an extended diploma in applied science. She would probably do much better and get onto a forensics course from that.

noblegiraffe · 20/08/2017 17:25

Her maths A-level wasn't linear so what she got would count towards 50% of her final grade. If she got a D or an E in AS maths, she is very unlikely to get anything higher than a C at A2 unless there were extenuating circumstances, and there's also a reasonable possibility she could fail.

Showandtell · 20/08/2017 17:37

'With those results it might be worth looking at an extended diploma in applied science. She would probably do much better and get onto a forensics course from that.'

Dd has wanted to do physio since she was about 12. She's got zero chance of getting a degree in anything health care related with a D and E. She's got a pretty good chance of getting into a nursing or bioveterinary science degree if she does well in her btec.

catslife · 20/08/2017 17:47

Chemistry is Linear and so won't count towards the final grade. It is the second year of this course. The new AS Chemistry is harder in that there are some topics in it that used to be in A2 Chemistry. There is also more maths content and also practical questions.
I have seen students improve Chemistry grades from D to B between Y12 and Y13, but it tends to be those that haven't put in much effort in Y12 rather than those who have worked hard.
Psychology is now Linear and it's the first year of the new course.
As noble says Maths is still modular.
I think progress between Y12 and Y13 could be subject dependent and for STEM subjects it may be harder to move up a grade or two than in essay subjects which may explain why friend is being allowed to continue. At dds college, I don't think they would allow a student with AUU to progress to Y13 without extenuating circumstances.

moomoo1967 · 20/08/2017 18:22

Thanks for all your comments we are discussing now

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moomoo1967 · 21/08/2017 03:42

Also I raise that the teachers are on holiday but there didn't seem to be any support on deciding what other subjects DD could swap to. 'Have a look on the school website' was what we got told. Surely there should be a duty of care somewhere. There were alot of tearful students too so DD wasn't the only one

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moomoo1967 · 21/08/2017 07:39

Realise not raise

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TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 21/08/2017 08:12

Is not good that there was no advice or support given out. DH was in school all day Thursday and Friday seeing students and parents.

Do encourage her to research other types of degrees. I read an article recently (tried to find it but couldn't) which noted that the massive increase in popularity of forensic science due to the CSI/Silent Witness effect means that there simply isn't work in forensic science for all the forensic science graduates coming through. So it will become hugely, hugely competitive.

Copperbeech33 · 21/08/2017 08:21

firstly, she will most likely not get into forensic science now, those grades are too low, it is too competitive, and what ever she does next, she will still have to declare those grades on her application.

Secondly, what the hell does she think she wants to do forensic science for, anyway? Its utter crap. I have kept in touch with three students who have done it. One spends her whole life at he same table in the lab, all day every day working her way through packets of animal hair, looking them under microscope, deciding which animal they most likely came from ( she one had bear hair, but 99% of the time it is dog), entering the data into the computer, and picking up the next one.

Another girl does the same except with jars of samples of vomit, and she normally tests 10 at once, and does a series of tests over about an hour and a half, then moves on to the next ten samples, etc, and that is all she does ever.

The other does something in the supply chain of weapons, doesn't get to see the weapons or anything, just reads data of the labels of packets reenters the data into the computer, and occasionally has to run into court to testify that the chain of custody was secure - won't hear what the case is about or anything, just runs in, gets questioned, runs out and goes back to the office and sits down and carries on entering data.

The reason it is so popular and competitive, is because of large number of largely pretty sheltered, not very clever or well informed, fairly inactive and immature teenagers watch a lot of american dramas and think it is something like that.

Whether your daughter can or can't redo the same subjects isn't down to persuasion or favouritism, or anything like that, it is can the school get funding for it ( probably not) and is there a reasonable chance she will eventually pass ( also probably not)

Her friend that got U and U might well have only been examined in one module, in subjects she already has better grades in other modules for.

As to asking for remark, you need to think carefully, I believe it is always worth a shot if you are really sure you won't get the mark put down, as long as you are not throwing away the money you need to eat with! Because of the possibility of always wondering "what if" if you don't. But she is not 1 or 2 marks away, she is 4 marks away, so closer to a U than a D, in all probability.

So,

That all sounds very negative, but the situation is far from negative.

She is a hard worker with a supportive mother, she is 17 and as three ( low grade) ASs under her belt ( and these will count for something in her UCAS application) and many schools will want her.

Please understand, I am not saying her current school WON'T want her, but due to the weird and wonderful funding formulas, it is easier for a school to get funding for a new student than one that has already performed badly in year 12)

Look around other local schools.

BTEC applied science is a good option for hard workers who want a science and maths qualification, it is highly respected by MANY universities, not all, and not many RG universities, but she is most likely not going to enter university education at that level anyway.

Biomedical science is a degree which opens many doors, (including forensic science jobs, sometimes) and there are many many courses, it is not particularly competative.

That is one option.

So she needs to apply to other local schools, and to return for enrollment at her current school to see what they are offering her.

She can accept more than one offer from sixthforms at this stage, as long as she decides quickly, and doesn't deliberately mess people around.

At the end of August, she might well find herself holding two or three different offers, and having to choose between them!

I would only suggest paying close attention to the advice from staff that know her, she doesn't have to take it, but it is more likely to be realistic than from other schools keen to get bums on seats rather than match students to courses too closely.

I have taken on many students in this situation, onto BTEC courses, and they have gone on to get university places and careers they enjoy, even though BTEC is often not first choice.

Good luck.

CheltGlosLocal · 21/08/2017 12:45

Thank you for your replies.(I cannot remember my log on for my personal MN in work so am replying to this under my Editor one) I did suggest trying another 6th form, the problem is that the school she did Years 7-11 at does not have a 6th form and this 6th form was the best of a bad lot within the town we live in. I have suggested college instead but got a flat no. I am going to show her your posts so she can see the reality of the situation.

CheltGlosLocal · 21/08/2017 12:48

theonlylivingboyinnewcross there was a Careers person there last Thursday and someone from the local college but DD was so emotional we needed to go away and process things. Then I thought hold on if the teachers aren't at school until next Thursday where do we get information from now Hmm

Mytimenow · 21/08/2017 17:30

DS1 completely wasted his Y12, he went on to do BTec level 3 applied science (forensics) 2 yr course got triple distinction and is starting University in 4 weeks doing a Masters in Chiropractics. He didn't enjoy lab work but really enjoyed anatomy and biology he had offers for Radiology but decided he wanted to treat patients not just diagnose. His uni course is very medical they have to spend time with an orthopaedic surgeon, work on cadaver's, support a professional sports team as well as understand how the body works properly before being able to diagnose a problem. Lots of university courses accept BTecs now they are not just the poor relative to A levels.

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