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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

A level results day 2021 support thread

859 replies

Mrs08 · 31/07/2021 15:46

Hi 👋
I thought it might be nice to have a support thread for us parents? (Can't see one in further Ed yet??)
It's been such a difficult time for our kids - and for us! - but the end is in sight!
Ds will get an e mail at 8.30am (apparently) and can go into college in person if he needs help/advice.
Good luck everyone!
X

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Longtimenewsee · 06/08/2021 09:02

Good idea @Mrs08 .. I may do the same

Dd is meeting up with friends on the Monday too for a pre results ‘get together’ as they are all anxious and feel someone from their group is bound to be unlucky the next day and will want to lick wounds and get sorted rather than hang out.

I too am irritated at news of grade inflation and the insinuation that grades have not been grafted for.

Original poster
Mrs08 · 06/08/2021 09:07

As I said...its plays into govt misinformation.

Yet again the changes needed to subjects like medicine should have been easily foreseeable a year ago. It was. ASCL have been pointing it out. It was ignored.

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Original poster
Mrs08 · 06/08/2021 09:37

Ds has had a better offer for monday night 😃 so we are going to see suicide squad 2 on Sunday

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BigWoollyJumpers · 06/08/2021 10:28

I too am irritated at news of grade inflation and the insinuation that grades have not been grafted for

I agree. It benefits no-one. Not for the ones for whom top grades were going be achieved either way, and now these grades are seen as a gift, nor for those for whom perhaps top grades wouldn't otherwise have been achieved, and then will struggle going forward.

Minnie56 · 06/08/2021 10:29

@NotSorry

DS3 has been invited out to dinner on Monday night with his gf's family - so I'll be sitting at home being anxious with DH who won't be fazed at all Grin
That made me laugh as my DH is the same. I’m anxious, and reading things on line and working through various scenarios, whittling away - and he is as calm as can be and getting low grade irritated with me for agitating about it all. He says things like , well there’s nothing DD can do about it now - which is so irritating , not least because it’s true!! 😂
DahliaMacNamara · 06/08/2021 18:01

DD says I'm more worried than she is, which is bang on the money.
The grade inflation thing comes up every year, but I'm pretty pissed off about the huffy assumption (from those whose DC took 'proper' A levels) that this cohort has it easy.

Original poster
Mrs08 · 06/08/2021 18:05

I'm anxious about ds's results than I was about my own! Same for gcses.

I didn't sleep a work the night before those results as ds chose the 6th form which needed the highest grades. All was well in the end.

Tbh he did the same with his favoured university choices too!

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Original poster
Mrs08 · 06/08/2021 18:06

I'm not gonna lie...

I'm planning on checking ucas track at 8am on Tuesday...

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AllTheSingleLadiess · 06/08/2021 18:11

@NotSorry

Woke up feeling really anxious today. Doesn’t help that there are lots of “grade inflation” articles in the news. I really hate this, as though our DC are not going to deserve their grades. I know how hard my DS2 worked throughout an unprecedented 18 months and whatever he gets will be earned. I’m sure you all feel the same about your DC too.
Same here. It's shit for all the kids who would have got A* and A in normal years. Those articles also suggest that teachers are going to be extra lenient because they feel sorry for the kids. Ffs Angry Even when I didn't have kids and there were articles about GCSEs and A-levels being dumbed down, I was in no doubt that the smartest kids are just as smart as when I was a teen
whatisthisinhere · 06/08/2021 19:00

@Mrs08

I'm not gonna lie...

I'm planning on checking ucas track at 8am on Tuesday...

I'm going to try very hard not to do this. Luckily I have to take my dad to a summer school starting next Monday, to be there for 8.30 am. Or I'd be online checking Ucas track. I'm also going to try not to hang around when I drop ds off to get his results. He's had a terrible time spanning back to his pre GCSE year, when he became suicidal. I'm very worried about the day, but he seems fine. I've noticed he is off his food slightly, which is how he is when anxious.
I can't wait for it to be over, no matter the outcome. This is an awful time, and it's been an absolute shit show. I am definitely steering him away from all news articles
whatisthisinhere · 06/08/2021 19:01

My dd, not my dad

Original poster
Mrs08 · 06/08/2021 19:18

@whatisthisinhere
I'm so sorry for what your ds (and you) have been through.
I will be thinking of you both on Tuesday x

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Original poster
Mrs08 · 06/08/2021 19:20

Ds is quiet.
Spending a lot of time in his room.
Managed to coax him out yesterday to watch one of my favourite feel good films with me (moonstruck) and we've been busy quoting the best lines to each other since!
"She ate a meal that would choke a pig!"
🤣🤣

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iknowimcoming · 06/08/2021 19:47

I too feel sick with worry over ds's results - (I actually have a gcse exam result of my own due on Thursday (which is a a whole other story) but I'd actually forgotten about it till yesterday lol!

Original poster
Mrs08 · 06/08/2021 20:01

@iknowimcoming

I too feel sick with worry over ds's results - (I actually have a gcse exam result of my own due on Thursday (which is a a whole other story) but I'd actually forgotten about it till yesterday lol!
Good luck to both of you xx
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TheSmallAssassin · 06/08/2021 21:08

How are you checking Track, do you know your kids' passwords? I am hoping my son will be checking first thing, it's a bit touch and go whether he'll get the grades he needs and so best to know if he's been confirmed or not before going in to school, so he can get any advice if necessary.

BeyondMyWits · 06/08/2021 21:21

I think it is hard for them, but I do think it always has been... a very high percentage of kids don't actually get their predicted grades in a normal year.

My dd is going this year because she didn't achieve her predicted grades last year. She took the exam she needed in the autumn and got it. Her school had only 46% (of kids achieving their predicted grades that were sent to unis) 46%!! In a year where those same teachers allocated their actual grades.

Original poster
Mrs08 · 06/08/2021 21:41

@TheSmallAssassin

How are you checking Track, do you know your kids' passwords? I am hoping my son will be checking first thing, it's a bit touch and go whether he'll get the grades he needs and so best to know if he's been confirmed or not before going in to school, so he can get any advice if necessary.
Yes, I know them.

I'm hoping ds doesn't need to go into college but if he wants to I'll take him in.

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BigWoollyJumpers · 06/08/2021 22:05

@Mrs08

Ds is quiet. Spending a lot of time in his room. Managed to coax him out yesterday to watch one of my favourite feel good films with me (moonstruck) and we've been busy quoting the best lines to each other since! "She ate a meal that would choke a pig!" 🤣🤣
One of our favourites too. Coming from an Italian family, it makes me very nostalgic. So many familiar characters 😊
Original poster
Mrs08 · 06/08/2021 22:08

Oh I love it.
It's been years since I've seen it.
Nicholas cage was only 23 when it was filmed!

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MrsAvocet · 06/08/2021 22:25

I'm hugely anxious. My DS is one who always does better in exams than expected. From SATS, through all his music exams and his GCSEs he has always exceeded his predictions massively. Not sure why really. He's quiet and hard working but doesn't shine in class.
So my worry now is that he's destined for low grades based on his teachers' assessments and worse than that, with all this talk of grade inflation his grades may look even worse comparatively. I think people will end of thinking he must be really useless if he couldn't even get good grades this year. We've prepared him for the possibility of staying at home for another year, sitting the exams and reapplying for University which probably isn't actually a bad thing as he's very young for the year. But he's still going to be gutted, DH will be angry and I will be trying to make peace and look after DS. I'm not looking forward to Tuesday at all.😥

Original poster
Mrs08 · 06/08/2021 22:29

@MrsAvocet

I'm hugely anxious. My DS is one who always does better in exams than expected. From SATS, through all his music exams and his GCSEs he has always exceeded his predictions massively. Not sure why really. He's quiet and hard working but doesn't shine in class. So my worry now is that he's destined for low grades based on his teachers' assessments and worse than that, with all this talk of grade inflation his grades may look even worse comparatively. I think people will end of thinking he must be really useless if he couldn't even get good grades this year. We've prepared him for the possibility of staying at home for another year, sitting the exams and reapplying for University which probably isn't actually a bad thing as he's very young for the year. But he's still going to be gutted, DH will be angry and I will be trying to make peace and look after DS. I'm not looking forward to Tuesday at all.😥
I'm sorry you're so anxious :(

Ds does well in exams too. He HATED the online assessment under exam conditions (timed, camera on etc)

I did float the idea of repeating Y12 to ds....it didn't go down well!

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ljmutti · 06/08/2021 22:37

Every time I have a minute to myself I start thinking and overthinking.,then I remind myself...God is a better planner.

SureBorisKnowsWhatHesDoingNOT · 07/08/2021 03:07

I'm not worrying at all and posting at 2.49am wide awake with insomnia has nothing to do with upcoming results day .

Dd would never give me her UCAS password! TBH I'm not even going to ask because I have the self control of a gnat and would never be able to wait for her to find out! As it is, we're going to be driving her to school to get her results for 8.30am so am expecting she'll be checking every 30 seconds all the way there (25 min drive) so hopefully we'll be with her when she finds out - captive audience Grin

We were given a lot of info by school about the grades they used to formulate their final grades (but obvs not the final grades). Two of her grades are absolutely sorted, one is not and it looks like she may get one lower than her predicted (and required for Uni place) so it's going to be touch and go on Tuesday. The talk of grade inflation is very worrying though. DD's school is 'hair shirt wearing' (DH's expression) so very much doubt they will be part of that.

Out of interest, how many of you will be going with your dc to collect results? We're taking dd but hovering in the car rather than going in!

ARGH! Roll on Tuesday, just want to get this over and done with (until Thurs when we have Ds's GCSE results...Shock)

DahliaMacNamara · 07/08/2021 04:40

DD's school is within walking distance, but she has no intention of going there other than in case of disaster. She wouldn't let me within a mile of any log-in details either, not that I would ask. She knows damn well I couldn't be trusted not to poke around.