Ucas / Results 2014 (carrying on Ucas Forms Sent.... thread)

[Littleham]

Thought we might need a new thread for the results...

Where do I find the list of courses in clearing last year?

You are unlikely to find a reliable one. The lists tend to be updated several times a day as courses fill up.

And even if you found one, the grades are always specific to that year. For example, two years ago A level results were down a lot in comparison to previous years, so most universities dropped quite a bit.

Last year's A level results were about the same, but as teachers had, in general, been more cautious with predictions (in response to the previous year) universities were in a different position, and the grades in clearing did not tend to drop quite as drastically.

In 2012 and 2013 there were also effects from the fee increase: in 2012 student numbers were down for many subjects in part because of the poor results but also because students were deterred by the new fees, and many universities were desperately looking for AAB+ students in clearing.

In 2013 student numbers were back up, in part because of students who had deferred entry and in part because the grades were more in line with expectations. However, a number of universities were still looking to take extra ABB+ students in clearing to push their overall numbers up. In the university where I work engineering numbers were up around 20% in 2013, without dropping below AAA in clearing, and mathematics numbers were up from 170 in 2012 to 250 in 2013, again without dropping below AAA equivalent in clearing. Places were mostly filled before clearing but we accepted extra students in clearing. These students were mostly trading up using "adjustment" rather than entering clearing because they had missed offers.

Several social sciences subjects in the same university whose regular offers are AAA/AAB dropped to ABB in clearing to get extra students to make up for their numbers shortfall in 2012. They were mostly taking students who had missed grades rather than getting students who were trading up. (Social sciences has a lower reputation than maths and engineering at this university.)

As creamteas writes, neither 2012 nor 2013 should be viewed as good predictors for 2014. We have some sense of whether we will be entering clearing and how many places we might offer but we cannot know for sure until we see the A level results. And it's not just results in our subjects which matter - we (maths and engineering) would never need to enter clearing, we will have good student numbers regardless of results, but we will be forced by the university management team to enter clearing and take a few extra AAA+ students if other subjects cannot fill their courses with high level students.

I wish the results were released before the kids had to choose their Uni's.

It would be so much easier and cheaper

Blimey - thanks for that information everyone. Explains why I couldn't find a list.

Valium it is then...

Exams going ok I think here with one to go but it's just that awful feeling of will she have made the grade boundaries - trying to stop her trying to guess what she will be marked on each section on the paper as the grade boundaries move anyway so it's as much to do with how everybody else does too !! Think we have a long nine weeks ahead !!

I wish the results were released before the kids had to choose their Uni's

No one has to choose their university before they get their results. They would just need to take a gap year.

Out of interest creamteas, if she ends up having to take a gap year to re-sit, how does it all work? Would she just have to re-sit the one exam she did badly on, or every single A Level all over again?

Had a look on student room with regard to this particular Chem 4 AQA exam and the comments are all dreadful. Some Oxbridge applicants couldn't do it, so we are hoping the grade boundaries are lower-

Examples of comments -

'Same have got 100ums in my mock, but now I think I am gonna have b only' and

I hope AQA is happy about this horrific exam!

For your DDs sake we hope so to.

Incidentally I have heard very good things about short A level and resit courses offered by some of better known tutorial colleges, as long as the student is motivated and capable. One girl we know ended up changing her mind on degree course, taking A level physics from scratch, and was astonished how quickly very focussed teaching to the test, in small classes could get her where she needed to be.

Not cheap but nor are university fees. If it makes a real difference in the quality of the University course she can access, it might be a good investment. Plus she could spend the rest of the time, say, working in Germany.

Thanks. I'll look into the tutorial colleges just in case (although they do all seem to be based in the London area). The Germany idea is a good one too - would be something extra to put on a second UCAS application. Good grief, that means we could be doing two UCAS applications next year.

It is rubbish that this has happened, but to put it in perspective, one of my friends lost her 17 year old son recently after a long illness. At least this is fixable long term.

The Scottish system has been much less stressful for us with my son getting unconditionals, it's worth having an extra year at university to know he can definitely do the course he wants. It has disadvantages though with the Scottish tax system only funding a certain number of students on each course so it can be harder to get in to certain highly sought after courses. It's still not clear how the scottish office will stop English students getting tuition fees paid for by Scottish tax payers if Scotland votes yes in September. If we stay in the EU it looks impossible, if we leave we could be economically stuffed.

Last AS for DS today, not looking forward to A2 next year!

Open days are now looming...

Out of interest creamteas, if she ends up having to take a gap year to re-sit, how does it all work

Now you have to retake the whole A level, and as there are no January exams, you have to wait a year.

Many schools use to allow pupils to retake Y13 at school. There was 3 years of funding available for level 3 education. But the funding has recently been cut, so I don't know whether or not schools will still accept repeated years in 6th form.

That would explain why the sixth form was making noises about not allowing AS students to re-sit this year. Very harsh!

How do universities look upon students who have missed a grade reapplying the following year?

How do universities look upon students who have missed a grade reapplying the following year?

Like everything else, it is variable.

I have no hesitation in making offers. It is not easy to back to school/college when friends have moved on. So I think retaking means you are willing to acknowledge and learn from your mistakes.

But other admissions tutors are more hesitant and would prefer a 'good' reason, for repeating (eg illness, bereavement).

In my humble opinion, the fact that it is not a level playing field between schools / teachers might be construed as a 'good reason'. My dd1 has worked far harder at Chemistry than any other subject, as have some of her co students.

I think you are doing the right thing, so would really like to thank you on behalf of these kids.

At college sixth form, we would not accept a yr13 to resit unless there had been significant extenuating circumstances: statistically, they don't improve their grade (I am told...)

Excellent. Put them on the rubbish heap, because of one bad teacher.

DS also had difficulties with his Chemistry teacher. She has been off sick for huge chunks of the year. Stand-ins were often not even supply teachers but none teaching members of staff. Having said that, fortunately, he seems ok with it and he doesn't "need" Chemistry as it's his 4th subject and not named in his offers.
The trouble is Littleham, for students like your DD, who really do need the grade, it sounds like just an excuse to say you had a bad teacher and yet we know there are huge variations in teaching quality.

It's also a tough transition to make from being spoon-fed at GCSE to being responsible for own learning in sixth form.

DS's maths teaching has been variable. An inspiring teacher for the pure maths and a very poor one for his applied.
He has self-taught two extra modules that the school don't offer.
So far from being spoon-fed (why is this such a popular phrase on MN?), he has learned this year to teach himself from scratch using text books from various sources, a skill which I think might stand him in good stead at university.

Petrasmumma. This teacher did not even attend lesson for three weeks in May - quite a gap just before the exams. Every week, the kids have had to contend with 'ghost lesson' as they are called. This is when there is no teacher, but 'work' is left for them. No supply teachers could be found or perhaps the school couldn't afford them. The class have had to self teach for much of the year which is quite tricky with Chemistry.

You are correct, they are not spoon fed at A level, sometimes they are not even fed at all. We have been lucky with two subjects (excellent teachers), but unfortunately her access to university depends on the third subject.

It's more common than you might think, Littleham.

Littleham, I had a look at the MPW six months resit courses and spotted something interesting:

"For students starting all their subjects in January, the UCAS application clearly must not depend on being able to evidence the academic progress that they have made in the retake year."

The implication from that and from their description of the courses starting in September, is that if you are attempting to reapply to the same sort of University as before, you might be better off studying hard through the autumn term and submitting your UCAS form late. This then presumably gives the college (state or private) a chance to write a report saying that this is a bright student who is on track for an A, but who seems to have missed their grades last time round because they were not taught enough.

With MPW you then go off till Easter and do something relevant and interesting, cross your fingers hard and hope that this, combined with two good A level results in the bag, is enough to get you an offer. You then go back for the half term before the exam itself. For MPW the problem is that you need to live near one of their centres. However the idea of leaving the UCAS submission to the last minute to allow for an informed college report sounds important and something that might need to be negotiated should your daughter decide to resit.

I also think that the school owes it to your daughter to try to find a solution, whether it is writing to the University with an explanation, or negotiation with local sixth form colleges. There must surely be someone with experience of University entry etc, who knows what might be done to help her.

There must surely be someone with experience of University entry etc, who knows what might be done to help her

Clearly if the school contacted her firm university and stated that her lower grade was due to poor teaching, then they should take this into consideration. I can't actually remember a school ever doing this though.

But if her grades mean that she is within student number controls, and they don't have any places, there will not be able to offer her a place without getting fined.