How do you go about resitting A levels?

[igivein]

DS is in year 13 and the A levels aren’t going well - predicted DDD. He wants to do a physics degree, but the lowest requirement we can find for that is BBB, so unlikely to get any offers.
We talked about a foundation year, but he now says he’d rather do a gap year and then either apply with grades in hand if by some miracle he does well, or resit next year and try to improve. His teachers say the problem isn’t that he’s not bright enough, it’s that he’s not putting the hours in. I’m inclined to agree and think falling flat on his face might be the shock he needs to get his finger out and do some work.
so if he needs to resit, how do we go about it?
He’s currently at an independent school and I think a change would do him good. We’re fairly rural so options might be a bit limited. Do we just ring around sixth forms and see if they’ll take him? Can he even enrol at a state sixth form when he’s ‘completed’ his education? He’ll still be 18 if he resits (late August born).
Any advice gratefully received…

As far as I understand it, you only get funded for one set of Level 3 qualifications. So if he had his A Levels at DDD, he isn’t entitled to funding to resit at another college.

There is some flexibility in funding for exceptional circumstances, but being a bit lazy isn’t an exceptional circumstance.

Some colleges will let students resit if they’re already in the college, as a policy, but it’s unusual for them to let a new student on, who can’t be funded. They may let you just pay for the resit exams and use them as an exam centre in summer, but without accessing lessons.

You would need to contact all your local FE colleges to see if any of them would accommodate you. They might all say no.

The best option in terms of A Levels would be tutors this year and putting some effort in. He is old enough to understand his options are limited if he doesn’t try harder.

Why is he against a foundation year? It’s likely to be his best option for HE - even if he applies now and sorted his grades out for summer, he would be applying with predicted grades of DDD which limits him.

Thanks for replying @Bunnyannesummers . I thought it wouldn’t be straightforward, but thought he might be able to access funding because he’s currently at an independent school so won’t have had any state funding - might this make a difference?
I thought about tutoring, but there’s no-one local so would have to be online and they tend to be undergrads earning a bit of cash. I’m not sure they could help, because what he needs is exam technique / a rocket up him and I don’t think that will be their specialist areas …
We talked about a foundation year, but he says he doesn’t feel old enough to go away to uni (he is young - as I said he’s late August born and he’s not exactly worldly wise).
I agree his best option would be to get some decent results - I’ve told him he could still do a gap year even if he gets decent grades.

DS was in the same position last year OP. One of his options was to do a year 14 and resit. I asked the school if this would be possible (state comp) and the school said yes. Have you enquired? In DS’s school there is generally 1-2 kids resitting so not common, but not unheard of. (He ended up getting a place in clearing.)

DS dropped out at beginning of year 2, 6th form, tried a vocational course, decided he regretted dropping out/not putting the effort in and was able to start a new 2 year A level course at college, he will finish this year, and will have just turned 20.

It’s not about whether he’s had state funding, but whether he has a level 3 qualification, so makes no difference.

If he feels too young for uni another option could be an access course. These are for 19+ learners, so he would take his gap year and could then take an access course to get him into uni - with his birthday so late he would actually end up starting uni just a month after he turned 20

I think you can get 3 years of FE fundung, si he should be good to repeat year 13, but this whole idea is bonkers.He still has 5 or 6 months to improve his grades! It isnt like a fruit machine where you hope you might get lucky next time.why do you think he would suddenly work hard.you are doing him ni favours kicking the can down the road like this

Hi my son is in first yr physics and needed a higher grade in his computing science…he took a year out and did the online Cambridge Alevel…you have to pay for the course and exam (I think about 2k in total)

however you do have to be disciplined…my sons teacher in Alevel was NQ and the support for project was shocking…A in exam and E in project…so not high enough grade

he did get an A in maths and he has said that the maths is quite tricky so far but the rest is very enjoyable (physics/CS)

I would be very wary of him settling into the idea of retaking next year already. Would be a licence to coast. He needs to start working now, even if the effort ends up paying off for an eventual retake!

Does his school not have any suggestions as to how he could pull things around?

Tbh if he is not studying now, even with disappointing predicted grades, he won't at uni. Why is he still not, are there barriers for him? Would an apprenticeship perhaps be a better option?

You get 3 years funding. He could do Year 14, or wait until 19 and do an Access course.

We recruit graduates and their A-level points are included as well as predicted degree classifications.

Resits aren’t counted; it’s first sitting only.

I wouldn’t encourage resitting now, he’s only going to sit back further.

I think you are just letting him think it is ok to coast…. If he is immature about focusing on study (and many are you ) maybe you should micromanage his study time and liaise with his teachers.
my DS ( in his gcse year) is also quite lazy .. he admitted it.
After sitting early Maths mocks in September ( his independent school do an early igcse )
He got a 5 and 6 when he is capable of much more.
So we grounded him over the two week half term and he did 7 hours of maths Monday to Friday 4 hours on the Saturdays. Following a method set by his teachers.
After this he did 4 old test papers in exam conditions and was achieving mid 7 s.
He sat the exams two weeks later and we are awaiting results.

lf your son has no SEN and you are paying for Private school with small class sizes etc, there should be little reason your son cannot achieve better grades with some teacher/ parent input.

even C grades will probably get him into a Uni.

Thanks for your help everyone. Just to clarify, we’re looking at options and resitting is definitely worst case scenario- we don’t want to have to go there, but I didn’t know if it was even possible, that’s why I posted.
School have been supremely unhelpful - they’ve advised that he ‘works harder’ - couldn’t have worked that one out myself!
Apprenticeships are under consideration, but the STEM ones want grades equivalent to the degree requirements, so that’s not too hopeful either.
I’d love to stand over him with a big stick and make him work, but unfortunately I’ve got my own work to keep on top of (I’m a uni lecturer- the irony 🙄)

Would his private school not let him resit his Y13 if you're willing to pay?

I dare say they would @Sweetpeasaremadeforbees , but since they’ve not exactly got him reaching for the stars so far I’m not prepared to keep throwing money at them for more of the same.
I’m not saying they’re responsible for him not working hard enough, but when I’ve asked for advice on anything I can do to spur him on I’ve just got tumbleweed from them.
Asked about extra tutoring - they said it wouldn’t help as he just needs to ‘work harder’.
Options other than (a Russell Group) uni - crickets …
Also, he’s quite immature, so I think maybe a sixth form college might help him grow up a bit.

If he wants to do physics he is presumably studying maths, physics and another.

A tutor will make a significant difference but cost a fair amount of money.

Failing that there are crammers where he can resit - places like Mander Portman Woodward. These cost +++

Once he is 19 he could do an access course although I'm not sure if they need to not already have a levels for that.

The problem is that at 6th form college, in my experience (my DD is at a large one), students are left to get on with it a lot more than at school. It seems to be midway between school and Uni. Whilst the college is strict on attendance and punctuality, it's been made clear that students are expected to put in a lot of unguided extra work, if they don't achieve what they're capable of, that's on the student.

I have a friend who is in a similar position to you except that her DS is achieving Bs instead of the As that he needs for the Uni course he wants to do. She's basically recently told him that if he doesn't get the grades for Uni, he'll have to just get a job and maybe go to Uni later when he can fund himself. She finds it really frustrating that she's paid to give him the best chances in life and he just can't be arsed and assumes he'll get through somehow.

Extra tutoring won’t do anything if he is not putting the effort in.

I’m a physics teachers and have seen similar. If your son doesn’t do the work, there is not much we can do. We can encourage, cajole etc… (sanctions rarely work to get a student working hard) but at 17 they have to do it themselves.

How about an access course
?

there’s a biophysics one, not sure about pure physics.

Why isn’t he working?

I say this as someone with a similar sixth form experience and I was being relentlessly bullied by a teacher. I needed help not a kick up the bum.

From what I understand if he already has some A'levels (however poor) he won't be able to retake at a state school/college. Basically it's free up to the age of 19 if you don't have a level 3 qualification already (although it's worth checking with your local colleges)

His best bet is to pull his finger out now and give it all he's got, get him tutors etc and send him to intensive residential Easter revision courses and then apply for a foundation course. He can still defer, and reapply during a gap year.

Or he can study something other than Physics. It's his choice. I'd be telling him if he loved Physics that much he'd be doing well in it now.

Or he can study something other than Physics. It's his choice. I'd be telling him if he loved Physics that much he'd be doing well in it now.

Agree with this. Does he really want to take Physics further, or is it just a default subject so he can go to uni.

undergrads earning a bit of cash. I’m not sure they could help, because what he needs is exam technique / a rocket up him and I don’t think that will be their specialist areas

Sometimes a mentor a few years older to come alongside and motivate him can be very effective though. He might ask them questions he wouldn't ask a teacher.

what sort of grades is he performing at?