A2 Exam Clash. Potential serious problem. Advice needed.

[hanginginthere1]

My daughter has an exam clash that could potentially mean that she does not do as well in her A2 exams as she could/should
She has 3 exams on one day, History, Biology[AS re sit] and General studies, followed by English Language the very next morning. A hefty work load.
Apparently, the rule is that the school will write to your chosen Uni if you have done 6 hrs' worth of exams. My daughter will have done 5hrs 45 mins! The Exams Officer is refusing to contact the University and is being rude, unhelpful and unsympathetic.
I find it difficult to believe that a student should have to complete this many exams in one go, and be expected to be able to give of their best.
My daughter has a very challenging offer to one of the country's top universities. In reality this will be difficult to achieve, but given this schedule it makes it nigh on impossible.
It's just so frustrating. General studies is just as important to her, as she need to maintain her A grade from AS in it.
Any advice?

OP, I was being neither ignorant, not personal towards your daughter.
"All the good ones work hard " evidence based comment, I currently teach 5 different A level groups, I teach about this number every year. I have plenty of experience about good students and how hard they work.
" the better ones do not resit AS " - not personal, see above re evidence base.
You however have been rude to me.

Speak to the uni, oh and yell at the school.

I had three in one day, the school made me stay in a teachers house and sit one the next day. Its not possible to fully concentrate for that length of time. At best she needs at least 1hr 30 between each exam.

What timetable are they proposing?

Bollocks the best resit AS even if they have A's --> to get better A's so if the unforeseen happens they can drop a few marks at a2.

They really don't holidays, a large number of courses/unis that our brightest and best students aim for do not accept resits so there is no point. ( eg have yet to find a med school/vet school/ Oxford or Cambridge college accept resits at AS)

OP I'd be surprised if your DD is the only one with lots of exams squashed together OP. I've just looked at DS's AS timetable and its horrible - 5 hours of exams on one day and a clash on another. The loss of the january modules has made the whole thing a bit of a mess. DS will just have to be extra prepared so that it doesn't have an effect.

No they don't, holidays. Or if they do they have been very badly advised!

Hob nob......
The inference in your post is clear. You are doubting her ability, and questioning how she has managed to get an offer from KCL. I would never set out to be rude to anybody,but when you use phrases such as "the better ones do not re sit AS", you must surely know that that could cause offence.
As I have already explained, she applied on a whim. She has not even visited the university. She already has 4 offers from RG unis. I was as was as surprised as you obviously are that she was offered a place. But she has been, and I have been honest and truthful about the terms of that offer.If you don't believe me about the General Studies, go and look on the web site. Yes, she is re sitting Biology and taking General Studies. So what? At the end of the day, what bearing does Biology have when one is studying Law? In reality, does General Studies not link in well with her other two subjects? Who knows how any student is going to do at University? Law is, for the vast majority, a new subject.
She obviously has done something along the way to warrant an offer. The fact that her LNAT score was high must show a certain aptitude for the subject. Unfortunately, many people on here would rather be judgemental about the fact that she is re sitting and taking General Studies.
Will she eventually get in? No probably not, but it is not for you or anybody else to question her achievements in getting an offer.
I am very proud of her for getting the offer, but as I have already said, she will be very happy with her second choice too.
I wish you and your A2 classes well.

I think the issue here is actually the re-sit. Students squeezing every last mark out of (easier) AS so that they can slip more on the A2 is always worrying.

I'd also explore with the KCL how necessary the general studies is. The uni looking at General Studies if she 'slips' a grade is a bit pointless if the reason she slipped is because of General studies.

hanging, I don't think it's about the actual subject itself

as you say, they do new subjects at university and even the same subjects are very different

but it is very much about how she copes under pressure- and that is where you can really help her as a parent

if you can teach her to be flexible and resourceful and not throw in the towel when there is sudden additional pressure, then those skills will stand her in good stead at university regardless of the subject

I don't think complaining or contacting KCL will do you much good, unfortunately. It's a rubbish schedule, but your DD can and will cope: I think the key will be planning revision really carefully so that she has very good bullet-point flash cards to look at before she goes into the Biology exam, and perhaps to go over the night before her Eng Lang exam (when she will be feeling pretty shattered). General Studies is (in my view) not really something you can revise for, so encourage her to be more relaxed about that. If time / space allows, she should go off somewhere quiet (the loos, if nowhere else) just to breathe deeply for a few minutes in between exams and gather her thoughts.

In terms of practical advice, I would say make sure she eats a decent breakfast, ideally something like porridge with nuts and dried fruit for slow-releasing energy (easier said than done with a nervous teenager, I know, but it will really help her stamina-wise). Get her to take food like bananas, more nuts etc in with her as snacks to keep her energy levels up. Personally I would also have a large coffee and some chocolate before the General Studies exam, but that may not work for her! Advise her to avoid anything like Red Bull / Pro Plus like the plague because they make you feel jittery and mess up your concentration span.

Good luck to your DD - and if she can cope with this well, it will be a massive confidence boost before she goes up to uni.

Having had letters and emails cross my desk in admissions I think this is a bit of a non issue. We would not have considered it as an extenuating circumstance and no allowance would be made. Widening participation applicants (data flag for school attended etc) get the most sympathetic response but mostly such letters are ignored I'm afraid.

In all honesty, I would not encourage my daughter to contact the university. It would appear that she will just have to get on with it.

I'm glad you'e realised that and can just support her in the situation that is

I have just checked with my daughter, and just to be clear. She does have a clash. AS Biology Module re sit and General Studies, both Scheduled at 13.00 on the same day. Same Board too, which makes it even more frustrating!

In that case something will have to be done. You (or she through her tutor) will have to approach the school.

But I still think it is essential how you approach it and how you speak to your dd about it.

If you show her that this is of course annoying but it can be sorted out and you are confident it will be dealt with, then you will be giving her skills that will stand her in good stead when she gets to university and has to deal with the pressures of adult life on top of the purely educational stresses.

I am a university teacher: I can spot at first glance the students who have been taught (or taught themselves) resilience and resourcefulness- and the ones that have not.

I do think that she is resilient. Her school have not really fallen over themselves to support any of the students with University entries. My daughter really did take it upon herself to apply for Kings. We have had zero input in to any of her Uni applications, esp the Kings one. She taught herself for theLNAT.

OP - put your energies now into helping your daughter plan a good revision timetable. I really don't think the university will be too interested at this stage about what might or might not happen as a result of her exam timetable. Better to get the school to contact the university once results are out if she marginally misses her offer. That's when any negotiating and explanation of mitigating circumstances should take place.

I don't think it's that unusual. Those with a genuine clash are supervised in school and sit the papers consecutively.
I think you have had a hard time on here OP. It is stressful for you as well as your DD. I think your focus needs to be on instilling the right frame of mind in your DD. A good strategy around the exam time is something positive you can do. Get the revision out of the way in good time so she can relax the night before. Make sure she has plenty of snacks and drinks, pick her up and treat her afterwards.
Don't make it someone else's fault if she doesn't quite make the grade, she has enough work to do without feeling bitter about timetabling.