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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

A Level Anxiety

895 replies

Toffee22 · 14/08/2011 22:42

Only 4 more "sleeps" until the A level results come out - not that I will be doing much sleeping...

Eldest son wants to study medicine. 3 "A's" required no slip ups allowed. Have just checked and most medical schools don't accept re-sits. How can I face looking at the cold hard facts at some point on Thursday. I'm sure it will be difficult for my son too! When I tried to talk to him about it today instead of a response he said he would do an "impression of a tree". It wasn't even a very good impression. What does this mean?

OP posts:
Yellowstone · 19/08/2011 19:43

I'd thought that too Imperial but DD2, DD3 and DS1 have told me I'm definitely wrong. They're surrounded by A* friends (and acquaintances) and have some themselves. But you seem to be a teacher.... I'd be interested to know for certain.

Yellowstone · 19/08/2011 19:46

Except that jgb's DS is at the top of the B range so he'd be unlikely to go to a C. And surely the insurance has to hold his place too, pending a re-mark, so in this case it would all be fairly safe?

ImperialBlether · 19/08/2011 19:48

Sorry, just looked it up and you're right.

Where I teach, it's not an issue Grin as they usually end up with B/C as a maximum.

There was only one boy this year who got an A* and he had 100% in his coursework and 95% on his exam, so I thought that was why.

ImperialBlether · 19/08/2011 19:49

Yes, I think the universities have to be told you're going for a re-mark, but they should honour it if the mark's changed.

Yellowstone · 19/08/2011 20:02

Thanks Imperial. I'd like to see properly differentiated offers introduced, I think that seems fair. At our school it's probably easier to get an A (though still very far from easy) than it is at yours. I know those offers aren't that widespread yet but I think they're about to take off. DD3 had a survey sent through to her from her insurance university asking her why she'd chosen it as her insurance, clearly with a view to introducing the A as a protective measure sometime soon.

harbingerofdoom · 19/08/2011 20:15

yellowstoneI concur with your underwriting description. Thanks so much for the last day or so.

harbingerofdoom · 19/08/2011 20:20

I already know of one child that has had a re-mark. They gained 19 points UMS so worth doing. Sometimes its as simple as an adding failure!

ImperialBlether · 19/08/2011 20:35

Most exams are marked online now, harbingerofdoom, so no adding failures there.

tessofthedurbeville · 19/08/2011 20:45

mrswoodentop: My son got a B in one history paper and an E in his source paper - as did several of his school mates. We are going to ask for a priority photocopy (£10ish) for his teacher to look over and see if a remark is a possibility and if not then he will retake. Check with school about photopcopies etc

harbingerofdoom · 19/08/2011 20:59

How do you explain 19 marks on a science paper? A whole page missed? I'm only speculating.

ImperialBlether · 19/08/2011 21:10

No, harbinger. In my subject (which I mark) it can be very difficult to know whether to give marks because of the people who set the mark schemes. For example, when the exams changed a couple of years ago, a different person set the exams and mark schemes. What had previously been accepted no longer was. If an examiner has been marking for years, he/she can give marks which are no longer approved, or can be too scared to give a mark (very, very likely) and so doesn't give marks where they're due.

It's a bloody minefield. I can only talk for my subject and exam board.

ImperialBlether · 19/08/2011 21:10

I should add, I have changed exam board for my students and won't be marking for the old board in future.

harbingerofdoom · 19/08/2011 21:31

Imperial that does sound pretty grim. Do you remember years ago when external examiners would come into unis to module the marks. They should keep the standards by not messing around.

adamschic · 19/08/2011 21:38

DD was explaining to me that one of her maths AS exams had an error on a question which was then discounted. She had struggled with maths so concentrated on the questions which she knew she had a chance, one of which was this particular formula. So wasted lots of time on a question that was impossible to answer.

Not good and Maths is the subject she is dropping but it's a shame as she might have got it right.

mrswoodentop · 19/08/2011 21:42

So if you get a photocopy you can still have a remark?I thought that if you got the paper back then you couldn't have a remark?

Goodness this whole thing is a nightmare.Angry

ImperialBlether · 19/08/2011 21:42

They do do that, harbinger. My daughter's just graduated from a RG university and everything was double marked (blind) and given to the external moderator.

And yes, it's easy enough for the exam boards to say "Oh well, we won't count that question" but it doesn't taken into account how much time was spent on trying to figure out something that couldn't be figured out.

harbingerofdoom · 19/08/2011 21:51

Imperial Glad to here that RG still do this.

There is no excuse for the 'dodgy' exam questions. Candidates DO waste time on them rgarless.

Let's start a list for this year
1 OCR CHEM

jugglingwiththreeshoes · 19/08/2011 21:52

Anyone fancy doing photography at Anglia Ruskin in Cambridge - looks like a possibility for arty types judging by their clearing page. We were in Cambridge on Wednesday, punting along the Cam, so it sounds good to me !

ImperialBlether · 19/08/2011 21:53

I thought that too, mrswoodentop. Once you've had the paper back, you can't have it remarked, you can only use it for reference.

Loshad · 19/08/2011 22:05

don't know about history but in biology you have 2 options - original paper back, then you can only use it for reference, or get a photocopy of the paper which is what we always advise the students to do, the when your teacher has looked over it she/he can advise whether it's worth going for the remark.

ImperialBlether · 19/08/2011 22:08

That is useful if you have time, but if you need to know if your grade is correct, then you need to act really quickly in order for it to have an impact on where you go to university.

jgbmum · 19/08/2011 22:18

Hi everyone, sorry for not getting back earlier - we have been out to celebrate the marks/grades DS did get!
The info re the missed grade has come from the school. This is Physics - AQA I think - the whole course - 4 written papers and 2 practicals is marked out of 600 and then converted to a %. School have advised he is 3 marks out of 600 off an A. His HoD is back in school on Monday so DS is going in to see him then. We have completed the priority re-mark form for the final written exam and hope that his HoD will talk to Soton on Monday. Soton have agreed to hold the place but will not discuss the case with DS.
Advice gratefully received, meanwhile we wait.....

Yellowstone · 19/08/2011 22:36

Definitely doesn't sound lost then, jgb. I'd remembered Nottingham wrong then. Is it an engineering course? What is your DS's insurance - and does he like it?

harbingerofdoom · 19/08/2011 22:36

jbgmum what was his UMS at AS and then any Jan modules? Look at those first before any remark.

Milliways · 19/08/2011 22:38

Wine Cheers Funnyperson, just seen this - and congrats to your DD (Brings back good memories)

DS is now talking of applying to Cambridge too, but we have GCSE results next week to get through. DD is already planning the College "Mums" for this years intake at her College.