A level results disaster

[LadySadMum]

DS was predicted CDD which was low and based on not doing much work in year 12. However he really started working much better in year 13 and seemed to be getting better marks in his results for mocks and class tests.

So we were hopeful that he would get better than the predicted grades. He seemed happy after each exam, completed all the questions. There were a few questions that he said were hard but this is normal, right?

Anyway he got CEU. Obviously he missed his firm and insurance but it’s not even enough for any foundation courses.

The C is fine and the E was in his worst subject so can understand that. But the U is unexpected and I feel it can’t be right as he wasn’t that bad at it!

We’ve asked for a review to make sure all the questions were marked correctly and if it changes to an E that would get him onto a foundation degree. We made a mistake as we didn’t ask for it at the time (we were shocked and didnt think to ask) and by the time we contacted the school again they had left.

The exam officer is not available until next Wednesday now so it’s an agonising wait.

The worst thing is we’ve had to lie to everyone that everything is OK and he’s been accepted into uni. His grandad is ill and would be devastated if we said he failed. We also don’t want to navigate all their questions and worries until we’ve worked out the next steps ourselves.

So now we’re getting congratulation messages from all the family and his uncle is also visiting later today, probably with a present. It’s all so so awful.

No it doesn’t, we only had a sheet with the grades on it.

This. He should have quite a few options still. If he does well in the FY he can anpply elsewhere for year 1 onwards.

The worst thing is we’ve had to lie to everyone that everything is OK and he’s been accepted into uni. His grandad is ill and would be devastated if we said he failed. We also don’t want to navigate all their questions and worries until we’ve worked out the next steps ourselves.

This is really, really unhealthy for him.

Can you walk this back - just tell everyone it wasn't what he was hoping for and he's got to think things through.

This weirdness will potentially negatively impact him more than the grades!

Yes there are some but they are not close to us (North West).

He wanted to commute to save costs and a foundation year will already add on costs so we certainly do not want to add on more

I think there about 20 courses which might take those A levels/points with a foundation year

The lying is worse than the poor grades here!

I’m not sure if it’s the same now but my daughter got put in for a higher exam for English and also ended up with a U as they can’t award below C. I was livid as she had recently been diagnosed with autism so I knew she would find exams difficult

That is a shame. Good luck.

What were his other subjects? What course did he want to study?

Many people start a cyber career from an IT job, perhaps at entry level and work upwards, taking courses along the way. It's actually a fantastic way to build a career as you have greater foundation knowledge.

The caution I would have is that CS without good Maths knowledge can be really difficult and after the foundation year the workload is more challenging. Rejection could be redirection to be a more suitable path.

The lying basically says to this boy that the love of his extended family is conditional upon academic success and his own parents support his extended family's view in this.

The worst thing is we’ve had to lie to everyone that everything is OK and he’s been accepted into uni. His grandad is ill and would be devastated if we said he failed. We also don’t want to navigate all their questions and worries until we’ve worked out the next steps ourselves

You didn't "have" to lie. You chose to lie.
I can sort of see why you did it but it's an absolute minefield now. You are going to have to backpedal if he doesn't get into uni.
What are you going to say when someone asks what grades he's got? Or which uni he's going to?

It's too late now but it would have been so much better just to say his grades weren't what he expected and now he's considering other options and you'll let people know when he's decided what to do next.

I think he needs to consider whether uni really is for him. Perhaps he would be better advised to get a job and work his way up and perhaps start a degree later when he has matured a bit and has some more life experience. With those grades he's going to find a degree course very difficult.
If he still wants to do a degree, have a look in clearing and see if he can do a degree with a foundation course.

Can't he retake?

You shouldn’t have lied - this gives out the message that you only value him for academic success and that you are ashamed of what happened. With those results you really should be helping him reevaluate what next steps are. Hoping a U is regraded an E to get him into uni is not a good idea. He’s clearly not very academic and I think you are kidding yourself that he will magically knuckle down once at uni. A year out, maybe resits or a complete change of plan are probably best and no more lying.

It is not the end of the world. I got EEU. I did my degree at the OU who don't need any grades for entry and got a 2:2 in Economics which was good enough for a masters in Law. Very few employers care about the institution or grade if you have a degree. Many recruit institution blind.

The worst aspect of this is the lying about his grades. How could you do that to him? It’s awful.

I agree with PPs that he should look for a job as an IT technician and maybe go for an OU degree at the same time.

You might think so but you don’t know our family.

DH’s side of the family will make him feel like crap. Even though they do care, they place an extremely high value on education. There would be a lot of handwringing and crying if we told them he failed. They would be constantly asking ‘what will happen now?’. Honestly, we don’t have a supportive family, they will make everything 100% worse. I honestly think his granddad would have a heart attack after this news - not joking at all.

There is a big difference in choosing not to go to uni and not getting good enough grades. If he finds work instead then we can say he chose that in order to avoid debt.

My DS knows and agreed with the reasons for lying right now. Our priority is to get him sorted first and the best way to fob them off was by saying ‘all fine, got into chosen uni’.

Uni is seeming even less like the right path for him at this point. He's not got the grades and he's limited to commutable unis. He might want to go to uni, but nothing you've said sounds like he's ready for it. OU might be an option but it's not the uni experience most 18yos want and it arguably needs more motivation.

A gap year to work and possibly resit or do a more vocational qualification in tech would make sense. You know the lying was a terrible instinct and creates more drama and stress than being honest with a positive/downplaying take. The longer you lie the deeper the hole you're digging. Awful to get congrats and presents from well-meaning relatives. That's embarrassing for everyone when really there's no shame in finding out this isn't his calling and recalibrating accordingly.

You have the review of marking back already? What exam biard. We are in the torture of waiting still. My DS is so depressed. Missed his offer on one grade by 2 marks.

Interesting that some people have also said OU as that’s what we are considering. DH says that would be better and more respected than something at a lower ranked uni. It also has lower fees.

Here is a cyber security apprenticeship in your neck of the woods @LadySadMum
https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeship/VAC2000042176#summary

Agree! This is very odd.

Edexcel.
It's a horrible process isn't it.

OP are you from an Asian background?

He would save money by resitting college rather than doing a foundation year.

He does a year again, gets better results, joins the uni in year 1 not foundation and finishes at the same time. He gets to put better Alevels on his job applications alongside his degree than he would if he just did the foundation year then degree, and if he finds that he doesn’t want to keep going with the uni route he hasn’t wasted a year on the foundation as instead he has improved his Alevels so will look better on job applications.

It feels like a no brainer to me