Medicine 2026 Part 3

[MyGreyBiscuit]

Hi everyone, here's the new thread!

Thursday is final exam for DD. That's Maths, so last day for many. Think she is off to the pub that evening, then has a full week of fun ahead (festival then cottage holiday) before just working over the summer.

We have only lightly touched on Plan B. Like others have alluded, want to stay positive and not worry about what hasn't happened. Exams have been generally OK. No big disasters, and overall takeaway is that she's done as well as she could have done given the effort put in over the last two years and the standard of teaching at school. In hindsight, she wishes she'd worked a bit harder in Y12 to ensure that she was more secure in topics at the time of them being taught. Let's see how it pans out.

@PurryGrowls no it was 2nd choice. Actually slightly nicer accommodation but more expensive. They were happy slumming it! But still near to the med school so all good.

Just need the grades now....😬

Bio done today and was ok apparently, and Chem yesterday wasn't too bad. Just dreaded Maths to go on Thursday afternoon before my daughter heads off on a very well deserved holiday with friends!

I've done a lot of Plan B thinking...have contacted the school, will be booking UCAT, and have started investigating unis that accept resits, and their criteria for doing so. Desperately hoping it will all end up being a complete waste of time, but my approach is always plan for the worst (personality flaw 😂) My daughter knows nothing about this, other than UCAT resit possibility...prefer to keep her positive!

Good luck for last remaining exams and then enjoy the summer til results day!

I currently have a crowd of 18 year olds in my garden celebrating the end of exams. DD is partying for the rest of the week then working every hour for the rest of the summer (apart from our family holiday and Leeds festival).

can I ask, what do you mean by 'contacted the school'? You mean the 6th form, or the medical school?

@rockstuckhardplace definitely similar to your DD, my DD did not have any awful exams, some were good, some were just ok, some hard but still ok. She has worked incredibly hard so whatever happens in August it is the best she could have done this year, I just hope it is enough.

Went out for tea last night but DD was so tired all she did was ruminate on the 'what if I don't get in, I don't think I can face UCAT again'. Hopefully as she recovers and sleeps her mind will distract on to other things so we can ignore the what ifs a little longer. She's gone to get her nails done this morning so summer holidays have begun 😂.

Good luck to the maths students for the rest of this week (and I think French today?).

Apologies, I meant my daughter's current school. They'd already said they'd support with UCAS applications again, should they be required, so also wanted to understand if any support was available for re-sits.

I think UCAT has traumatised our kids...my daughter said the same, she doesn't know if she can face it again...she did spend most of our holiday last year inside studying whilst we were by the pool, so totally understandable - feels like they've sacrificed so much already. Keeping everything crossed for everyone 🙏

DD also has Maths this afternoon. Apart from one of the Physics papers which was a bit meh (but not a disaster), she's pleased with how exams went. Any three As will get her into Sheffield, as she did four A-levels (triple science and maths). Fingers crossed for all of our YPs.

The summer will go by fast... partying tomorrow, family dinner this Sunday to celebrate the end of A-levels exams, graduation ball next week, DDs trip to Europe with friends, family holiday, DD's 18th birthday early August (she is still 17!), A-level results day 🤞 , and driving theory test and driving lessons in Aug/Sep.

Re: plan B, I'm booking a UCAT slot for mid September but we have not talked about anything else.

They're all done! 🥳🥳🥳

My daughter has gone straight out! But, early start tomorrow for her holiday with friends, back next week for friend's 18th & Leaver's Ball, and then family holiday before results day! What happens after that, who knows?! But, she thought Maths was ok today, not amazing, but not bad either, so that's a win!

Well done all. Time for a summer of fun

Re: plan B, I'm booking a UCAT slot for mid September but we have not talked about anything else.

DD seems really happy with how her A levels went but we had a chat yesterday about plan B options.

1. appeal result
2. take a year out and resit (and possibly do an EPQ at the same time, need to check with college about that and not sure how necessary that is considering she had a NEA for History). But she hasn't decided that yet so we won't book a UCAT date yet.
3. go to her non-medicine option and consider graduate entry.

What would be your 'grounds' for appealing? Are you thinking of doing it if she just misses by one grade on one A level?

Maybe a review of marking rather than an appeal?

It's quite common to ask for a recount of marks on a paper if you are close to the boundary - as I understand it, the issue with this is that is takes a few days and so if you have not got your offer then even if your recount comes back as a higher grade, you may still have missed your place as it will have een given to someone else. Not sure if the med school would then offer you a place for the following year, or you would have to reapply - but at least you wouldn't have to resit.

Normally if an appeal comes back at a higher grade meaning you did meet your offer then the medical school will accept you. However, you may have your entry deferred for a year as your space for this year may have been given away..

Has anybody heard of any results day waitlist success stories in recent years? Do most unis use waitlists?

I think waitlists are a pretty recent thing - they seem to have become much more common place over the last couple of years. UCAS rules means they cannot offer spaces to people they waitlisted who have offers for alternative medical schools ie they can’t poach students. So you won’t be offered the chance to ‘upgrade’ that way (though I believe they can make you an offer if you approach them, for example if they are in clearing and you are waitlisted but hold a firmed offer from another medical school they can make you an offer if you phone them but can’t phone you). There were a few people on TSR who got offers off waitlists on results day last year.

It would depend how close to the boundaries she was and what subject it was but we'd speak to college and get their advice on if it was worth asking for a review. Having said that one of my friends is a head teacher and she had a student drop a couple of grades (Astar to B in maths), the student was adamant they should have got Astar and when the papers were looked at they were remarked to an Astar, the marker had missed some pages 😱. So since it's so important I might be tempted to ask for a review whatever, the cost of a review is trivial in comparison to what is at stake.

its worth getting a re mark if you are close to the boundary.. last year my DS maths grade went up (was one mark off next grade).. initially just got the first two remarked- no change then just thought what the hell may as well get paper 3 reviewed and thankfully was worth it!
A niece also had her biology grade go up last year ( think she may have been 3marks off next grade up).. both non medics though so stakes not as high.

My DD’s friend got a call from Sunderland on her way back from collecting her A level results - she’s just finished Yr2

Teachers can see the papers now so they can tell you whether it's worth a review. We go through all the ones near a grade boundary anyway. Priority reviews take about 72 hours. And if you let a Uni know that you are doing this they often will hold offer.
And waitlists do have a lot of movement on results day.

Talking of new places opening up!
Portsmouth BDS for 2027 has an extra 27 spaces!!
Good luck to all
Enjoy the summer

So I’m thinking about resits. School have said she can re sit the exams there but don’t provide any teaching…I think they will help with ucas applications though. I’ve looked at year intensive independent colleges and they cost an arm and a leg. Would online learning be the way to go? Does anyone have any recommendations or thoughts? Thanks

My son pulled his physics grade up from a C in mocks to getting A* in practice papers by intensively using Uplearn for 3 months. It really worked for him but it depends how your child learns. You could use it and then have a tutor to help with trickier topics? My son is very bright, he just coasted through Y12 hence the low mock..remains to be seen if Uplearn really did the trick for the real thing but he felt the papers went well.