Disappointed with A levels. What are the options?

[lovemyboyz247]

If a teen got 3 D’s for his A levels and wants to retake just two of them, is it worth it?

I know the grades are not the best, but I strongly feel that there are other options to consider rather than retakes and of course there is no guarantee that the grades will go up and they will still have the one D for the subject they don’t retake.

Do others agree with me or am I missing something here?

does dc def want to go to uni? In theory upping the grades would open more options but unless they are very mitigating circumstances perhaps uni is not the best choice? Depends what they want to do at the end of the day tho

Depends on what they want better grades for. A foundation year at uni may be a better alternative. On the other hand if they were prepared to retake them all AND put in the work to improve grades then most unis would be happy with that. Finding somewhere that allowed them to do retakes might be a bit more difficult though as there wouldn't be any funding for the college. I do know a few kids that did retakes though, learnt from the error of their ways (not working hard enough...) and got much better grades (Ds to Bs) and places at RG institutions.

They need to look at why they got those grades. Were they predicted higher and was that reasonable - in other words did they not work hard enough (or face other mitigating circs)?
Uni is not for all.

If that was the best they could do then a foundation year may be better, or a job?

otoh if they slacked off and are now prepared to step up, retakes may be the way.

I think if the results are out of line with GCSEs and predicted's then it might be possible to improve especially seeing your other thread that he is under very difficult family circumstances. School might be able to advise. Young carers might be worth getting, a professional can refer and this could help if special circumstances are needed again next year and some unis give a lower offer as well as more support.

https://carers.org/about-caring/about-young-carers#faq-17

I resat in the late 90s. I did okay in 2 of my A-levels but not so well in 1, that was key for me doing the kind of course I wanted (health sciences with an E in Biology). I didn’t get what I needed because it was modular, I’d been ill, especially the first term of my second year of sixth form. I caught up in the other subjects but struggled with the Biology.
I resat the Biology and did a GCSE in a year to make me a full time student. My focus was the Biology and second time around I got the C I needed and went to uni to do the course I wanted. Uni was tough but that’s a different story.
I would say that resitting while all my friends went off to uni/travelling was extremely tough. It took a lot for me to do that and I had to stay motivated.
I agree with pp that he needs to think about why he didn’t achieve the grades he hoped for. Didn’t apply himself? Maybe resit (if he will apply himself this time). Illness? Yes, go for it. Gave it his all but didn’t do well? He needs to think about whether he will achieve anything different second time around.

Thank you all for your replies.

If they were to do a foundation year, can they transfer to another uni to do a degree or do they have to stay at the same uni for everything?

Also, they are under the impression they won't get a descent job with these grades and they are unemployable.

Could they get an office apprenticeship with these grades. They passed their GCSEs but they seem embarrassed by their A levels and trying to correct them, but I feel they are wasting a year and can move forward and progress with the grades they have

If they do a FY at one uni then wanted to continue elsewhere then yes they could apply in the normal way through UCAS. If accepted it would be based on getting a good grade in the FY. Obvs this takes a year of extra loan though.

Tbh repeating year 13 isn't a bad option, neither is doing an FY. In ten years time none of this will matter. It's only a year!

A foundation year with three Ds isn't always an option.
I know where my DD2 has just completed her foundation year would not accept those grades.

It's not a cure all. My daughter just slipped on two grades so was offered foundation but her grades were higher.

I don't think repeating in the same place, in the same way, will be a good option, as they weren't interested or engaged the first time and now their friends will have moved on, making it worse. It's quite common for 18yos to have a shock that they aren't going to coast through life, but it is often the making of them.

In your opinion what has gone wrong? That is probably key to identifying the path that will allow them to thrive.

I would consider getting a job (shop, cafe, that sort of thing) and doing the re-sits in evening classes. This will mean life feels like it is moving forward. It will also look better on any future applications, keep your DC busy, have a social side, develop real life skills and feeling useful.

They are looking to repeat in a college, but the colleges near where they live don't have a good reputation, so another option is a private college, but I just feel that if they don't do well the next time round then it's been a waste of a year, waste of money and their confidence is going to be in tatters.

I really don't believe A levels are for them.

Unfortunately they have found themselves in a mess and are being quite inflexible with other options. I am trying to be as supportive as I can, but I feel they are so focused on the path they think is best, that they are going to let other opportunities run past them and miss out

They have plenty of options:

Foundation year - at a local uni or college, then apply for uni
Apprenticeship - this is an option but they'd need to be clear on what career they want from it
Clearing for uni start this year

What do they actually want to do

because that’s what’s key here

They are focused on retaking, but only two of the three A levels. I don't think there is any value in doing that for the reasons I've already mentioned.

I want to encourage them to look at alternatives and the benefits of them. I am also aware that clearing will close soon and all the good courses might not be available soon

Many factors contributed to not doing well.

They didn't get on with one of their teachers throughout their sixth form, struggled in that subject and then spent a lot of their own time trying to self teach themselves, this resulted in them not being able to give as much time to the other two subjects, plus a major family issue during the exam period caused them to totally lose it.

They want to just repeat the two subjects they feel they neglected and try again, but I can't see them getting a top job or the best uni offer with BBD - that is if they manage to move up two grades in one year

What is their ultimate aim?

What was the plan if A levels had gone better?

He had been offered an apprenticeship but they didn't make the grades so is now looking for an alternative path

I think if they want to go to uni then look at clearing and see if they can get into anywhere with Ds. Once they are on the course the A Level results do not matter at all and they can focus on the uni subject they are studying.

My friend got Ds in her A Levels and went back to college for an extra year to take a totally different subject, so took just one A Level to try and get a good grade to get into a better uni. She failed it and ended up in the uni she could have got into the previous year with her Ds.

Tbh if they want to go to university I would strongly recommend looking at clearing for this year - yes they won't get the best courses at the best universities but they will probably get something and it's progression- resits could end up being a massive waste of time and money.
Honestly once they have a degree employers won't care what they got at A level anyway.
They could also look at alternatives at college like foundation courses etc to do this year and apply to uni for next September

Thank you for sharing this. This is exactly my fear for them.

I agree with previous post that it's only a year, but why waste a year when you can move forwards on an alternative path.

I understand my own reasoning, but can't get an 18year old to see what I mean and I'm getting so tired of having the same conversation

That honestly sounds like good reasons to retake.

The only reason I'd say not would be if they have another idea lined up or something else in a different field they want to go into.

They could do a third AS level in a different subject and that would look better if they get a decent grade.

Has he thought about doing an Access course instead?

Continuous assessment instead of exams - and the loan for the course fees is written off if you go on to complete a degree.

Unless he's very keen to get to a University this year that will work out very much cheaper than doing a Foundation year.

I don't think he can do an access course because he's only 18. Don't you have to be 19?

My son really messed up his A Levels, he took 3 years and came out with a C and two E’s. I’ve been worrying about him for so long because he had no direction, didn’t want to go to university, didn’t want to travel. He had a part time job but doesn’t want for anything so had absolutely no drive to do much at all.

At the beginning of the summer I sat down with him and went through all his options from minimum wage jobs, armed forces, apprenticeships, university, professional qualifications. Initially he decided on one of the armed forces. He did the CBAT but had to spend the night on a base, well that was enough to put him right off! He passed the CBAT but decided that wasn’t for him.

To cut a long story short he applied for various trainee and apprenticeship roles. His extracurricular activities are quite interesting and he got a number of interviews, he is a nice person with a fun personality and that seemed to really work in his favour. He is due to start a fantastic apprenticeship in a couple of weeks and will be earning 20k plus! The career path is excellent. I just hope that he puts some real effort in because he can be so lazy laid back.

so instead of going to uni and creating a huge debt, he’ll be working and saving.

Good luck

What subjects? How did they do in Mocks? Also what apprenticeship did they have?

I'm not sure retaking is a great idea,could they try to get a job. Uni is very, very expensive - 20k a year so a foundation and degree is circa 80k. I think you should only sign up to that level of debt if you know what you want to do.

If he insists on retaking then there are online courses but given 2 Alevels is only 16 hours of study he will have to be working around that.

My thoughts would be, get a job and retake but using online study. If he does better then great..if not he has a year of working and job experience.

As a manager I wouldn't turn down someone with D grades. I would see how capable they are in interview.

What were his a level subjects and what uni courses would he consider?