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Further education

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

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Original poster

Should DD re-take A levels or take up Uni place?

61 replies

yesbutnobut · 16/08/2018 09:07

I'd be grateful for thoughts/advice. DD's A level results today (A*, B, C) are below her predicted grades but she's been lucky enough to be accepted onto her insurance university course.

Question I have is how important it is to have good A levels on your CV? So, should she re-take her A levels to hopefully improve her grades (obviously not guaranteed) or just move on and go to university? I'm thinking that for some jobs or careers it's important to have A levels above a certain grade - if she wanted to, say, apply to one of the Big 4 accountancy firms. Or, do people think that once you get your degree, that is more important than your A levels?

OP posts:

irregularegular · 16/08/2018 09:12

I believe your degree is more important than A-levels (though to be honest I don't have a whole lot of evidence to back this us). So the question is whether she is sufficiently happy with the degree course and whether it will get here where she wants to be.

KenDoddsDadsDog · 16/08/2018 09:12

Some firms want certain grades for grad programmes e.g BT but they change the UCAS points anyway. And she’d probably be ok with those results !
She may not get better grades - depends whether she wants to go to her insurance really more than anything.

Butterymuffin · 16/08/2018 09:15

No, if she likes the course she's got into, move on. Does she actually want to work for a Big Four firm?

Janus · 16/08/2018 09:18

I’d say go too but have no real experience on what to base that on! There’s no guarantee a re-sit will get a better grade is there and imagine not getting any better and having that whole year gone. As long as you are happy with other choice then I’d say for dd to go.

Aethelthryth · 16/08/2018 09:27

I used to be involved with recruitment at a city law firm. A lack of straight A/A* at A level would raise questions; but it wasn't a dealbreaker if the candidate was clearly on an upward academic trajectory, so good (above 68ish %) marks in first year exams. The choice of university and course is relevant, however. Not all first class degrees are equal from an employer's perspective.

argumentativefeminist · 16/08/2018 09:30

Could she relearn the C subject herself and enter for the exam at a college near her uni and do both at the same time?

RiverTam · 16/08/2018 09:32

I got very bad A levels but had an EE offer from an RG uni (obscure course). I pulled my socks up and got a 2:1.

I have never been asked about my A levels and these days they’re not even on my CV.

RB68 · 16/08/2018 09:35

Move on definitely. No point in wasting a yr if she has been accepted on her results as they are - they are just a stepping stone.

Etino · 16/08/2018 09:35

Where’s the insurance offer for?

Bluntness100 · 16/08/2018 09:36

Move on I'd say too, as long as she gets a good degree she'll be fine.

However it can also depend on the uni? If it's a decent one then she should go for it.

senua · 16/08/2018 09:43

I think the answer is: it depends.
If it is a vocational degree then the A Levels aren't so important.
If it's an academic subject (so effectively just a piece of paper saying "aren't I clever") then class of degree and place of learning are more important (a third from Oxbridge will usually be worth more than a First from the University of OnlyOpenedItsDoorsLastWeek).
The results may not be stellar but they do show that, in the right circumstances, she is capable of an A*. Not everyone is.
It's up to her: are these a blip or a trend? The degree result will show that.

craftymum01 · 16/08/2018 09:46

I got terrible A levels (DEE) but went to uni and got my degree. I also have 2 post graduates now. I don't write my grades on my CV for A levels or GCSES, I just write 3 A levels and then the subjects. They were passes. No one has every asked. In my line of work my degree and post grad is important. I would say go and work hard at uni. If in the future it is a stumbling block she can always redo once she has completed her degree whilst working. Lots of adult education places offer this.

Aethelthryth · 16/08/2018 09:48

senua An Oxbridge third would not get through the first sift! There's no magic in simply having been there

catslife · 16/08/2018 09:49

I would request copies of the C grade paper back from the exam board and see if it's worth having it remarked (or not).

LIZS · 16/08/2018 09:49

Taking a year out to retake when the longterm outcome may be the same seems futile. Degree will trump A level grades on cv. It probably hurts now but in a year's time she will be settled into something new and have gained a different perspective. Have a look at the apprenticeship entry grades for the big 4 as a comparison.

FrederickCreeding · 16/08/2018 09:50

Your dd's results might be lower than she was predicted, but they are still pretty good!

I'd say go to university now. If she really needs to prove herself in the future, then surely spending the extra time on a post-grad qualification would be more useful than retaking A-Levels.

senua · 16/08/2018 09:51

Also, you have to remember in these days of mega-data that, if someone is that bothered, they can find out that the A Level results are from different exam sittings and some don't like that, which rather negates the effect of the higher (hopefully) grade.

senua · 16/08/2018 09:54

senua An Oxbridge third would not get through the first sift!

You have heard of the concept of hyperbole?
Breaking news: there is no such place as the University of OnlyOpenedItsDoorsLastWeek.

TheWizardofWas · 16/08/2018 09:55

Oh Senua what you don't know ......

senua · 16/08/2018 10:07

You mean there is a place called the University of OnlyOpenedItsDoorsLastWeek?

Sorry to derail thread, OP, you aren't in the mood for japes.

tinstar · 16/08/2018 10:09

I would have thought A star, B and C were good grades? Okay, maybe not the C. But she's hardly going to spend a year redoing one A level is she?

NerrSnerr · 16/08/2018 10:11

What does she want to do?

BagelGoesWalking · 16/08/2018 10:19

If she's happy to go to her insurance choice, I'd say go. She got an A, B and C. Those are good results! I'm assuming she wants to study the subject which she got A*?

She could look again at the course modules, the accommodation and city location. If she feels confident that they are something she'd be happy with, I don't think it's worth the angst to retake. You could ask for a re-mark for the C subject.

Biologifemini · 16/08/2018 10:33

It depends what she wants to do. Many city firms get loads of 2:1 applicants so the filter on A levels.
You cannot tell what a candidate is like based on degree grades anymore, due to grade inflation. So A levels and the university is used as a filter........in some industries.
I have used it only to decide between similar candidates.
5 plus years after starting work they are much less importants.

Singlenotsingle · 16/08/2018 10:40

No point re-taking "A" levels of what she's got is good enough to get her in. She might not do as well next time.

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