A Levels 2023 - Results Day & Beyond: Part 2

[SlightlyJaded]

The previous post is filling up and as i seem to be one of the few still in limbo, I thought I'd start a new thread.

A place to discuss 2023 A level results and navigate our way through clearing/frustrations/questions and anything else.

Previous thread here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/4873934-a-levels-2023-results-day-and-beyond?page=10&reply=128536278

Waiting till the old thread fills up before we hop over here.

Yes, that's correct @SlightlyJaded
If ds can get that B then he can get onto the course. We know it's a long shot but worth a go. He was predicted an A for that too so his results were a bit of a shock.

Good luck! Let's hope this week brings some good news.

@UnfunnyJester Yes - we had a shock too (I filled the other thread with it!). DD predicted A* AA - and based on mocks and general performance, this seemed entirely reasonable. She got.... CCD. Absolutely distraught. I've filled the first thread with updates and we are still in limbo so I won't repeat everything, but you have my full sympathy - as does your DS. It's just the shittest.

Even if she does bump up to a B, it's small consolation. I've requested all scripts just so she can try to get her head around what happened.

@SlightlyJaded sympathies for you and your Dd too. It's a very similar story here.
Poor them. So sad to see how crushed and disappointed ds was from being nervously excited to the whole run up.

I've heard recalls are pretty quick so I hope we get them in the next few days. 🤞

DS also got lower than expected, the main one is OCR PE where he was consistently getting A star and he ended up with a B. Although a B is brilliant, it’s the subject he is doing at Uni and now he is completely doubting his ability. His plan was if he got the grades he expected he was taking a Gap year and trying Loughborough again but that won’t happen now. He is in Birmingham as that offer was ABB but he isn’t sure he wants to go.
He also has an offer until 4pm today from UEA for a similar course which is our local Uni, we are 40 minutes away. I have to say despite my reservations they have been utterly amazing. Very helpful and understanding about the fact this is a huge decision to completely change location and direction. I know you mentioned UEA for your daughter, it really is a lovely Uni.

@SlightlyJaded Her boyfriend is Leeds and her best friend Manchester - so big influence there which I get, but still...? I think this is probably a big factor for her, and travelling between Norwich to Leeds/Manchester to see her friends would be a nightmare.

When I went to uni, and still now, there seems to be a lot of pressure to break ties with old friends/boyfriends/girlfriends, but I went to a different uni to my boyfriend and the homesickness combined with not being with him spiralled me into a massive depression, and I ended up having to come home and start again at a uni nearer home. The worst year of my life.

My DD and her boyfriend (who is lovely) have ended up going to the same uni (not really planned), and although I didn't encourage it, I'm not going to discourage it either. I just think it's weird that if they didn't go to uni and just stayed home, no one would bat an eyelid about them staying together, and possibly moving in with each other fairly soon, but when bf/gf go to the same uni city, it seems to be almost frowned upon, and I really don't see what the issue is. Yes, they might split up, but so what? It's no different to if they'd both stayed in their home town, it's just they'd be splitting up living in a different city.

Yes, I can totally understand discouraging boyfriends/girlfriends going to the same place if the course clearly isn't right for one of them,or if one is putting pressure on the other to do so, or if one would miss out on an amazing opportunity (eg. one gets into oxbridge, other one doesn't) but for my DD, the courses they've each chosen and city are perfect for both her and boyfriend, so I really can't see the problem, and they'll both settle in easier, and I feel a lot less nervous about her going, knowing she's with the person she loves.

@NotDonna - just popping on to say we are in the same boat so I completely empathise.my Dd missed her first choice by a grade and has not got her place. Some of her friends missed their first choice by 3 grades and offers were still honoured. It's very disheartening.

Anyone got any experience of EPQ? Ds missed his firm offer for Cambridge which also included a pass for his epq. They has said they’d still consider him if he didn’t get the grades but he was one lower in each subject. AAB rather than 2 A star A. I think going somewhere less full on is probably better for him and he’s ok about it. Anyway I went into his room and found his papers and he got a U for his EPQ!! He’s away with friends so I don’t want to message him but I’m really shocked and don’t understand what happened. I know he’s quite disorganised and was resistant to talking to me about it and wouldn’t let me read it (I’m a teacher) but he was talking about referencing and showed me a bit of his presentation so I thought he’d completed it and would get a few marks. It says he got 17. I’ve never heard anything from school about any problems - don’t they know the score before?
he’s home later so I’ll talk to him obviously but if anyone has experience/insight with EPQ I’d be grateful. I’m worrying about his ability to do coursework.

EPQ sounds "interesting" this year. Lots at school got full marks, moderated blind by at least 4 experienced in EPQ teachers across 2 schools. School only ever had 1 person downgraded by a few marks in over 10 years... yet this year every single person dropped across the board by around 8 marks. They walked in thinking they were guaranteed an A or A* etc as knew the marks in advance if results day, yet everyone was at least a grade lower...

Actually it seemed that way for the history coursework too.... and it genuinely wasn't an overprediction on the grades or poor marking by the teachers, if anything, they had been strict over the 2 year courses.

Also yes to the fact that nit every uni is letting people in if they slip by one grade, even if other grades could be seen to compensate

DS had 3 x A star predictions (which we thought were too high) and got ABB on Thursday.

He needed AStar AA or AAB to do Computer Science and was rejected by both. He was totally gutted. He really though he had nailed the exams.
He was fab on Thursday though and picked himself up and got a place at Surrey through clearing by 9 am. Has got a halls place as well. In a lot of ways it is a lot better for him than than his two choices (nearer, friends going, cheaper halls, nicer town) but by god Thursday was devastating for him.
I hope everyone gets good resolutions to their situations. In the end the clearing worked well for him but it was a stressful weekend waiting for it all to go through. Have been impressed with Surrey so far very professional clearing process the only other one he phoned (Swansea) had the most incompetent person I have ever heard on a call centre.

Can't believe so many of us are still navigating through these tough and complicated times.
Ds still hasn't had the no we're expecting from his degree apprenticeship, hopefully we'll hear today.
He's secured a place at Nottingham Trent now which is local to us and he's getting excited about the course.
The problem I have is the student finance. Has anyone applied recently? I was wondering how long it might take? I feel I can't apply for it until we know for definite about the apprenticeship as I'm assuming once the process is started it can't be stopped?

@aleC4 One of my dd’s friends applied on Results day, having decided they didn’t want a gap year after all. They’ve already had confirmation (Friday?) that they can have some funding. So I think it’s a very quick turnaround, if you have the info you need to hand.

@abterol thank you for that perspective. I just worry that her uni experience will be more insular if she is with her boyfriend. She is less likely to make new friends and socialise.

She really could do with a bit of a fresh start from a social pov. Apart from the two friends who will be at Uni of Man and Uni of Leeds, she doesn't really have a 'group'. And this could be an opportunity to find her people. That's my main worry. And of course of relationship goes fits up, they are in each others face the whole time.

Let's see what today brings.

UEA was my daughter's insurance.

Lots of tears when she didn’t get her firm but shes come round and now looking forward to UEA.

I’ve been so impressed with them last week, accommodation sorted and its lovely.

I loved the campus community feel when we visited for the offer holders day and have heard really good things about the medical school.

Off to Dunelm and Matalan today to get her kitted out.

We are in a similar position for dd.

Her finance was approved for her firm. She got her insurance.

You need to logon to sfe account. Change university and course to the new one.

Dd’s has already been approved for the new institution.

Hope that helps.

I’m even more impressed, the head of the course (not correct terminology but hope you get what I mean!) is currently on the phone to him. She just called up to discuss the course with him and see if there is anything they can do to help.

Hi, my son was doing A levels. He was interested in Architecture, Maths and product designing. He has natural interest and talent in Art and crafts which support him to do good in his subjects.
the first year went nice with A and B. His teacher wasn’t competent in some softwares so he was supporting her. But then she turned against him and start stressing him on little little things.
Architect and product design teachers are friends. The both subject teachers were not supporting students well. Unrealistic deadlines given.
Also they ring me often to include my son is not making progress, he wasting time .
also they were forcing me to ask my son to follow teachers plans rather than his own. But teachers dates of submitting work were not suitable to my child’s learning.
Any way I force my son to follow his teachers. And results were so bad.
but still my son has ability to draw, design and ability to make physical model.
when every one was doing exam in May, these two teachers decided to finish their year in end of April. No support given to make any essays.
All students were struggling badly but heartless Teachers doesn’t bothered any thing.
even not bothered to help in U cas application.
All last year I had a fight with college to support kids but they only blamed my child.
My son couldn’t took pressure and left Maths subject. But we requested college to change his maths to another single BTEC. The person who was responsible to change BTEC last minute left his job. And many children left behind with no third subject. College ignored this issue and requested me to take my child some where else duo to funding.
but I knew he worked so hard in Architect and product designs. So I refused the offer.
For funding they still kept my sons name in Maths but my son never attended Maths lessons.

any way now my son got C grades in both subjects. Which is unacceptable as C grade is for those who just has capability. But my son has more capability than this. He was framed for this because of personal grudge.
now my son doesn’t want to go any near to school college. Even though he is not agree to send his siblings in schools and college but to do home schooling.
I believe same ! Why we send our children to school and college? So their natural interest been shattered by stupid and rude teachers?
it was far more better if we did home school to my son. My son is very good child and thriving for his future. But now he is not interested.
I tried my best to speak to college but their staff is very talented to handle parents and put all blamed on students rather than their staff.
my son is crying and in stress. Again and again saying mum I wasn’t that much bad.
I don’t know how to write complain and if I write the other side is professionally trained to handle complains. I will look stupid at the end and more pressure for my son.
I don’t know what to do.
even the college is clearly responsible for my son’s third subject.
I don’t know what to do. Where to go.
my son’s precious two years been wasted.

I can’t fault them.

The accommodation they offered my daughter is lovely too.

Hope the chat with your dc is productive x

It really was, he was on the phone for over half an hour. They’ve extended the offer for another day but I think he is pretty certain that he is going to go. It may not be exactly the course he wanted but I think he will thrive in a smaller environment tbh.

Oh and how does the accommodation work? He has already picked a specific flat at Birmingham and paid the deposit so he’ll lose that. Do you get a choice at UEA?
He could actually commute tbh as we are 40 mins away but I’d like him to have the full uni experience as much as possible!

This happened to my dd with her epq and her history course work. Both down grades from an A to a B. The college said they’ve never had it happen before as they always mark harshly to ensure it doesn’t, but it happened to several students this year.

I don’t know what’s going on with this years results. Just seems so unfair on them.

Once you accept the place, they email you a link and you apply and its turned around v quickly.

They also have an accomodation chat facility on their website.

I know the village accomm is full but lots still onsite. The costs are far more reasonable than our first choice.

The sports facilities look amazing too.

Happy to provide email for accom lady and contact details / building my dd is in via pm if needed

It's not fair is it? He should have had A star in both and has lost a place. history teacher has seen the script and says there are lots of comments he doesn't agree with - think they will go woth a full review of cohort across EPQ and history but son still waiting for a remark on another paper to see if can address which Uni they can go to. Seems to be lots of issues with essay subjects, psychology in particular

That would be really helpful, thank you!

He’d booked Chamberlain at Birmingham which was really expensive so any saving would be a bonus!