Can you do 3 A/S levels?

[aliena]

DD is in year 12 and is really struggling with two of her A/S level choices in which she got Ds in the mocks. She is at a sixth form where she really feels the pressure and her confidence has taken a real battering. She suffers with exam anxiety (the GCSEs were a nightmare though she managed just about to take all nine) and has recently been diagnosed with dyspraxia.

I have a meeting with the head of sixth form and I wonder whether I should suggest that she perhaps drop one of her subjects so that she do three A/S levels and then go on to take 3 A'levels. I get the impression though that no one does this. Is this the case? Also, will having taken only 3 A/S's weaken her university applications?

Alternatively, (and she is not keen on this option) she could retake the year (perhaps even switch schools) and choose two different subjects. Her current school offers a very narrow selection of subjects unfortunately.

I just don't think she will be able to handle the pressure with things as they are, despite my best attempts.

My DD had a disappointing Year 12 result in one subject in her January module last year. By the time the result came through in March though, she was nearly half way through the second module. The school gave her the choice of finishing the course or giving it up. She decided to see it through and took the summer exam. She finished with an E overall in that subject but did actually do better in the second module. The school, however, were prepared to support her whatever her choice as were we. She dropped the subject for A2. She is now in Year 13 and has had UCAS offers from all 5 of her choices who have based her offers on her projected results of her 3 A2s.

As an aside she also suffers with crippling stomach ache usually around exam time. She has PCOS but the doctor diagnosed her with abdominal migraine. She has hyoscine tablets to take when the pain is bad.

Angelpantser - thanks for comment on stomach pain - another possibility to bare in mind when we go back to GP. Does DD have a lot of pain from her pcos? Thanks.

hellsbells99

No. Her PCOS doesn't really give her much pain - it was more the lack of periods and some of the physical symptoms that prompted us to go to the Dr. I've had it too for nearly 30 years now and I get a day or 2 of crippling pain when ovulating and it's worse when I ovulate on the right hand side. Thankfully Drs are on the whole better informed about PCOS now and she has been assigned a really sympathetic consultant. Her diagnosis was a hell of a lot less invasive than mine too. She takes the pill and she seems happy enough. I would say though that her PCOS diagnosis and abdominal migraine diagnosis were about 6 months apart and the latter came while she was waiting for her GCSE reults. She suffered through her GCSEs quite a fair bit but so far, so good with her AS and A2s.

Have you considered an FE College wih a vocatinal course?

BTECs do get you into uni, they do not have exams so no exam stress and she could probably continue one of her A Levels alongside.

If she has a chance of getting A and B grades at A Level then continue with them but if not do look at the vocational courses, she would have to start at the begining of a two year course - so sit out the rest of the year and reevaluate then.

Just to say re her "alternative choices" of art and psychology. I have no experience of th later but art isn't in any way a "low stress" option. It is is hell on earth that eats every minute of your time!

As others have said I don't think the 4th AS will add much. My DDs school do 3 A levels and an AS over two years rather than one. However, many pupils gave up their 4th subject this term as their main subjects were suffering and the school was supportive of this. From next year only those students who are really very academically able are being encouraged to do 4 subjects in year 12 and instead the focus is on getting really good results in 3 subjects- a sort of quality over quantity if you like. This is based on their view and research with unis that except for a very few, very selective unis, most are only interested in the 3 main subjects.

Thank you so much for these replies which have been so helpful and provided much food for thought. We have decided now to ask the school if she could drop one subject.

And schoolchauffeur, I plan to borrow your phrase of "quality over quantity"!

We had a similar prob. with ds he really struggled with first module back in January and got very shaky B, which in turn knocked his confidence sideways so and so he didn't know which way to turn and was beginning to doubt choices he made.
We took a different route, rather then dropping maths, we got him a very good maths tutor, lady with an excellent ability to boost confidence of a student, and as a result ds actually got top marks 50/50 in his last four assignments thanks to her.
He is a lot more positive now and doing great, he has been ploughing trough with tutor two hours a week for past four weeks and results are amazing, he is aiming for an A and he is determined to get it.
It maybe a good idea to talk to you DD and suggest getting a tutor to help her if only for a while and see how she feels in few weeks time, good luck to your DD whatever she decides to do.
It is a huge jump from year 11 to year 12, many students struggle, and maths in particular is big bite to chew, volume of subject is actually humongous and it needs a lot of input.

mylittlemiracle - I hope you don't mind but I have sent you a msg seeing if you can offer any further advice. Thanks x