Countdown to A level results day - 2023

[HereWeGo2023]

Following on from the A level support thread I thought I would create one for results day.
Hopefully you will all join me for the long nail biting wait and the big day at the end of it!

Love the hoodie idea too but definitely not right for us as she is 90% sure she has missed her firm and her insurance....

We have just got back from holiday so we will see how the next few weeks pan out. A potential boyfriend on the horizon, which might be a great distraction if it materialises!

I do remember calling the university on results day even though I had exceeded the offer. I just needed to be sure it was real! My friend was staying with me and had to phone her mum the next day/day after to have them read down the phone to her! How could she stand it?!

DD1 update, still no results on her final 3 modules for year 3, however department has agreed that because shes got 33% unmarked and that shes got into the 2:1 bracket without the unmarked modules, shes qualified for 4th year regardless.

She had picked her masters project already, got her 4th year accommodation sorted last year and it was all hanging in the balance for months. Its such a relief for DD and us as she can now spend 4th year enjoying her final year with her friends in Lancaster.
DD2 coming home from BF tomorrow after spending 4 weeks with him and the family. Im sure she will miss him, but she does have her cat that adores her and she cant wait to see her again :)

Looks like 2023 IB grade boundaries fell from 2019 levels, between 2 and 7 points per subject. This is from TSR:

Gosh those grade boundaries in 2019 were high.

These are the boundaries for grade 7, the IB equivalent of A*. To accommodate the same percentage of top grades this year, boundaries have dropped. It will be interesting to see if thr same happens to A Levels.

Those grade boundaries look encouraging, hope all the DC take heart from that info.

And, even with the IB lowering grade boundaries, both nationally and internationally IB grades fell by about (iirc) 1.5 points overall.
The number of 45s (the perfect IB score) also fell.

Yes, exactly. The 2023 cohort went through two years of disrupted education during the pandemic, albeit not in 6th form. The 2019 cohort had a full 13 years course of uninterrupted education.

Yes, it’ll be interesting to see if that’s replicated with A level grades.

My Dd doing this too at Kingston - hopefully Which uni is first choice?

It's Chichester - the course has just been graded as Outstanding by Ofsted as well - only three others in England have that grading - so I think that makes it even more sought after unfortunately.

We have fairly successfully put the exams and thoughts of results day out of our minds for the time being. DD is working several shifts a week in the gastro pub conveniently located just opposite our house and she's been out and about seeing friends and seems like a different person with the weight of revision and exams lifted from her shoulders.

She also received a lovely card from one of the unis she applied for (but didn't pick in the end) saying that if she doesn't make the grades for her first choices on results day then they would love to offer her a place and giving her a special hotline number to phone if she needs it (separate from the normal clearing phone number). I'm sure they sent out lots of the cards to students who hadn't accepted their offers, but DD was really pleased to receive it and we thought it was a nice touch.

That is a nice touch, @Guinefort, that must have been very reassuring for her.

@Guinefort that IS a nice touch and well done to your DD!

We will be spending the day after results day (or hangover depending, the day after!) going through the boxes of uni stuff her sister brought back home to see what is usual (and up to her exacting standards!)
Stuff we need to replace we will buy.
Stuff she wants to replace for aesthetic reasons she can buy.

Useful not usual!

Just received info from firmed university about their digital systems, everything running through an app, timetable, reading materials, finance etc, including attendance monitoring. So you have to scan in with a smartphone on each session. (What happened to lanyards?!). My DD loses every smartphone she gets. Am dreading tithe fact she'll have to completely rely on one! Anyone got any thoughts about what model, what plan, whether it is worth getting insurance or just preparing to replace as and when.

And while I know they are meant to be adults now (though my DD has not had half the experience of independence I had at her age a million years ago), do you think it is possible to shadow her on the app, in case she needs help with stuff?

We are both with tesco mobile. It works and if you put both phones on same account you can see them online. It is kind of convenient as the tesco mobile shop is nearby in supermarket.

DD touch wood doesn't lose phones much anymore, I've been down insurance route and really given the faff of claiming - it makes more sense just to get another phone and an upgrade. With Tesco mobile you can get an upgrade sent fast to your dd in her digs. (or get it sent directly to yourself and take it there).

I have a spare phone on tesco account just in case either of us lose our phone. Peace of mind.

Yes, ideally they want their own phone contract but I think we are staying with tesco mobile for now as there is so much to do with uni still - in the run up to going - there, I have said that 'if it ain't broken, don't fix it'....once she has settled in she can get her own if she wants. She is not eighteen yet which makes such things akward anyway. Good luck

@felissamy - re tracking your DD by phone:

1. Is she OK with that ?

1. What do you do if she's somewhere you don't think she should be, e.g. Still in her room when she's supposed to have a lecture, or in someone else's room and not her own at 7am ?

I think @felissamy is talking about having access to the uni app so that she can help her DD with the admin if necessary? (Sorry if this is the wrong end of the stick.)

I did this with DS, not through design, just because I had to help him set everything up and so had his passwords. In the end he was fine but it was a good safety net. (I didn't download the app but had access to timetables etc if I logged into the website.) I think you need to see what she thinks though. I'm sure there would be a way to do this if she agrees it's a good idea.

Also fwiw DS broke his phone within about 2 weeks of getting there, but could still access everything he needed on the website using his laptop.

OK @pintery - I maybe got the wrong end of the stick there. My apologies @felissamy if that is the case.

I might equally be wrong @lastdayatschool!

Yes, I don't want to track her, but as I am a lecturer and as her DM also know she might struggle with uploading assignments, downloading timetable etc. I guess I could just make sure she doesn't screw things up, but I don't want to micromanage and I am also very happy she is going about 400 miles away to study!

When she has lost phones before can’t you see their location on find friends/ find my iPhone / life 360? Something like that may be handy not to track her but to find lost phones.

my dc (18 and 20) have never lost a phone so maybe I’m not in the best position to give advice. I do think however that if a lost phone is just replaced by parents then there is little motivation to not lose them. Why is she losing phones? Maybe address that initially.

The majority of stuff like uploading assignments will be done through laptops etc anyway on the Uni portal.

regarding mirroring her Uni log ins on your device I would say no. The way she will gain mastery at these things is by doing them. Talk about what to do if she has problems - ask a flatmates / speak to pastoral staff etc. If she is going to need additional support maybe encourage / help her to make contact with pastoral department and establish this prior to getting to Uni?