Anyone whose children have taken / are taking AS/A2 levels. Please help!

[Janni]

My eldest child is floundering. He is taking History, English, Psychology and Government and Politics for AS Level. He is really struggling in history and feels that if he drops it and just takes the other three for AS/A2 he will have a better chance of decent grades.

How important is it for students to have 4 AS levels, or is this a reasonable option? He doesn't know what he wants to do in the future. He is clever but won't push himself if he is struggling and he is too proud to ask for help. The school has been warning us for the past couple of months that there are problems and things are now coming to a head. Parent-teacher meeting on Monday. I need to make a decision and convince my husband, who's a high-flyer and worries about closing down our son's options.

Advice/experience welcome!

My DS had the same problem last year although he is taking all sciences. He talked about dropping one AS so he could concentrate on the other three but his school discouraged this saying that it would be best to take the four as it would give more options at A2. Also that some students end up carrying on doing the subject they intended to drop at AS and of course there is the issue of UMS points towards uni if that is the intention.

My DS was struggling with two of his subjects, the one he intends to drop and his best and favourite subject at GCSE which was a bit of a shock to us all. Thankfully he told us and we had a couple of meetings with the head of 6th form and the subject teachers who put together a plan of action. Apparently a lot of students suffer in the first term of 6th form as it is such a massive jump from GCSE to A level. He seems to have come through it now and got his confidence back - we will see next Thursday when the results come out for the first modules!

Your DS needs to ask for help, his fellow students need not know - I'm sure my DS didn't tell his friends. It's all very well the school saying there are problems but they are the ones who need to get together with you both and your DS to work them out. It is not too late even if he has taken some modules and has done badly as these could be retaken.

I empathise as it is horrible seeing your DS struggling when you can do little to help apart from encourage. We couldn't even guide our DS in his work as it was beyond our comprehension. We did consider a private tutor for a couple of hours a week to get him through his block but his teacher arranged for him to go for a couple of hours after school for extra help - they were brilliant.

Ask if this is a possibility or you could consider a tutor? It may be his time management skills that need addressing?

Good luck.

A lot of AS/A levels are modular, I don't know about the ones your DS is doing as mine is doing all Maths and Science. He took exams in every subject in January and gets the results next Thursday.
Did your DS do exams? If so the grades will give you a firm idea of where he is.
As far as I know universities rarely ask for more than 3 A levels but they do take account of AS results. Better 3 average grades than 4 poor ones perhaps?
Not saying that's the case here but I know that sixth forms are judged by drop out rates.

Thanks so much for your replies - much to think about there. He's only sat mocks so far and hasn't done well...The actual exams are in May. Opinions from others welcome too. xx

If his exams are in May he has got a few months to try to improve his grades. With the right help from school this will boost his confidence and he will push himself to do better if he can see the evidence. He probably thinks he can't do it so why bother. My Ds went from a U to an A in mocks in one of his subjects and I am sure it was all about self belief.

Definitely push the school for help. They must believe he is capable of doing the course if they accepted him.

Im an EO and data manager.

Unis only take 3 A levels. In my experience, the pupils know now what the score is with regard to their own ability, this is the time they simply discard one AS and concentrate on the remaining three. His teachers will know this, but they won't officially allow a drop because it makes the timetable full of gaps.

A word to the wise, next week when the results are out - it will possibly be tears. Those who coast their GCSEs with the minimum of effort frequently get a nasty shock with the Jan results.

Be mindful that the January resit opportunity no longer exists - this was the last one. From now on there is only the Summer session for A Levels (with the exception of Applied subjects), at AS and A2

This sounds so much like my ds - sorry, I'm not able to offer any advice, just marking my place in case we can use any of the advice you get offered

my ds dropped one subject and ended up with three a levels.not a problem with getting into uni at all.

He is clever but won't push himself if he is struggling and he is too proud to ask for help.

That's your problem. That is what will close down his options.
You can wing it for GCSEs but there is no substitute for work at A Level. This is where he needs to catch up with his not-so-bright peers, and realise that application beats aptitude.
He must learn how to ask for help. It is a skill that he will need for the rest of his adult life. Admitting a frailty (and overcoming it) is a strength, not a weakness. Listen to anyone ever making a acceptance speech: they are grateful for assistance received and know that they would never win the prize on their own.

Don't despair: this is typical boy behaviour. You just need to move him on somehow. Does he have previous examples to call on of how effort has overcome obstacles - music practice or sports training?
You could get him a copy of Bounce by Matthew Syed.

As an admissions tutor I see lots of applications, and it is not that unusual to for students to just have 3 A levels with no additional AS. If students miss their offer than an additional AS can be taken into consideration, but the man focus is the A levels. So if giving up the AS is likely to lead to better grades for the others, then it has got to be a good idea.

You are right, senua and we do really need to work on that - we are trying to, believe me. I will have a look at Bounce - I hadn't heard of that before.

Thank you creamteas and Hollyberrybush - good to have some inside info!

An update: we talked to all his teachers and they agreed that allowing him to drop History was the best option, as it would give him the chance to do well in the other three that he wants to take for A Level. He feels that a weight has been lifted off his shoulders and is applying himself to his studies, at last! Fingers crossed that the decision pays off for him!

Ds has just gone through this. He is taking maths, further maths, physics and philosophy. Ge was doing that stupid boy thing and not asking for help when he needed it then dug himself a whole. Thankfully maths department have now got their finger out and being brilliant. Prepared an action plan and timetabled 1 to 1 lessons and it seemed to working. His AS results last week for maths AE and physics A means he is on track for the results he want. The E should be an easy retake.

Some top universities are requesting a pass (e) at AS level in a fourth subject. If he has his sights set on a top course, he needs to check entrance requirements before doing anything silly.

He is so close to the exam now, and must be just about finished the course. Can't he hobble on for a few more weeks?

Which universities is he thinking of applying to?

My concern would be whether psychology and G&P are "preferred" or "core" A-levels for these universities. Normally you can get away with one non-core A-level, but he could struggle with two and only one core one (English).

Psychology and Government & Politics are sound subjects.

Here is a list of acceptable A-level subjects for UCL (as an example of a good university). You have to have 2 from this list, and the third can be any other, subject to individual course requirements.

www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate-study/application-and-entry/alevel-qualifications

He's looking into a course in some sort of sports management / sports science, rather than anything highly academic at a top university. Interestingly though, now that he's dropped History, he's starting to excel at English and I wouldn't be surprised if he decides to head in that direction...