End of Year 13: Results, Summer and plans for September and onwards

[Rollergirl11]

Noticed the current thread is almost full so thought I better start a new one for discussing results day and our DC’s plans for uni/gap years or anything else!

@SooperOuting The thing that really hit home for me was how very clear DS was about the exams and their structure. He was like this for GCSEs too but I think it particularly helped him for A levels. It sounds really obvious, but things like judging how much time to spend on particular sections, really understanding what was and wasn’t relevant material to include in response to a question, what you need for a 5 marker vs a 20 marker - that kind of thing. He did loads of past pagers as part of his revision.

I’ve watched this with interest and a little awe really - I was far less objective about exams and really screwed up a few times (running out of time etc). He’s done brilliantly and I did not - so I think there is a lesson there!

I’d agree about it being a fast 18 months. For anyone with yr11 students reading, know that they need to hit the ground running in Yr12 as their work then determines their predicted grades and offers. Thinking it’s a long course and they can slowly gear up isn’t right for those with high aspirations.

I’d also say, start thinking about uni open days from Christmas of yr12 - that is, start looking at dates and booking for spring ones. You can leave one ir two to the autumn, but you really need to have done some in the spring if yr12.

Screen shotting Clearing for the course you’re interested on at unis you’re interested in several times is useful. Doing it the night before Clearing opens and a few times over next days shows you how quickly places go (or don’t go) and the changing grades. It gives you awareness of where might come down from the standard advertised offer and who might take near (and sometimes far) misses. It might show you where goes to Clearing and doesn’t even need putting as one of 5 choices, as you know it’s likely to still be available as a back-up.

Be ready on results day. Don’t let your teen lie in bed until 10 or drift into school or college late. Be on UCAS at 8/8.15 to see if they are in. Get the actual results as quickly as possible by going into school or college if possible or logging in to whatever system is used. Already know (through research in days before and first thing online that morning) where you will be ringing and start ringing as close to 8am as you can for Clearing places. Best places have fewer places and they go fast. By 9am lots will be gone. So my tip, is you need to plan ahead and not just ‘go with the flow’ on results day.

I’d say parental availability and help in the days before and during is worthwhile. That sounds alien to many who want their DC to sort it all out and think they should be independent. But they haven’t done it before. Have a parent available who is off work and don’t be away on holiday. Disappointment in results can cause paralysis and a plan and someone helping can make the difference between getting a decent alternative place and not. So many parents do t know the system and only find out about it on results day. To support DC the best you need to know about it before hand. And there’s so much info available on MN and elsewhere, you can very quickly educate yourself. It like lots of things, you do t know what you don’t know until it’s too late often.

If you’ve done all this planning and then their results are what hoped for or their uni takes them with missed grades (and they often do) that’s all fine isn’t it. You just breathe a sigh of relief.

There’s some great advice here. 😊

That's good advice about getting your head around clearing - no good asking how it all works at 0745 on results day 😬

I would also say - read the UCAS site properly and don't rely on school / college to understand the process. There are some real horror stories out there where students were badly advised. DD's college were rubbish, she was lucky we had been through it before. So yes you can submit the form with not all your choices on there, no it doesn't cost any more money, no it isn't called "priority clearing", no the universities don't see where else you have applied to, yes you are entitled to know your predicted grades, no it's not a rule that you must have an insurance offer lower than your firm etc etc

This is all so helpful. Thank you all so much!

DD is doing French, Business and Politics A Levels.

Off to wake her up so she can do some work today!

DD did French - would recommend News in Slow French if she's not already using it.

www.newsinslowfrench.com/

With respect, you couldn't have started your own thread or at least waited several days for the people on here who are actually living this right now to come to terms with things before essentially hijacking the thread?

In this house we had a big shock in a grade drop yesterday, and I'm supporting my vulnerable, disabled child (has an EHCP) to come to terms with that. I know from PMs that there are people reading but who haven't necessarily posted who also had a bad time of it yesterday.

I'm extremely happy for everyone whose DC got great results, this has been a great thread and I love seeing the successes as well as feeling for those DC who've had to change track a bit and I'm cheering when they get offers through clearing or whatever.

However seeing people's helpful advice to you about what they wish they'd done or known last year is a bit too soon - as you'll hopefully appreciate, I'm wondering what could have been done differently so that my DD's predicted A didn't become a D in reality. I'm now going to have to hide what has been a really supportive thread.

Really glad to hear your DD is realising that Sussex could be a great option WriterofWrongs and well done to you all on getting through that. I know asd often like to be in control and it must have been really hard to suddenly feel everything is going out of control but she and you have done so well to have so much sorted in one day. I actually prefer Sussex to where I think she had first.

Good to see lots of other nosey Mums 😂Though DD is in no position to talk she is always messaging what appears to be half the country to find out how people are getting on then telling me and I don't have a clue who the vast majority are though enjoy hearing about it, will miss that when she goes, both my DH and DS wouldn't even notice if an elephant walked into a room. I remember a teacher phoning and asking me if I could ask DS who sat by him in a lesson for a seating plan and every person he gave the answer "I don't know nameless person" whereas DD you'ld have got the name and life history. She came in at just before midnight last night, been out with boyfriend and friends. Its good how many got their choices this year, we are seeing quite a few with 1 or 2 grades down on what expected (though maybe that's normal as predicted tends to be generous but its a bit random who, seems to be lots of Maths / FM where grade boundaries went up a lot and maybe Chemistry) but generally they have still got the offer they want. And really no-one cares once you have your degree.

Writers So sorry I cross posted. You have been an amazing Mum to your daughter, don't ever question that - secondary schools are very, very tough places especially combined with the academisation of schools and SN funding cuts for SN kids. Your DD has done amazingly to get through GCSEs and A levels and onto university. I know so many SN kids including my son, who with the right support at school, would have gone on to excellent universities but instead are forced out of schools or have breakdowns and have no qualifications.

Please stay with us if it helps. Sending love to you and your lovely daughter.

Thanks for the kind remarks re hospital, still a lot to sort but at least one department is sorted and one to go.

I would maybe discuss with school Writers and check with uni wouldn't affect place but considering getting papers remarked - can get scripts back first and see if non-priority.

@Perfectlystill
my advice is slightly different: so much information is available online so don’t feel you have to attend 5 open days and rush around the country. Many families can’t afford the time or money to do this or you may just want want to visit the university at a time that suits you, not on a organised visit. Bath university has a self guided tour. My dd didn’t attend any open days as she was diagnosed with a chronic illness and not well enough to attend. She did a lot of online research and we visited two cities as part of a summer holiday.
I also think that it’s sensible to reflect on whether you want to go through clearing, take time to reflect on whether to take a gap year, retake, apply with grades in hand, apply for a different course…if it doesn’t feel right to make that decision, take time, at 18 there are multiple pathways.

I was on an earlier thread as part of this group under a different name. Came on today to check in and get some advice but I see it's now become about @Perfectlystill whose child isn't even in this cohort and who, poor thing, is being yanked out of bed at 8:30am to do some work in the summer holiday so their parent doesn't have a failure this time next year.

Shame. But not a surprise they asked here at an insensitive time. Funny thing, I've just seen them on a weight loss injection thread asking if, despite being "very fit", they can use it to get off the 7 pounds she gained in Peru. As a doctor I do so love seeing thin & healthy people pay privately for medication that we haven't been able to provide on the NHS for approx a year to our diabetic patients as a treatment plan due to shortage. It's heartbreaking not being able to provide a medication that will help people's health. But some people are just me, me, me no matter the effect on others. As long as they are slim and their children have results they can boast about eh.

I'll get off my soapbox now

I'm not sure what your point is @Scroller but I am really sorry if I have upset you and did not wish to derail at all.

I will back out now but am very grateful to you all for your insight - I've been reading the responses out this morning and we've made plans based on them.

Thank you all and good luck to all of you and your children.

Thanks @Perfectlystill but actually if it's @WriterOfWrongs you should apologise to. They reasonably pointed out why your post was insensitive and why they were now going to hide the thread they'd got support from due to the replies to you being a bit too soon to read, but which you completely ignored.

And my point was you seem someone who has a sense of entitlement.

Oh sorry I am working so in a rush.

@WriterOfWrongs I am really sorry to have upset you. I will not come back to this thread and am horrified to have upset you both.

I wish you both the absolute best.

I’m so sorry the thread took a bit of a turn for you this morning @WriterOfWrongs. I would be sad to see you stop posting as generally speaking this is a very supportive and helpful thread. And I for one would love to keep up with your DD’s journey as I’m sure others would. Hope you reconsider. 🙏

DD got in about 4am this morning with a friend in tow who has crashed here. She surfaced about half an hour ago to be sick and went straight back to bed. I think she is in desperate need of a few nights in to recharge as she was totally caning it in Ayia Napa.

@WriterOfWrongs just wanted to send sympathy for you both. My young person did much worse than predicted and I can understand both the pain and other parents' urge to get it right, which I certainly didn't. The reality here is you can lead a horse to water and show him 25 revision techniques but if he would rather plough on in his own way...

Don't go @WriterOfWrongs This is a lovely thread full of helpful people and I am sure nobody wants to upset you. Your DD has done really well and got an extremely creditable set of results in challenging circumstances. And you sound like a great Mum. I'm glad she's* *coming around to seeing Sussex in a positive light. I think often in the immediate aftermath of a shock we tend to react emotionally rather than logically but a bit of time, space and love works wonders. There are many roads to Rome, and many awesome destinations other than Rome. When your journey has just been cancelled you are angry, upset and frustrated and can't immediately see it, but later on it can become apparent that there is an alternative that's just as good, maybe even better than the route you originally planned. You're doing a brilliant job in supporting her.
Slight hangover here this morning. (DS not me!) He doesn't normally drink because of his sporting pursuits but slightly overdid things last night. I think he can be forgiven though. I slept the sleep of the dead and didn't wake up til mid morning! I hadn't realised quite how stressed I've been but I have had a lot of sleepless nights recently and finally managed to catch up. DH kindly realised that and didn't wake me.
I have just realised that DS starts one month today. Not long at all. Seems like we've been waiting forever and now all of a sudden there is a rush!

I would echo the other posters in asking that @WriterOfWrongs please stays - as others said this is a supportive thread. It’s such a sensitive time - as you saw I got a bit aerated yesterday myself, emotions are heightened at these times.

My DS didn’t have an insurance option 2 years ago and we went into clearing. Thus ensued more uni visits and 72 hours of hand wringing before he picked what turned out to be a superb option we hadn’t even considered before. We felt quite smug for about 2 hours before we realised we couldn’t get him any accommodation, at a uni 450 miles away.

Two weeks later we found something but it’s not a time I look back on fondly. Two years on he is doing very well, very happy, and in a fantastic city that he is making the very most of.

But I’ll never forget that time; who was supportive and who was judgmental. It’s a moment of truth. You find out who your friends are at times like this. And the ones that aren’t supportive - bin! Life is too short.

It’s such a tough time as a parent - you have to be the strong supportive one and you want to make everything alright for them. It feels like adding insult to injury as well when your child has had other challenges (my DS nearly died in Y9). I know it’s a trope but the resilience they get from this is a real game changer. It’s a much absent life skill in many and DC that have overcome challenges are so well set up to cope with the issues work and life will throw their way.

Please don’t go @WriterOfWrongs.

Nothing much to report here other than I have managed to get over myself and just be happy and excited for him. We’ve been looking at some of his college stuff on insta and Facebook and have to admit am a bit shocked that in addition to freshers week, the last 3 weeks of the academic term seem to be all about non stop fun as well 🙄. As long as he is happy I guess.

I did get the scripts back and alas there were no clerical errors in maths, looks like he just bombed out on a couple more questions than usual. Still considering what to do about Latin. It is only 2 marks - less than 1% - away from an A star but when he did well anyway (79%) I’m guessing it will be really hard to find them especially how they review rather than remark nowadays. Will have a little think - there is plenty of time and nothing to lose other than money!

Could you ask his Latin teacher to look over the script @Jaxx? They might be able to recommend whether it's worth paying g for a review. We did this for GCSE for a humanities subject as ds was one mark off a 9. His teacher said he was generously marked on one paper but harshly marked on the other. He submitted the harshly marked one and got 3 extra marks so secured a 9. I think the humanities subjects are more likely to move marks.

My DS has just had the exact opposite experience @Jaxx having spotted that it looks like he will have exams before Christmas! Given that pretty much all he's talked about since yesterday is sport and how he's going to get his kit to the velodrome, sports pitches etc this came as a somewhat unwelcome revelation 😂😂

He spoke to his teacher yesterday briefly when he picked up his results and she said it may be worth getting one of the lit papers reviewed (she was quite busy as one of the Cambridge offer holders unfortunately missed out due to an unexpected B in Classical Civilisation). I’ll get him to ask her to have a quick look at the papers to see if there is an obvious one to do first.

Yes - whilst writing this reply I have realised I definitely will get it remarked as I have always kicked myself for not giving it a go with his English Language GCSE and he needed 7 marks for that. If there is no joy after reviewing the first paper, I will get the second one done too as long as the mark hasn’t gone down as there should be plenty of time.

@MrsAvocet sorry academic year not term!

Just to update on DD's disappointing 'A' in Tech - after looking at mark breakdown, she and another realised they'd been moderated down about 20% on their NEA, and a third definitely gone down. In a class of 5. Where the teacher had said they have never been changed in moderation in past years. The NEA is 50%, so Dd dropped from an Astar to one mark above a B, while another dropped from** Astar to B

Teacher has confirmed today that they've requested a moderation review of all 5 (at a cost of £260 to the school). Is a bit of a nightmare for them really as how would you be confident to mark again? And he is very experienced, been a market etc too. May take a month to hear though.