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Higher education

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

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Original poster

School refusing to predict grade required for son's preferred course

35 replies

buffbuff2020 · 05/10/2021 15:14

My son found out today that his History teacher is refusing to predict him the A he needs to secure an offer to study History and Arabic at Manchester. He's devastated and has asked him teacher to reconsider. We understnd why she won't, but this doesnt help!

As it stands, he is being predicted :
Businesss Studies - A
Ensglish Lit - B
History - B
Welsh Bacc - A

He is meeting the rquirements for all other courses on his list but the one he really wants is HIstory and Arabic. He's contact Manchester Univrsity and they have said they are happy to receive a seprate personal statement from him that covers th arabic aspect.

Should he throw in the towel no and not bother applying? They want ABB with the A being in History. is he wasting a choice if he puts them down as a choice without the required predicted grade?

OP posts:

CaptainMyCaptain · 05/10/2021 15:17

Do you want the teacher to lie if he/she doesn't think he'll get an A? Nobody on Mumsnet will be able to guess if he's going to get the grades he needs.

Original poster

buffbuff2020 · 05/10/2021 15:21

I guess what im actually asking is have people secured offers despite having grades lower than those asked for?

OP posts:

Suprima · 05/10/2021 15:24

@buffbuff2020

I guess what im actually asking is have people secured offers despite having grades lower than those asked for?

Can he make a late application for middle eastern history and Arabic? They should let him in with ABB on that if his heart is set on manc

He’ll be able to swap to history when he is in the door, as long as he has performed well.

Bigeggsinapackoften · 05/10/2021 15:25

So you want the teacher to lie?

Suprima · 05/10/2021 15:26

@buffbuff2020

I guess what im actually asking is have people secured offers despite having grades lower than those asked for?

Depends completely on intake. I think it’s worth a punt.

Could he arrange a meeting with his teacher where HE explains all he is doing to get an A? Bring materials, notes, information about any private tutoring he is having, coursera courses…

underneaththeash · 05/10/2021 15:26

Universities do sometimes make lower offers if he's in a area/school considered deprived, parents didn't go to uni or there are other extenuating circumstances.
If not, they're unlikely to drop the requirement. He can always wait until he has his grades and then apply.

Phphion · 05/10/2021 15:38

Since it's probably not a very popular course, I would guess the most likely outcome is that they will make him the standard offer of ABB with an A in history and see if he gets it.

Happy36 · 05/10/2021 15:43

If the teachers don't believe he will get an A, they would be doing him no favours to predict one. He should look for History and Arabic courses which need a B for History, or other courses he likes at Manchester which match his predicted grades.

UCAS applications don't have to be submitted for a couple of months; your DS could work his socks off until then and ask for teachers to reconsider his predicted grades.

History and Arabic isn't over subscribed so if he does get an A in August he may be able to get a place through Adjustment. Or, apply next year.

Happy36 · 05/10/2021 15:45

I guess what im actually asking is have people secured offers despite having grades lower than those asked for?

It is unlikely, otherwise the university's required grades wouldn't be necessary. Remember lots of candidates do get A and A* grades (and are therefore likely to have those as their predicted grades).

Thankyoupeter · 05/10/2021 15:56

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/university-manchester-clearing-courses-available-16758114

I did a quick Google and the course your son was looking at was in clearing in 2019 ( I didn't check any other years) this suggests it isn't a course that is usually oversubscribed. On the strength of that if it were my son I would encourage him to apply for the reasons already outlined by people. There is every chance he will get an offer of the published grades.

vjg13 · 05/10/2021 15:57

Go for it as an aspirational choice with others on his UCAS application that require a lower offer.

MargaretThursday · 05/10/2021 15:59

Can he make a late application for middle eastern history and Arabic? They should let him in with ABB on that if his heart is set on manc

He’ll be able to swap to history when he is in the door, as long as he has performed well.

Certainly wouldn't guarantee that. If he's not interested in studying that then don't do this on the basis he can swap once in.

Thankyoupeter · 05/10/2021 16:02

And to answer your later question, yes my son received an offer which was 1 grade higher than his predicted grade. It does happen but it depends on the course which is why looking at whether it has been in clearing over the last few years can help you.

GCAcademic · 05/10/2021 16:05

@Phphion

Since it's probably not a very popular course, I would guess the most likely outcome is that they will make him the standard offer of ABB with an A in history and see if he gets it.

That’s what I would guess too (it’s what would happen in my department, anyway, which is not a million miles away in terms of course).

Original poster

buffbuff2020 · 05/10/2021 16:17

Thanks guys, all helpful responses on the basis of which I'm telling my boy to go for it!

OP posts:

Malbecfan · 05/10/2021 17:17

Teacher & mum here. DD2's head of year & Maths teacher refused to predict her an A in Maths unless she dropped Politics A level. DD loved Politics and it was her "done for enjoyment" subject so was devastated and felt that she was being blackmailed.

I emailed her form tutor, coincidentally head of Maths & a friend & blind-copied the Head in. The Head went mad; he called me in and said that he was really angry that this was happening. The HoY was blocked & grudgingly put her prediction up to an A. DD had the last laugh as she actually got an A*. He missed teaching a chunk of the syllabus which she only realised the day before and another teacher kindly went over it with her - there were 15 marks on it on the paper. I avoid the bloke like the plague now

Malbecfan · 05/10/2021 17:17

*not blocked but B o l l o c k e d

CraftyGin · 05/10/2021 17:26

If the teacher's prediction is a B, that is likely the grade in the offer. If the teacher's prediction is an A, then that will be the offer grade.

The university may offer him on their standard tariff, and he just needs to make that grade.

My advice is to go with the teacher.

titchy · 05/10/2021 17:28

@CraftyGin

If the teacher's prediction is a B, that is likely the grade in the offer. If the teacher's prediction is an A, then that will be the offer grade.

The university may offer him on their standard tariff, and he just needs to make that grade.

My advice is to go with the teacher.

Unlikely. Most unis make their standard offer regardless pretty much of predicted grades.

Gladioli23 · 05/10/2021 18:33

@Malbecfan

I had similar with my teachers refusing to predict A*s for me - because we hadn't done the A level syllabus so they didn't know how I'd do (?), and I'd only been there a year (previous school had no sixth form). I get predictions are a pain, but the problem there was predictions existing, not me. I do understand it in some circumstances but I hadn't got less than about 95% in any of my AS levels, and that had included self teaching maths so I could squeeze it into 1.3 years and therefore fit 5 full a levels in plus general studies.

I think I did negotiate them up in the end but they were really quite difficult about it. As it was I got 6 A*s so the whole thing was a farcical waste of time, but at the time I was worried it would cost me interviews/offers.

I wouldn't enjoy doing the predictions of there are consequences for them being wrong though. I think the presenting of the reasoning why the prediction is wrong feels like the best plan to me.

GoWalkabout · 05/10/2021 18:38

I don't understand why schools now let student choose their predictions really (well our school does). It seems to rather undermine the system which I suppose is a racket and unfair anyway and due for an overhaul.

Flowersintheattic2021 · 05/10/2021 19:01

What is he intending to pursue a career in. Is this a valuable uni course.

FlyingPandas · 06/10/2021 08:47

OP it’s possibly worth contacting the admissions director for history specifically (not just the general admissions one listed on UCAS) and asking their opinion.

We went to an open day last weekend and during the subject talk (psychology in DS’s case) the admissions requirements were outlined, but the course director also stressed that the university ‘are aware that you have not had a typical GCSE and A level experience’ and that contextual offers would be considered with some potential flexibility in the grades accepted.

Obviously that’s for a different university and subject but I wouldn’t be surprised if quite a few unis take this approach (outside of the top RGS and Oxbridge obviously). It’s worth asking the question at least - worst the course admissions director can do is say no.

TizerorFizz · 06/10/2021 09:10

Can I put a slight spanner in the works? Is he already an Arabic speaker? Or is he starting from scratch? If the latter with no MFL A level, or proven language aptitude at a high level, Arabic could be very challenging for him. Does the Welsh bacc prepare well enough?

As for @Flowersintheattic2021 - words fail me! Should we ban academic courses because they are not strictly vocational? History grads can do plenty of jobs - and do.

Original poster

buffbuff2020 · 06/10/2021 10:30

He can read arabic as we are muslim so learn to read phonetically. We're a multilingual household, sadly not arabic speakers though

OP posts:

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