How important are A stars at A level?

[Stopsnowing]

Most of the sixth forms we have visited are clearly encouraging the students to only take A levels in the subjects they are best at and some of them have minimum gcse requirements of a 7 at gcse. If a 7 is an A it seems a real shame to me that students are being discouraged from taking the subjects they are ok at any further.
my ds got a 7 in French mock gcse and was told not to do a level in it because he would only get a b at a level and he should focus on doing subjects at a level he could get a stars in.
so my question is is it the case that you need to aim for a stars at a level? And is it true that 7 in a mock gcse means you will get a b at a level?

The key thing is what your Dc is capable of. Not everyone can get top GCSEs or get top A Level grades. However, it does make sense to choose A Levels that they can do really well in. It is a competitive world.

If your DC is capable of getting A* in some A Levels, the t hey should seriously consider those over those they would really struggle to get top grades in. And of course, GCSEs are a good predictor. Someone upthread mentioned a DC with a decent but not stellar GCSE maths GCSE who is now on for top grades at A Level. That is extremely extremely unusual..and actually, of course the grades are not achieved yet. In Maths of all subjects, doing A Level Maths without a 9 at GCSE, tends to have pretty poor outcomes at A Level. people are surprised by how bad - there are threads on MB devoted to it and statistics to show your likely A Level result being pretty low if you start with a 7 or 8. There is a massive step up and those getting a 7 or 8 have often achieved little more than half marks in their GCSE papers, so have lots of the GCSE topics they haven’t fully mastered and so will find A Level Maths extremely hard.

If you’re wanting to get A stars at A Level, you really ought to be achieving 8/9 at GCSE. It’s nit surprising there’s a strong correlation between GCSE success and A Level results when you think about it. Of course there are exceptions and some outperform what you’d expect..but remmeber for every anecdotal story, the vast majority don’t buck the normal trend.

It’s true that university offers don’t tend to require A star in any ir more than one subject, in the vast majority of places. People often mention Oxford making AAA the standard humanities offer. This is true, but the fact is that those making applications that are successful to get to interview or offer, will have nearly everyone with 3 x A star and very top GCSEs. You can see the statistics if you look at Oxford admissions reports. Very very few get offers based on less than stellar GCSEs or top A Level predictions unless they are flagged contextually for fairly significant issues which explain lesser achievement…and then of course they have to be superb in admissions tests and interviews. Oxbridge isn’t looking to admit those who’ve done pretty well, but those with tremendous potential and ability, even if the standard offer is actually very achievable.

Other top universities might ask for 1 x A star in a standard offer. But again, unless candidates have stellar GCSEs and top A Level predictions across the board, the offer itself might not be forthcoming.

But, most candidates aren’t applying to the most competitive courses at the very top institutions. Good Russel Group offers are available for those predicted As or a mix of As and Bs. Many of these students will have a mix of 6/7/8 type GCSEs.

those making [Oxford] applications that are successful to get to interview or offer, will have nearly everyone with 3 x A star and very top GCSEs

But not all. And not for languages, which is what the OP's son wants to do.

Mine is one of those with 'good but not brilliant' GCSEs and A levels at Oxford, like several others on her course.

You might miss out on a few top places without them. But it really isn't the only path to a good career.

DS didn't get an Oxbridge offer, but got into a very good RG uni which was the world's leading faculty in the field he studied - massive prestige for that particular department, and he was way happier there than he;d have been at oxbridge as, bluntly, the academic work load just wouldn;t have suited him. He's now out in the world with a great job and will probably never think twice about his As not A*s.

If a child can work hard towards As without terrible stress, without losing sight of friendships and interests then go for it. But long term, I think a handful of As, close friends, maintained interests and some work experience with good mental health is a perfect recipe for success. Balance not extremes, unless the As come naturally with a bit of not excessive graft.

@ConcertaFirstTimer You are spot on. My DD got an Oxford offer but dropped a grade and didn’t go. Maybe a blessing in disguise. She dropped a a grade in her non MFL subject. However she was probably happier at her insurance uni and it’s made no difference to her career whatsoever. She’s doing what she wanted to do. Personality, getting on with people and work experience add to a degree. Interviews matter - as they do at Oxford! They do later in life too. You don’t need all A stars to be successful or happy.

I agree. Academics alone won’t get you that far if you can’t relate to people and have no get up and go. Of course it’s amazing if you are top notch academically and also a great team player and access all the opportunities to give you lots of experiences and a rounded job application that will impress. But lots of top academic don’t have those latter things. And lots of good but not top notch academic types DO have these things and leap frog those with top grades either at the start of careers or later on. Academics are just one element. Yes, they are important and might exclude you from very competitive uni courses, or sifting stages for early career jobs, but many places are also given to those with excellent if not top academics and increasingly the other stuff counts.

I suppose in this competitive world, some people want to be best at maximise their chances in all areas. It’s always worth working hard and doing your absolute best with studies and exams. But not everyone can achieve the very top grades. But great opportunities are still available to them and those with personality and an ability to find opportunities will do well and often better.

I wouldn’t worry - I did French GCSE, A Level and degree including a year in France but have never spoke it well. I get by and can read and write proficiently in French.

I found MFL the biggest jump from GCSE to A Level, as you go from talking about what you did at the weekend to reading a novel quite quickly and so it is a lot of work if he wasn’t strong at GCSE.

I would suggest working backwards and picking A levels based on what he might want to do at Uni, then narrowing down what he enjoys/is best in. As a PP said, no point him doing French if he wants an astrophysics degree that needs 3 sciences to get into, even if he did get an A* in French.

Astrophysics does not require all science A levels. Maths and Physics is fine.

It’s best to read what subjects are required but also try and do your best subjects for A level. The guidance from Cambridge is still useful for choosing subjects at A level to give maximum chance on competitive courses. If a course is less competitive there’s more leeway.