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Higher education

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Original poster

Ds didn't see 5 questions on maths paper 1 and has missed his A by 7 marks. What would you do?

190 replies

AguaSinGas · 19/08/2023 10:19

Ds thought he'd reached the end of the paper at Q10. There were 5 more questions. I contacted school as soon as he got home (he realised when he overheard students in the bus talking about questions he hadn't seen). School checked immediately that he didn't have a faulty paper. He didn't.

We knew his A star was lost, but remained hopeful for a A (based on conversations with his maths department who said that even if the grade boundary shifted upwards by 5 points, which was their feeling it could do, he could scrape the A. The boundary went up by 10 points. Had their boundary prediction been correct, he would have indeed just scraped the A)

He has lost his uni place as the A in maths was a hard line.

He got 3As. And a B in maths.

His marks per paper breakdown are:
Paper 1: 55/100
Paper 2: 65/100
Paper 3 69/100

Raw score 189, A boundary 196.

He can: apply to see his scripts. Or ask for a review. Or move on.

He's spoken to the uni, who have said no based on the B. He wants to retake the maths and reapply for 2024.

But we've been discussing whether we should get the scripts and just see if those 7 marks could be found in a review. We know 7 marks is a lot to find in a review.

We found out on results day that the school applied for special consideration but it was rejected by the exam board. We didn't know they'd done that.

What would you do?

OP posts:
GinForBreakfast · 05/06/2024 06:59

So glad you updated OP, your son sounds amazing. I'm going through a similar dream crushing moment right now with my teen (although not all hope is lost yet!) so this thread has been so relevant.

ColinTheGenderMinotaur · 05/06/2024 09:57

Great update!

sounds like your DS learned a lot over the past year, he’ll be so much better equipped to excel at uni having already overcome a setback.

Update in another 3 years please?

Original poster
AguaSinGas · 05/06/2024 15:47

When I initially posted, I did tell ds about it, because it was quite (weirdly) identifiable. He was happy for me to post and enjoyed reading it.

I told him how lovely you'd all been after I updated and he asked me to send the thread to him (again) so he could read it.

Waves to ds! And double checks I'm on a namechange so he can't see any of my other posts!

@ColinTheGenderMinotaur maybe this is the kind of thread I will come back to and update periodically. I feel like there's a lot of you rooting for Ds, which is really lovely!

OP posts:
Angrymum22 · 05/06/2024 16:16

I think their year drew the short straw, cancelled GCSE’s and a return to 2019 grade boundaries has probably had a lasting effect.
DS is still waiting for them to pull the rug from under the him again.
It’s has been an exceptional year for DS’s cohort. As a year they produced the best Alevel results to date. He was at an academically selective school and they increased the entry requirements in both yr7 and later in yr12. So they were always expected to do well.
It is very telling that over 30% of them have either taken a gap yr before applying or have deferred.
He has just confirmed the Sports course, as the OP suggested he can always do an MSC in Business if he wants. I did suggest Loughborough for a dual honours course but he really didn’t like Loughborough.
The data analysis & performance side of the course are transferable skills, and since they are applied to real life performance throughout the course then are better than theoretical learning in Business management.

I am just so happy that he has decided to go away. I loved uni and he will too, he has a natural gregariousness without being pushy. He makes friends easily and is a caring and empathic young man. He will never leave anyone behind and is happy to look after a friend who has had too much to drink. He also lives rugby so I’m sure will fit right in in Wales.

TheBunyip · 05/06/2024 17:06

Lovely update. And I’ve worked with / consulted with umpteen PwC people and each has, without exception, been a massive twat. So every cloud…

Original poster
AguaSinGas · 05/06/2024 17:25

TheBunyip · 05/06/2024 17:06

Lovely update. And I’ve worked with / consulted with umpteen PwC people and each has, without exception, been a massive twat. So every cloud…

If he is reading this, this is going to make him laugh! Possibly on the bus home! Brilliant.

OP posts:
Original poster
AguaSinGas · 05/06/2024 17:31

Angrymum22 · 05/06/2024 16:16

I think their year drew the short straw, cancelled GCSE’s and a return to 2019 grade boundaries has probably had a lasting effect.
DS is still waiting for them to pull the rug from under the him again.
It’s has been an exceptional year for DS’s cohort. As a year they produced the best Alevel results to date. He was at an academically selective school and they increased the entry requirements in both yr7 and later in yr12. So they were always expected to do well.
It is very telling that over 30% of them have either taken a gap yr before applying or have deferred.
He has just confirmed the Sports course, as the OP suggested he can always do an MSC in Business if he wants. I did suggest Loughborough for a dual honours course but he really didn’t like Loughborough.
The data analysis & performance side of the course are transferable skills, and since they are applied to real life performance throughout the course then are better than theoretical learning in Business management.

I am just so happy that he has decided to go away. I loved uni and he will too, he has a natural gregariousness without being pushy. He makes friends easily and is a caring and empathic young man. He will never leave anyone behind and is happy to look after a friend who has had too much to drink. He also lives rugby so I’m sure will fit right in in Wales.

Edited

Oh wow, the circumstances sound very similar, similar school and cohort stats.

Lock downs and covid really hit this year hard, I agree. They were what, 14/15 and stuck inside. I'm sure it really stunted their social development. And then the gcses being TAG. The exam that this happened in was his first ever experience of a formal exam. It was his first A level!

He has a younger brother who was in year 2 when they locked down. I can barely see the effects on him, academically or socially. Obviously I know this won't be the case for every year 2 kid and I'm sure other school years have felt the affects, right up to uni students trapped in their accommodation, only having virtual lessons and still accruing all that debt. But I do agree, that our sons' years were definitely negatively affected.

Anyway, I am pleased that your son has a plan and one that seems right for him. You just want them to be fulfilled and happy, if possible, don't you?

OP posts:
FrenchandSaunders · 05/06/2024 17:32

Lovely update OP. He sounds awesome. And I hope this gives hope to DCs and parents going through exams at the moment. Things often happen for a reason.

Ariela · 05/06/2024 17:55

Lovely update. FWIW I didn't go to uni straight from school, and it was the best thing for me.

Lassi · 05/06/2024 19:01

What a great story and what a great lad you have. He will love Liverpool University and they will be lucky to have him.

Haggardandhungry · 05/06/2024 19:25

Thanks for updating. Your son sounds wonderful and I'm so pleased things have worked out so well for him. I'm sure he'll have the best time in Liverpool.

Exasperatednow · 05/06/2024 20:35

Your son sounds really inspiring. My ds is doing his A levels now and I'm keeping this thread yobtalk yo him about. He is planning a year out and wants to think through jis options- possibly change direction. Think this will really help him.

Yarsvi · 05/06/2024 22:06

My son missed out on his place at Cambridge 11 years ago by making exactly the same mistake. He is now flying very high with an excellent job he really enjoys. He's living with his equally high flying and lovely girlfriend and they've almost managed to reach their target for a healthy-sized house deposit. He was initially very disappointed but took it on the chin and has never looked back!

Original poster
AguaSinGas · 15/08/2024 08:58

AguaSinGas · 04/06/2024 19:22

I thought I'd give you all an update, if you're interested.

Ds has been working full time all year and loving it. He's had a pay rise, he manages a team, has taken professional qualifications and has impressed his bosses. So much so that they want him to continue working for them while he's at uni, remotely.

Ds hasn't done his maths resit although he was booked in to do it. He didn't get through to the the degree apprenticeship this time round and was knocked out at the last round this time.

He applied to more (and different) unis this time round. Liverpool uni gave him an unconditional offer. So he accepted. No need to resit maths. And he's super excited about the course - and Liverpool.

He has really matured too. A pleasure to have around. On reflection, I think he's still pissed off with himself, pissed off about the PWC opportunity being lost and pissed off he didn't get through the second time. BUT he can see how true it was that it wasn't the end of the world. He's come out the other side having learned so much (how to deal with a lazy colleague; how to negotiate a pay rise; how rubbish the commute is; about hr processes; about working for an international company; how to cook; how to budget; how knackering it is working a full week with commute and how precious free time is; how expensive bus passes are; how much he misses half term; how quickly you put a bit of weight on if your mom doesn't drive you to hockey every week even if you didn't want to go; the list really does go on) and feeling really, really ready for uni.

So there it is.

I just wanted to bump this thread in case it helps anyone else on what can be a difficult day.

Ds is off to Liverpool in September, he's had a fantastic gap year, is over the initial disappointment and agrees that one year on, everything feels so different. He really thought his life was over. And now he can chuckle about it, and ruefully admits that it all turned out rather well. But boy, was he gutted.

There is hope.

OP posts:
WinterAconite · 15/08/2024 09:03

AguaSinGas · 19/08/2023 10:26

He has indeed learned a lesson in exam technique.

He won't go to uni this year. If there's nothing we can do about this, he will resit and reapply. He's certain of that.

Hope he has a great time at Liverpool. Good place to go for uni

ColinTheGenderMinotaur · 15/08/2024 10:07

So lovely to see this update!

All the best to your lovely boy as he starts the next phase of his life 🍀

(I moved SE to NW about 15 years ago and it was the best decision I ever made)

Arconialiving · 20/08/2024 11:24

So pleased to read this Op & all the best to him at Liverpool.

I still remember so clearly the crushing disappointment i felt when I didn't get the A-levels I needed & honestly thought my life was over. However it's all worked out brilliantly for me and did make me realise that even in the darkest moments, things will be ok.

mirabella99 · 21/08/2024 12:47

rachelagain · 19/08/2023 10:45

If you can afford the re-mark, I'd do that, just in case.
My DS missed out on his first choice uni place last year by getting a B in one subject when he needed an A. He was v upset and after talking to his tutors we ended up getting the whole subject re-marked. A week later his B had gone up to an A, picking up 7 marks. He went to his first choice uni and has had a brilliant first year.
So I'd say it's worth a shot, while planning for other options of course. Sympathy to him and you - that was a LONG week last year, and it's awful when they don't feel they can celebrate their results at all.

Can you tell me what subject this was in? My ds was 7 marks off an A in a language . Wondering whether to get remarked.

CappuccinoChocolate · 24/08/2024 08:02

RunnerDown · 19/08/2023 10:35

This will feel pretty devastating just now. My youngest ds made a bad choice for his first course at uni . He dropped out at the end of the first term and re-applied for alternative courses. He was 19 when he restarted and the extra years maturity made a big difference. ( it’s not just me saying that- my son told me that he feels he got better results than he would have if he started earlier) He worked before starting his second course and had a bit more money too.
Your son will have learned a valuable lesson too.

Same here...that year out made an amazing difference.

Little solace I know.

CappuccinoChocolate · 24/08/2024 08:13

CappuccinoChocolate · 24/08/2024 08:02

Same here...that year out made an amazing difference.

Little solace I know.

Show quote history

But just read all the thread and amazing updates!
Good luck for Liverpool

namenamification · 24/08/2024 08:35

I’m just read the full thread. Fantastic well done to your DS, and to you for supporting him.

I just wanted to say, I manage degree apprentices at another of the big 4. I would quite literally walk through fire for my kids NOT to join the scheme.

For so many of the kids it is a truly awful experience and can destroy them. He may well have had a lucky escape.

PersilPower · 24/08/2024 08:35

I missed your posts last year, but wanted to say congratulations to you and your DS for persevering. In fact, it’s a great narrative for resilience and commitment in any future job interviews!

Original poster
AguaSinGas · 24/08/2024 12:47

namenamification · 24/08/2024 08:35

I’m just read the full thread. Fantastic well done to your DS, and to you for supporting him.

I just wanted to say, I manage degree apprentices at another of the big 4. I would quite literally walk through fire for my kids NOT to join the scheme.

For so many of the kids it is a truly awful experience and can destroy them. He may well have had a lucky escape.

This is very interesting, thanks for the insight. You're not the first person to have said something similar, either.

He is looking forward to university life and I don't think it's a bad thing that he won't have the added pressure that the apprenticeship would have put on him.

Of course, at the time, he didn't feel like this! So I thought it would be useful to bump the thread with the update so any other people going through something similar could have some hope.

OP posts:
Oblomov24 · 24/08/2024 18:35

What a shame. He missed one page of questions. Not unheard of.

Hillarious · 25/08/2024 22:43

My son missed his offer from Birmingham by one grade so went to Leeds instead. He represented Leeds uni at BUCS in his relatively niche sport, where Birmingham also fielded a team. We both went to check out the Birmingham team to see who his friends quite realistically would have been. We decided he was quite happy with the Leeds crowd, but were also sure the Birmingham crowd would have been very nice too. All about a positive attitude and making the most of what life serves up to you. Well done and good luck to your son.