Page 28 | A levels 2023 - Results day and beyond

HereWeGo2023 · 2023-08-17T05:47:35+00:00

Hi all. I thought I’d make a new thread as the countdown one is filling up. Results day is here and I’m sure we will all value each others support, today and for the next stage of their journeys.

stilldumdedumming · 18/08/2023 07:57

@Itisadifficulttime and @aleC4 good luck to them both and all others still wrangling with this. Honestly I'm sure it doesn't have to be this frantic. Leaving some people in a mess.

FutureThroughLensOfThePast · 18/08/2023 08:00

stilldumdedumming · 18/08/2023 07:33

The admin gods need to be with ds today. His firm is still not able to see his results and he's in danger of missing out on his place. It's an unbelievably crap system. Especially when he has clearing offers based on what he is telling other universities.

Poor lad got up at 4 to travel to a uni that's offered him a place in clearing when the firm should still be ok. He will have to get off the train and ring his firm as soon as their lines are open in the hope that they can now see his grades and confirm his place. He's very resilient and was ok through it all yesterday but I've just spoken to him and he's seriously demoralised. Fingers crossed for today to resolve it.

Like many here, your DS is showing tenacity and resourcefulness that will stand him in good stead wherever he ends up studying.

Tableaufox · 18/08/2023 08:02

My DH marked papers for Maths, the main exam board. Over 20 people mark each paper and you only mark a type of question and dependent on how long you’ve been marking for, depends on the level of question you mark (E.g. 1/2 markers by a first year etc)

DH and his colleagues when at school can spend an hour debating over 1 mark being allowed or not, so even in a more clear cut subject like Maths, it’s easy to see how grades can change (both up or down). Anyone “blindsided” by their results, especially in more Humanities subject, should go for remarks.

LighthouseCat · 18/08/2023 08:04

@Itisadifficulttime I'm so sorry for your DD 😞

OhBeAFineGuyKissMe · 18/08/2023 08:08

Itisadifficulttime · 18/08/2023 07:53

Similar here.
A* prediction throughout.
Got DDCC.
Didn't get insurance.

DD is broken. Hasn't come out of her room since yesterday morning.

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I'm sorry your DDs results are do much lower than expected. It is probably worth asking the school to review her papers. Not to look for a marking (not a remark) but so she can understand what went wrong. If the teachers agree a debrief might be a good idea.

Where to go now:
Take a gap year and resit the exams (might need to be an external candidate)
Look at clearing
Take some time and rethink her options

A level results (good or bad) do not define you.

Itisadifficulttime · 18/08/2023 08:09

Silverballet · 17/08/2023 10:04

This was me a long (long) time ago. A level results day was one of the worst days of my life, at the time. It was hard to see friends celebrating about going off to uni too whilst I enrolled at a different local college to do resits. I felt like a failure and like I'd never get back on track.

However, many positives followed. I enjoyed my resit year, made loads of new friends at the new college, also people who were previously just acquaintances from my old 6th form, but hadn't gone straight to uni like me became really good friends too. We sort of banded together.

I did well in my resits and had a much better choice of options. By then, the uni I had previously set my heart on I wasn't so keen on any more, having seen it up close when visiting friends who'd started there whilst I was doing resits. I chose a completely different uni to the one I originally thought I wanted and had an absolute blast, the perfect uni experience from start to finish. It all turned out great in the end, but on the original A level results day, it was as if the sky had fallen in. Just to offer hope that things can turn out OK in the end.

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Thanks for writing this. Really positive and helpful.

I have been wondering what next. What do we do etc.

Itisadifficulttime · 18/08/2023 08:12

OhBeAFineGuyKissMe · 18/08/2023 08:08

I'm sorry your DDs results are do much lower than expected. It is probably worth asking the school to review her papers. Not to look for a marking (not a remark) but so she can understand what went wrong. If the teachers agree a debrief might be a good idea.

Where to go now:
Take a gap year and resit the exams (might need to be an external candidate)
Look at clearing
Take some time and rethink her options

A level results (good or bad) do not define you.

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Thanks @OhBeAFineGuyKissMe , lovely advice.
Is taking a gap year an official thing like having to notify an education board or something? Or just means, not going to uni that year?

tribpot · 18/08/2023 08:15

Best of luck to everyone looking to firm up the next stage today, whatever option that is.

LaDeeDa123 · 18/08/2023 08:15

Lots of love for Leicester on here and quite right too. Can I also throw University of Hull into the mix as a fantastic university which is often overlooked by students so has places in clearing. Like Leicester the university is really attractive but is in an unfashionable city. The teaching however is really solid. I know lots of alumni who have gone on to have stellar careers.

Hoppinggreen · 18/08/2023 08:21

DD looked at Hull, it’s a good Uni and everyone was so friendly on the open day.
They even gave us free pizza!!
A few of my mates went there many years ago and loved it. It’s not seen as a. “Trendy” choice but it’s a nice campus with good teachers - plus accommodation isn’t too expensive

Travelban · 18/08/2023 08:33

InvestedinMFL · 18/08/2023 00:59

So pleased to hear that Portsmouth Applied Languages is mentioned on this thread - it is a great course with long-standing results and a good faculty. As a PP mentioned, it is very distinct course and attracts students who are less inclined towards culture or literature (including a good proportion of v high quality students such as the AAA boy mentioned upthread).

If anyone else missed their MFL offers by far and got CCC or below, do also look at: Nott Trent, Sheffield Hallam, Ox Brookes, Essex, Aberystwyth and Bangor. I’ve missed some for sure but these spring to mind. All good for languages IMHO

Thank you so much for this message, it is very reassuring not just for me but for others looking at alternatives.

On a slightly different note, I was very pleasantly surprised last night when we looked at accommodation as to how much cheaper it is in comparison to others we had been looking at previously. Hopefully this will help with a slightly better quality of life too!

Disconcerto · 18/08/2023 08:43

stilldumdedumming · 18/08/2023 07:55

@Disconcerto I think this is part of the problem. He's an external candidate so he has no school or college. He was very ill during school years and so has been doing gcse and a levels over the last few years. He is a good communicator too and used to advocating for himself. But it's been so unnecessarily hard.

His is the last place on that course, he had 4 phone calls to the uni yesterday and only on the 3rd did he manage to see what the problem was. On the 4th call he spoke to someone who seemed to understand but the relevant faculty staff had gone home. Meanwhile his clearing offers are expiring and places are filling up.

I cannot imagine having to navigate this without a school or college. Reading your posts, I was thinking why isn’t college/school helping???

It is a mad suggestion but would him making a comment on the university and UCAS social media help at all? Without revealing confidential info or criticising anyone. Something about how much he loves the uni, has the grades but the system isn’t confirming it? He really needs an answer from them asap.

What a lot your amazing boy has been through. Good luck. X

Thefatbutteredpig · 18/08/2023 08:44

@SlightlyJaded how are things today?

Our day yesterday wasn't plain sailing but we got there.

Hug your girl tightly, and some 💐💐for you x

HairyMaclary · 18/08/2023 08:51

I hope all those who are still working through clearing today get what they need. It is so hard but I’ve been so impressed with the mature way DS and his friends have approached this. I was also impressed with school who had a room set up for those students with good teachers there to support.

They all slightly spoilt their mature impression by following it up with a pub crawl that got messy but maybe that just shows they are uni ready!

Darkbutstarrynight · 18/08/2023 08:54

Anyone know realistically how long OCR take to do priority remark please? I know it says up to 15 days, but teachers felt it might be 5 days. Not in clearing as such but as in limbo still. Firm will offer the place again if grade goes up.. although has lost accommodation in London now so that would be interesting....got into insurance but again they are holding it, but needs to find out the outcome of the mark before he can progress with them!

PacificState · 18/08/2023 09:11

My friend's son had Hull as first choice right from the start. He had high predictions and on paper might have gone elsewhere but he absolutely had his heart set on it. He's extremely happy to be heading off there next month.

Rooting for all the DC navigating clearing. In the long run it will be a foundational experience but it must be so stressful right now.

WombatChocolate · 18/08/2023 09:13

I’m interested in the level of support people are getting from schools or colleges when they are needing to use Clearing.
Is there someone from from school/college who actively got in touch with you to check you understand the systems and to advise and advocate for you? Were you doing it all yourself?

Like a lot if these things, many parents do t know anything g about Clearing g and do t really look into it and find out until they need it on the day. Those with schools helping them or parents in-the-know can snap up the best available places more quickly. It’s another way some students have more advantages than others. Such a shame. I think it’s a vital moment where schools and colleges need to ensure there are enough informed staff out there helping their students make the final leap and to get what suits them best.

Absolutelynotfornow · 18/08/2023 09:17

As a Mum of a son who 5 years ago was predicted 3A* and his offer was for AAA and he got BBB ,there is hope! He was absolutely gutted and was saying last night that he ranked A-level results day as in his top 3 of shit days in his life ! So as a Mum I really understand how awful and sad some of you are feeling for your kids. He accepted a course at Leeds for a degree that was not exactly Economics but Environment business.
Every cloud has a silver lining and he really enjoyed his degree ,got a first and now has an amazing graduate job in London and off to Vancouver soon to work in the office there.
I really wish all your children the best .X

HappyasLarrynot · 18/08/2023 09:17

@WombatChocolate my daughter declined her firm as she’s decided on a year out (possibly longer). One of her teachers got in touch with her very quickly as they’d been notified that she was going through clearing (she wasn’t) but I was impressed at how quick they were to see if she needed anything. The staff were also brilliant at advising those with lower than predicted grades as to their options - all done remotely as it’s a specialist boarding college.

curaçao · 18/08/2023 09:21

Darkbutstarrynight · 18/08/2023 08:54

Anyone know realistically how long OCR take to do priority remark please? I know it says up to 15 days, but teachers felt it might be 5 days. Not in clearing as such but as in limbo still. Firm will offer the place again if grade goes up.. although has lost accommodation in London now so that would be interesting....got into insurance but again they are holding it, but needs to find out the outcome of the mark before he can progress with them!

In my experience even non priority remarks only take a day or 2

curaçao · 18/08/2023 09:31

LoserWinner · 17/08/2023 22:07

This article is seriously out of date. Ofqual’s rules and guidance have changed since 2015, and exam boards are monitored much more closely. Examiner recruitment is now much more carefully managed, and examiner training and standardising is thorough. There are frequent checks built into the marking software to ensure examiners are meeting the standard set by the lead examiner for the whole marking period. Mistakes do sometimes occur, hence the option to ask for a review of marking, but the standard of examining is now much higher and much more consistent.

Senior examiners do not ‘re-mark’ papers, they only check that the marking is fair and without any clerical errors or mistakes in applying the mark scheme.

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Hmm we had a physics remark on 2019 and it was literally that.we could see tge new narks the senior examiner had given fir each section of each question.Around a third if the question attracted a different mark to the original examiner! He went up a grade
Remarks are expensive and it is yet another way that the poor lose out to the rich

Gulplastonetogo · 18/08/2023 09:34

S2109 · 18/08/2023 05:58

i am new to mumsnet so apologies in advance if i have interrupted a ongoing discussion

my ds did not get the grades to go to Bath for a economics and politics course. A- econ, B- History ( to be remarked to an A) and C in maths. He did have special circumstances as he got taken ill and in hospital for operation before his exams.

We have managed to get Nottingham through clearing for History and Philosophy, which is not what he really wants to do. Lots of his friends in similar situations. However he is looking into CASS/Bayes business school. Advice on if that is a good university, I havent heard much about it, I would rather he goes Nottingham or resits and applies next year. I will not influence his decision but as a mother want him to make sure he knows all options he has

any advice from parents who have hone through a situation like this.

Going to a different uni, such as Nottingham, to do a course he's interested in is one thing. Going to do a totally different course that he's not interested in? - Don't do it.
It risks being 3 years of boredom for him or, worse. DD has friends whose parents found courses for them in clearing and one ended up going despite having zero interest in the course. She failed her first year because she just didn't engage and wasn't motivated because she hated the subject. There will be courses more similar to his original preferences if he really wants to go this year. Pick based on the course not on the reputation of the university.

curaçao · 18/08/2023 09:34

AfingeroffudgeisNOTenough · 17/08/2023 20:48

Just want to say a hearty “hear hear” to the PP’s posts about supportive parents. These young people of ours have a lot to be proud of, but also a lot to be thankful for - supportive schools and supportive parents. So many don’t have either. One of DD’s best friends has VERY hands off parents. I have tried very hard over the years not to judge them, but today I couldn’t bite my tongue anymore. I bumped into the mother at the shops and said to her that she must be delighted with T’s results as he’d done really well (A-star, A,A) and got into his first choice Uni. She shrugged her shoulders and said “I’m sure his grades were good - he seems to have got into his course anyway. Now he’ll need to sort out where he’s living and how he’s going to pay for it. That’s not my job”

(For context, this is a comfortably off, middle class family, dad works full time in a well paid job, and mum stays at home by choice. (so plenty of time to support sons if she so desired). This is not an overworked, overwhelmed, out of their depth family - the parents just don’t care)

I told her that I thought he did amazingly well and was delighted for him, and hoped they would all have fun tonight celebrating. She just shrugged her shoulders again and walked away. He total disinterest made me mad and I really feel for T - I KNOW he feels it hard.

I would have interpreted this as being modest not disinterested!! Not everyone feels it appropriate to brag about their kids, especially when their success speaks fir itself.

TeenDivided · 18/08/2023 09:36

I suspect that with Maths/Physics there is less room for examiner interpretation within the marking scheme than for say English.
So that would effectively mean that a 'review of marking' for maths would effectively be a remark, wouldn't it? Whereas for English if the band was right then things wouldn't change?

Dery · 18/08/2023 09:41

@mizu - hope it’s not poor form to reach out in this way but I’ve got a daughter starting Arabic at Edinburgh too (Arabic and History in her case). Perhaps we could find a way to put them in touch?