Year 12 - 2025/2026: Support Thread 2

[QueenMabby]

A new thread for us to keep chatting on!

The results do go on the UCAS form but from our older two the college tends to be quite generous with predicted results.

From our older two kids AS levels tend to be very good indicator about A-level results more so than the predicted results but hard to say though how much they get looked at by universities. Due to system here they were under all have 13 level 2 qualifications on there as well which they can never remember all of - never sure how that looks to the english universities either.

DD2 seems very unbothered - but does want to drop FM next year - which is fine though not sure what that means for Welsh bacc - she was only allowed to drop that as was doing 4 A-levels.

Did think I'd be less worried this year - first time it's not GCSE exams at same time but no.

Are your Y12's CVs one page or two?

One page for my Y12. Name and contact details, a sort of intro statement/couple of sentences, education, work/work experience, relevant qualifications, additional info e.g. DBS

Relevant qualifications have been included because DC2 put the CV together to apply for a job requiring those. Work experience is where voluntary roles have been put and includes a brief outline of duties and responsibilities.

No mention of hobbies, prefect roles or similar.

Thanks. Some graduate CVs came up on my social media feed and they were one page too. Some omitted A Levels and GCSEs.

DD3’s is one page - lists GCSEs & outlines work experience. She’s not that much to say just yet!

She had first AS exam today. Not great but not hideous. Seems minutes since it was GCSEs.

DD2 started yesterday with FM pure - it was hard but everyone found it so.

She had Chemistry today - and only Thrusday this week with no exams but she has to hand in the art coursework which still needs finishing. So it's busy for these two weeks -(just when she turns 17 ) and then very quiet.

She seems okay though not too stressed.

Has she got study leave @CatHairEveryWhereNow or are they in everyday?

No study leave the usual lessons are on the timetable and they are supposed to turn up - though some rooms changes due to exam usage - but they are letting them revise what they need to even other subjects but staff are around for questions during lesson times.

If they didn't go and some aren't then nothing would happen - college being less laser focused on attendance then their old secondary.

After exams are over they are still in and start A2 work for next year. Pretty sure she wants to drop FM but whether she'll wait till August results to finally decide not sure -so she may have a few FM lessons as well.

@CatHairEveryWhereNow it seems very harsh to have this. In my day Year 12 was the fun year - it seems much less so now but definitely for your DD.

The departure of Year 13 on study leave has spooked our DD2, she feels sixth form is going far too fast and is panicking about mocks.

My DD has AS exams too, first one tomorrow. Then after it is done she has a bit of study leave for mocks and the firm predicted results. Not much fun being had at the moment, and DD definitely knows how to have fun! She is playing in a few concerts and weddings on the weekends in quartets and getting paid for it/small chamber string groups and driving there. I reckon the fuel is going to cancel out the payments, but I am paying for the fuel so the teens get to keep some of the cash.

We’ve just been informed that the pass mark to go into year 13 is lower than we’ve previously been told. That takes a bit of pressure off. I don’t think DD would stay if she had to repeat the year.

Some of you are mentioning AS levels and it’s confused me as I thought they’d been stopped. They weren’t mentioned at any of the local
schools or colleges. Are they only in some subjects now?

DD hardly has any lessons as it’s a school so they’re discussing on the gcse years and the a levels- extra tuition I suppose and keep everyone else off campus!

I believe they still do AS levels in Wales, and some secondaries in England choose to do them (why?!!).

DD's school doesn't do them but the catholic secondary down the road does - so glad DD doesn't go there!

That's awful that your DD isn't getting many lessons due to the GCSEs and A levels, don't the teachers have more time to teach yr 12 now they aren't teaching yrs 11 and 13?

DD1 had her end-of-year exams a couple of weeks ago (seemed very early to me!) and now has AS FM this week. Apparently Monday's Pure paper was tougher than she expected so she came home quite deflated. The other 2 papers are on Friday. In between, she has a normal timetable of classes.

DD2's college doesn't do AS levels. Her end-of-year exams are next week.

Both colleges have also started on UCAS forms already

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest I've mixed views on it TBH.

If they do well it's some pressure of next years exams.

Plus they can resit one or two papers next year it one or two papers are bad (we have to pay but that's only barrier ) -DS went from one of the further maths paper E in Y12 to an A in Y13 which helped bring up final further maths grade - DD1 did same with chem papers though higher grades just stopped over all grade falling. I find it an odd quirk of their exams here - it was there at GCSE as well though none of ours needed that.

They've all known kids who re-taken a year - either resitting a subject or changing subjects to better suited or ones they found the need for wanted degrees- and DS year a lot stopped at AS level - p/t events there was a huge drop in numbers.

I don't think it comes across to the kids how important they can be - not sure why.

@LoisSangerAteMyHamster Wales Y12 they sit AS exams 40% of final A-level marks. I think NI has similar system but this is last year before they go to more like English system. You have to do well as that 40% is hard to make up with just Y13 A2 exams. There is now talk of changing the system in Wales to more like English system but they've made no firm plans yet.

England AS levels completely different qulification but its seems some schools find the sylbuss close enough to teach A-level and try for AS exams. I suppsoed it gives an extra qulification and some A-level exam practise with less pressure than at end of Y13.

Ah yes, that all makes sense.

I find it irritating when qualifications are called the same thing but aren’t the same! It confuses little old me.

I can see that taking an extra year might be best in some circumstances but I know it wouldn’t work for DD.

Consequence of NI and Wales education being devolved and trying to seperate from English system.

I supposed at least the International GCSE have an I in front. Though GCSE level NI board and Welsh board kept A*G grades - number of times posters jump in to correct but it does at least give some indication at GCSE level.

I think GCSE my DC took are more similar to old english pre Goves reforms GCSEs though students starting this year have a completely new set of qualifications to get through also called GCSE.

It was only 2015 that AS and A levels were seperated into seperate qualifcations again in England having been combined and linked in 2000. So we've just kept the system that was in England for 15 years. Wales also keeping BTecs and wasn't going down the T route that England was looking at.

The jury is out here too re AS being helpful or not. It’s certainly made yr12 a lot less fun!!
Our English Comprehensive has chosen to give them AS levels. They do all 4 subjects but they don’t count towards A levels like the Welsh system (again, not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but definitely less pressure). They learn some things in AS that isn’t needed for A level but it’s mostly the same as yr12.
They’d be doing end of year exams now anyway so I guess it does at least count for something, which is fine if they go well. Not great if they don’t as the results need to go on the UCAS form. But unlike the Welsh system if they don’t go well they’ve not messed up that 40%. I do think these results will be a reasonable indicator for how well DD is likely to do in the full A levels so can target her university choices more appropriately.
@Araminta1003 how come they are doing mocks immediately after their ASs - their ASs will be a much better indicator. Or is it just FM as an AS?

@SuperSue77 - DD is at an English grammar school in London. They do an AS in one subject of their choice and then drop it at the end of year 12. They also all start with 4 A levels and those doing Further Maths start with 5 A levels. Those doing 4 A levels had to do an EPQ. It is very competitive school and most kids are high achievers. I think the head feels it is a more rounded education. So exams start this week for AS, then a bit of study leave and straight into mocks but for some kids it overlaps. AS offered in all subjects also offered at A level. I think our head is Welsh! He also keeps a lot of languages going despite most of the kids doing Science mainly and Med and vet path. I have to say I appreciate the breadth of education on offer. As all year 11, 12 and 13 doings exams I guess it sort of makes sense and means they are still used to formal exams. The mocks are run as official exams. Then after they go straight into UCAS drafting and open days. It is all very streamlined. It would not suit a kid who cannot cope with intense though, hence they high barriers of entry both at 11 and 16 plus.

Having said all of that, quite a few of DD’s old school friends are doing International Baccalaureate (also at English grammar schools) and that seems even more intense! They mostly had early mocks and now have to do a mini dissertation and I think IB may still have some coursework (but not sure). Also IB exams are very early in Year 13 so they seem to race through the curriculum. We did consider IB as DD is an all rounder but she chickened out of it in the end.

DS is doing AS Further maths this week. He said the first one was reasonably ok, and a question came up identical to a past paper he had looked at just before so he was pleased with that.

We’re in England, his college get them to do the AS if they have taken further maths, and some then drop it if they have decided they don’t need the A level (eg if doing medicine), or don’t want to carry on. I feel like if he can get an A then it will look good for his UCAS as a concrete grade not just a prediction, but am slightly worried if it is lower it could go the other way. He then has end of year exams in everything else after half term. His friends at a different college take their maths A level this year then just do further maths in year 13.

All sounds v full on. I went to Cambridge in the 90s and it was nothing like this in sixth form. The only pressure I had was what I put on myself. Maybe my very chilled comp…

DC doing well - loving his job, social life and appears to be working reasonably hard. Mocks after half term. Staying back and trying to leave him to it. Not sure when they tell them actual predicted grades. His school has v poor comms, I never hear from them. Not sure if normal wirh sixth forms. He has two open days in June/ July. Has also started talking about apprenticeships. Almost too many options..

V best of luck all with ASs!!

Well DD2 says today exam went well and that the art coursework deadline been pushed back to Monday - which none of us are sure is a good thing but does take the pressure off for now.

She claims to be closest to actual finishing in class so all the nagging and pushing to get on with it over easter had some postive effect.

Sending positive vibes to all those taking AS levels at the moment.
dd has end of year exams next week but she seems pretty chill about them. Then after half term they get their “UCAS grades” and we have a parents’ evening.
She’s applying to be head girl so has a (very long) application form to fill in and then a presentation and FOUR interviews! It sounds heavy going but she’s keen.

4 interviews. WTH - most teachers have two max 🤣🤣🤣