Year 12 - 2025/2026: Support Thread 2

[QueenMabby]

A new thread for us to keep chatting on!

Completely agree. My neighbour's daughter, (10 x 9 at GCSE and Oxford aspirations), wanted to do 4 A levels, but school said no - mainly because it would have been 3 essay based A levels and a language. I felt she could have handled it, but school said no - she's doing core maths in year 12 instead and I suspect an EPQ in year 13. But to say no to 4 if one is further maths is just crazy and so unfair. Esp given Icanbe's son's academic record to date. Even our school (same as neighbour's) allows students to do 4 if the fourth is further maths.

I can see the sixth forms point. We have been to a few open days for maths universities ranked from 1st to 21st on the latest data. They all said the same thing. You only need 3 A levels, we prefer further maths to be one of them. We only care about your maths skills.
The top ranked being Cambridge requires you to sit STEP papers which are apparently like doing an extra A level and taken at the same time as A Levels.
The 21st ranked basically said they will take anyone who gets the kind of grades that make them think they can handle the course so please let us know any special circumstances. I got the impression they don’t always get as many capable applicants as they would like, the opposite of Cambridge.
A maths degree 2:1 or above from any of these universities will be open many doors, so try to make the right choice for your child rather than necessarily aiming as high as possible.

Sheffield is another university that gives an alternative offer including Further Maths for degrees such as Engineering which require Maths A level.

Whilst Cambridge doesn't expect 4 A levels for Maths degrees many students who apply for Natural Sciences or Engineering will have 4. They shouldn't disadvantage someone whose school only allows 3 though. Hope @icanbewhatiwant DS can continue all 4 if that's best for him.

I honestly don’t know what is best for him. If he is definitely wanting to study maths at university then it probably doesn’t matter. But if he wants to study something else then it does matter. I think he should continue with 4 for the time being at least. He says everyone else is down to 3 now.

At DD’s state grammar (Greater London) all the FM lot are still doing 5 A levels with a very full timetable. They have to take one of their subjects as AS in the summer and will then have 4 A levels, with FM being the 4th.

Those not doing FM, are still on 4 A levels with an EPQ or med school pathway (not sure what that is, but some extra to help them there if they do not want an EPQ).

DD is still doing 5 A levels and is fine. Most do med, Oxbridge or Russell Group/Imperial/Warwick/Durham type unis. If your DS is one of the most capable then he should be allowed to do what others do in other state schools to enable him the best possible uni options.

@Araminta1003we live in east Anglia. Ds just goes to the 6th form at local secondary that all the primary schools feed into. He did think about looking at colleges instead of staying at his secondary. But firstly his friends were all staying on and secondly transport isn’t very good for further afield. The nearest college is about 40 mins by car, but the bus takes hour and 45 as it calls at all the villages, calling at ours at 7.10am. Then it comes past on the way home at 6.15pm. Though he may not have needed to go in 5 days a week. So we just stuck with the school, options are more limited though.

We are still having issues with Spanish A level. Says she hates it and feels behind. Several native speakers in the class which is making it seem worse. She spoke to her pastoral tutor today about wanting to change subject. She wants to do philosophy, theology and ethics instead. They are saying everything is full. Not sure if this is right and if their first answer is always no changing. Would rather not have 2 years of her spiralling so surely they need to take wellbeing into account?

@BellaIthats hard isnt it. You’d think they’d let her change as long as she puts in the work to catch up.

Ds says he is sticking with the 4 for the time being while he decides which to drop. But he is definitely not allowed to take all 4.

hello Can I please ask again about A level revision materials but I'll ask it differently.

Is it worth getting AS level revision materials for the May exams?

Or do people just get the A level books so covers both years?

As the AS grades will be used for Uni applications I'm keen DS has the right materials - he has never been keen on revision notes etc and whilst "browsing online" and some browsing of text books has got him so far, I want him to have a more structured approach. That is - "browse" in a more structured way 🙄

Thanks in advance

Are you in Wales?

In Wales it's wjec board and split between AS level year 1 which then goes in to be 40% of A-level in Y13. I thought in England the AS levels were now completely different qualifications to A levels - so I though most sixth forms didn't do them ? Not sure as been in Wales for those years.

I would get revisons guide for AS levels and exam boards being sat so the have relevant content and questions. Also can he not check with the teaching staff - they often recommend best options out there IME and oftne know of any free ones.

I would double check though it is AS level he sitting and not mocks for Y12 content of A-levels - so you do get the right books.

Sometimes we can get for some subjects books that cover both Y12 and Y13 and sometimes it is just the one year and for some subject like WJEC further maths there is nothing - no-one has done any guides and it buy best match and rely on past paper question bank for board.

DD2 May exams are external wjec exams that lead to a AS qualification and go on to be 40% of A-level is she continues with them to Y13. She can also drop one and just have an AS level in it. She being told to do past papers as revsion now - and is having mocks in Febuary in preparation for the May exams.

On her UCAS form the AS levels will go down as AS level qualifications and she'll have seperate predicted grades for A-levels and they can be and were different for my previous DC UCAS applications.

@ThisPerkySloth2 we are not in Wales or Nirthern Ireland where AS count towards Alevel. We are in England but DD is doing 4x AS’s in May. I’m pleased you’ve asked this as I’ve done a bit of research - I’d assumed AS was just one or two of the A2 papers! It’s not. In England they’re totally stand alone exams. As far as I understand, the content for AS is roughly the same as first year A level. So if he’s taking them to A level then the full A level books are worth getting. DD has full A level text books and nothing specifically for AS. However, the AS testing in history, for example, doesn’t require as much depth as A2 and the exam papers are of a different structure and mark scheme to reflect this. So he will need specific AS past paper practice. When DD wakes up I’m going to ask a bit more about this.

@ThisPerkySloth2 yes DD confirms the above. She says for Politics there’s a few minor things that are tested in the AS paper but aren’t covered in the A level content, eg Magna Carta etc. Yet for her History it’s 100% the same content for AS and year one A level modules (Cold War & late Tudors in her case). Your DS should know for his subjects anything that is extra for AS and not included in A level content - it’ll be minor background / foundation if anything. This only applies if you are in England and not Wales /Northern Ireland. In England the AS is a standalone exam whereas in other parts of U.K. it’s a percentage of the A level.

Sorry to not have checked in for a while. Struggling here. Will read back.

Oh no!! @Oblomov25 do hope everything is ok.

@Oblomov25 sending positive vibes - hope whatever is going on you find a solution

@Oblomov25 absolutely fine to just post “not caught up yet” and tell us what is going on ❤️

@Oblomov25 - hope you are OK! How can we help?

Hi @Oblomov25 - I hope you’re ok.

Oh sorry everyone, forgot to update you. Nothing monumental, just struggling still with ds2, attitude etc. Got parents evening later this week so we'll see what that brings.

@Oblomov25i hope parents eve. goes ok. Yours are the other way round to mine. My ds2 is the same age as your ds1. It’s ds2 who causes me problems, ds3 is much easier as far as schoolwork goes, I think for you the older one is/was easier. They are sent to try us. For me Ds1 is the hardest to get on with etc. ds2 has such a laid back (or can’t be bothered) attitude which causes problems. But ds3 seems to just get on with everything, does well in everything etc. he’s not sure whether he wants to go to uni or what to do next. But apart from that all is good.

We are having problems getting a driving license for ds3. He is furious with me for not doing it sooner. We applied in August. Ds was diagnosed with epilepsy age 3. He was put on medication, after 3 weeks the seizures stopped. He came off medication age 7. So 10 years ago. We obviously have to say this on the application. We had to fill in forms for his hospital consultant to fill in. He’s not seen a consultant for 10 years, so no idea whether the consultant is still there. Ds has not even been to the gp since primary age. I know the gp filled forms in and sent back early December but online it says awaiting forms. So phoned dvla yesterday and they said the gp hadn’t filled the forms out properly so they returned them at the end of Dec. So I emailed the gp surgery yesterday. They said they’ve not had more forms. So I’m not sure what to do next. The lady at dvla said I only get 2 phone calls to them and I’ve used one. Ds is 17 in March. I booked the instructor back in August as he has a long waiting list. So he’s not going to be having lessons as planned.

@Oblomov25 do you have insight into his work / effort etc? DD does everything online so I wouldn’t have a clue other than her reports home. And of course that she ‘looks’ to be studying. Have school said anything already?

Our parents eve isn’t til April! Brand new school so feeling like it’s quite late BUT they do keep saying in the newsletters to contact if any concerns so…

@icanbewhatiwant there's a limit on phone calls to dvla???

Our parents evening isn't until May! Apparently we'll get a progress report in the next few weeks though - thank goodness, as I feel fairly clueless as to how DS is getting on.

@CreamBeforeJamOnScones Ds spoke to dvla and said he gives his permission for them to speak to me, then he said yes for the duration of this current application. She then said to me you have permission for this whole application, that means you get 2 phone calls, this is your first. So I’m not sure whether she meant he has to give his permission again, that seems weird as he said yes to the duration. Or whether it is literally only 2 calls.

@icanbewhatiwant surely they don’t limit calls! Can you get hold of the forms for the GP to complete? I wonder what was not filled in correctly? Be worthwhile trying to find out do it doesn’t happen again. How annoying!!