Failed mocks

[Summerdreamydays]

Ds is doing 2 A levels alongside a BTEC. Just finishing his first year.

He’s failed one of his mocks and got a D in the other subject. He’s doing fairly well with the BTEC, but on its own I’m supposing it’s worthless.

We are unsure whether he should carry on with his second year or cut his losses and do a different course. Perhaps something more vocational.

He hasn’t really enjoyed his first year and wanted to drop out initially but we encouraged him to keep going. He won’t revise because he just can’t motivate himself, but feels he does better with coursework when there is a deadline. He was the same with his GCSEs, just wouldn’t put in the revision but still managed to get 6s and 7s.

He does want to do his second year and says he will work harder and knows where he’s gone wrong, but we are so worried he’ll finish up with nothing.

I suppose ultimately it’s his decision but as parents we want to try to advise him well.

If he’s keen I’d 100% let him do his second year and encourage him to do so. A D can easily end up as a C or B and the fail might make a D. Really worth carrying on I would think.

Can you say what the subjects are? Are they the kinds of things where you can pull it back?

DS2 was given a PG at the end of year 12 of (IIRC) a C in PE – and the dept felt that he could and should be doing much better. So did he haha and it became an A in the end. So it is possible to pick it up – but he needs to want it (DS needed the A for uni).

Is he planning to apply to uni or what is his long-term plan?

Would he be better restarting on a T-Level or Level 3 Extended Diploma?

He may have more options with Merit/Distinction in that than Distinction in 1 BTEC but D/E/U in 2 A levels.

Flogging a dead horse comes to mind.

He is effectively saying he will not only work hard on the second year, but then will do extra work over and above to recover the first year work.
He has 2 months before school starts, maybe you/he can set himself a target to see how hard he is willing to work now to catch up, and otherwise re-enroll on a different course elsewhere?

If he wants to keep going, let him do so. Doing terribly in a mock is an excellent life experience which enables a person to gain wisdom about the consequences of what happens if you approach a challenge without proper preparation. Telling him to give up early in case he fails is not a good life lesson. Can you afford to pay for some tutorials to help him catch up with any material he isn't sure of?

It is however no weakness to change course if you find that Plan A wasn't for you.

Make sure he has the info on different options and has considered them. Then he chooses but commits fully to that choice.

If he didn’t revise of course he wasn’t going to do well.

Is that one of the things he intends to do properly before the real thing?

Is it possible to do another BTEC or turn the single into a diploma in year 13.

At my son's school the extended certificate can be done in a year and is offered to those who are advised to drop an A level.

I thought failing mocks was fairly standard - then you pull your socks up and get on with it for the real things! That’s certainly how it worked when I was at school. I wouldn’t worry, if he didn’t do the work he likely won’t do well - I’d worry a lot more if he’d really tried and still failed. Hopefully it’ll give him the kick he needs to do a bit more in year 13.