Advise on how to go about Alevel resits please

[crispy2019]

She had 3 offers for med school at AAA….however she has achieved BBB. Does anyone have any words of wisdom about the best way of approaching resits. Her school will support her taking the exams there but she can’t physically repeat year 13. Online at home seems soul destroying…does anyone have any advice?

How frustrating for your DD, and hats off to her for keeping hold of her ambitions to study medicine.

Online learning doesn't have to be soul-destroying. Have a look at the National Extension College, that offers some A level subjects in a year rather than two and has lots of experience with home-schooled teenagers and with resits, including in maths and science subjects. You won't commit to anything by chatting things through with the on the phone.

Thanks for the reply, I’ll have a look at the National Extension College

There is a form you can complete to request a call-back.

Some FE colleges offer 1 year fast track A levels . Where in the country are you ?

This is in Oxford

1‑Year FAST‑TRACK A‑LEVEL COURSE - Cherwell College Oxford share.google/XlML7Nkhvr5rkJDp5

Why can't she repeat Year 13?
Has she already done an extra year?

If she is at state school then she won’t get funding for another year if she’s already got a level 3 qualification.

it’s possible to pay for private teaching and resit but the in person stuff is very expensive.

doing an additional year of study at home and resitting at a private centre (or her old school if they are happy) is possible but most 18 year olds don’t have the motivation.

What where her actual marks? Where any of them close to an A and could be applied to be remarked.

I do know that not all unis will accept resits so mite be worth looking of where she wants to go for medicine will accept them.

We are on the Leicestershire/Nottinghamshire boarder

She was 4 marks off an a in bio and seven marks off an a in economics…chemistry was a middle b

Leicester Uni has a 6 year medicine course including a foundation year and there may be others, though not sure if they would have places to start in Sep. But if she's set on medicine and was willing to take a year out do some travelling some work experience could apply with grades in hand for 2027?

This was years ago but when I didn’t get my grades I resat two alevels at the end of the next year and took another ALevel and 2 more GCSEs as a 1 year fast track. Plus I worked in a shop.
Best thing I’ve ever done as I ended up with 4 grade A ALevels, the additional ALevel drove my future career and the work meant I had a decent kitty to take to uni with me.

This would be ideal but I’m pretty sure you have to be from a disadvantaged background…which she isn’t

Some universities won’t accept resits for courses like medicine so be sure to check that thoroughly before making any plans. Your DD might need to modify her ambitions or go for an allied field, like pharmacology or microbiology, and I’m sure there are others but these are two I know young people in similar positions have gone for.

Most medicine courses don't accept resits.

Has she contacted the places she jad offers for?

Goong through clearing for something alien may be the best course of action with plans to do graduate medicine later.

I know several people who came to Medicine via different routes and it did no harm at all.

My colleagues son got this last year. He enrolled in university in Bulgaria (they run course in English) and is loving it.

Regarding unis and resit policy the MSC has a page that goes through entry requirements including the unis policy on resits

and yes, “Gateway” years have contextual requirements so postcode, school studied at etc

A friend of my son didn’t get the grades for Medicine so took up a place to study biomedical science and was offered a transfer to medicine because of his excellent first year results
this was a few years ago at Cardiff uni so no idea if this is still possible but worth checking out

Most medical schools do not accept resit unfortunately, one option is to start to study Biomedical science, many universities allows you to apply after three years to medical school (they normally have x amount of places for students that have studied that course) it is competitive but could be an option? This is the route I looked at for my daughter in case she wouldn’t get in.

Has she thought about doing a foundation year? There are unis in clearing offering foundation years for medicine.

Funding..schools won't be funded for students repeating the same subjects

As a Mum of a 26 year old son who just started this week as a F1, I would say there is another option.
for her to take an undergraduate degree and then do it as a graduate. DS1 did a bio chem undergrad, came first in his degree and then took a year out to apply and then did a 4 year med degree.
he has said this week he is so glad he took this route. He was more mature and better able to deal with the challenges of med school.

Meant to say he had offers for undergrad med school but missed it by one grade, so AAB.

Without sounding judgemental - does she know why she didn't get the A grades - the reason I ask is that medicine is brutally hard and will she keep up if she's not at the right level now - this isn't dissing her but maybe a realistic conversation (and one I had to have) and then see what the best route for her is - but allow her to be heartbroken- dropping one grade is one thing but 3 is a lot - to get the offers she's obviously amazing but could she pivot to a medical aligned degree - physio / radiology / nursing which is slightly less brutally academically but offers the care / medical elements

The alternative is to do a course like biomedical sciences as a first degree and then do the 4 year post graduate medical qualification. This is quite competitive though.

This website may help you see if the resit option is possible for her - https://www.theukcatpeople.co.uk/post/a-level-resits-medicine-medical-school-uk-guide?srsltid=AfmBOoqoaU4WIUxD7SDJjAhsDsSlPSgC-4hdTG0vNYTFqivEMH7OI9

I thought medicine didn’t accept resits but someone I know just managed it