Year 12-13 AS levels and beyond

[HSMMaCM]

Following on from the preparing for AS levels thread.

Hopefully everyone is finishing off AS exams.

Until these results I haven't really dared think about university too much, we have done all the practical stuff like open days and personal statements and I have not let on to ds that I had any doubts (and as he has asperger's he wouldn't have sensed any either) but inside I was very much on the back foot.

DS's predicted grades based on his GCSEs (ALPs) were about 2-3 grades lower than he actually got in his AS levels. He's always had a very mixed profile and I knew he was better in his chosen A Levels than he was in the majority of his GCSE subjects but I thought that was probably the case for a lot of candidates so the predictions would account for it.

Now it is just seeming real that he may be going away to university, I'm so pleased and proud at his hard work (and he really has worked very hard) but I'm certainly a little more nervous now.

teta Can anyone explain UMS to me?Dd got 82,72,86 in her Maths

Is that her raw score or her UMS points? You can check the UMS grade boundaries if you know the exam board and course code.

According to OCR 70-79 would be a grade B and 80+ is a grade A. So on the second paper your dd was closer to a C than a B.

But I don't know about other exam boards as the others didn't supply UMS points this year.

It's her UMS points Fairenuff.She knew she had bombed the second paper so was planning to retake it next year.But she was upset that she didn't do better in papers 1 and 3 ( paper 1 was really difficult this year).She reckons you need very high A's to leave a margin of error for next year's modules?
To be honest I don't understand why she's distraught as when she was young she couldn't do Maths at all!It was a big shock for us when she got an A*.

I think those results are great teta, does she really need to resit the paper? Can you resit just one? Maybe talk to her teacher when they go back in a couple of weeks.

Teta, my Dd got similar marks, and is planning to resit a paper. Apparently many do. So much pressure!
I can understand why she doing it as the courses she's looking at ( engineering) demand high grades for maths.

What does your dd have to aim for Dingit?
Mine has to get 3 A's.Dd1 seems to think retaking these exams next year will be easier as the further modules are much harder.As far as i know you can resit just one.But i'm not sure whether some universities frown on this.
Fairenuff I think these results are fine as well.She doesn't need an A* in Maths.I guess her teacher will advise her.She spent all of Easter doing work on Farms so had very little time to revise wheras she normally revises solidly over Easter.

I don't think she needs to worry with 3 As.

My Dd got ABB, although they were high Bs. She needs an A*in maths or physics which realistically isn't going to happen . If she gets an A star for her Epq that drops to an A.

That was meant to say A*

I was a bit worried by the A**!
Gosh Dingit that sounds tough.Is that the same for all of your dd's potential engineering courses?
Your DD made the robot for her Epq,right?
My DD's Epq was on the use of stem cells.But she had 3 days to write it up!

Not one Vet School has even mentioned Epq's or D of E.The only thing they appear to be concerned about is work experience.

No, I think you're thinking of errolthedragon. She has a very clever Dd!

The trouble with engineering is most of the grades are high requirements, we need to find some lower ones.

Your Dd has got further with her Epq than mine dds is something to do with flight.

Your dd is obviously clever too Dingit.
DD's school coerced them all into completing their Epq before the holidays.It was a very busy time!Hence the rapid writing up.

Dd1 is suffering this week as is doing another weeks experience in a Vet practice following an exhausting,wet,V fest weekend.She's worried she might keel over during surgery ,as she already feels slightly ill today.

worried

Teta, that sounds tough.

DH has just told me that one of his students got a U on one paper - they had it remarked and it is now a high D. So worth getting stuff remarked.

Hello everyone, been missing in action as mum was rushed into hospital last week with a blockage in the bowel, emergency surgery at 1am etc, touch and go whether she'd make it as she's 85, rather put the AS results worry into perspective.

DS got a B in the one AS he did (2 UMS off an A) and his predictions for next year are A*AA so he is chuffed to bits.

He has gone off to Reading today, ridiculously early, carrying the world's heaviest bag and standing in a queue for 5 hours in the blazing sun, rather him than me, lol!

Sorry to hear about your mum ono - how is she doing now?

Well done to your DS, that is great news. :)

ono, DD may run into him - they are off at the crack tomorrow.
Sorry to hear about your DM - hope she is doing OK?

DD still can't decide which subject to drop.

My DD went to reading yesterday. She called today with a suspected uti, but refusing to leave to see a doctor! I'm making her an appointment tomorrow morning and then seeing if she can be extracted.

Hi everyone, mum is OK but will be in hospital for several weeks as she lives alone and having had major abdominal surgery, they have said that they need to put in place a care package with carers coming every day plus she will need rehab to help her walk etc. But she is alive and doing well! Once she was out of immediate danger I came back but will go back to Belfast once she is out of hospital so I can help her with getting dressed, cooking her meals and so on.

No word from DS at Reading - would be more worried if he'd texted me. BTM, tell your daughter to look out for a big group of 30 in purple camp, he's the tall one with shaggy hair, wearing a bandana, probably doing something incredibly stupid.

HSM - tell your DD to go to the medical tent. I am sure staff there will be able to supply antibiotics under a 'Patient Group Direction' without needing a GP appointment.

OK, need to read back through the thread to find out how your DCs all did and to congratulate you all. We will soon need to change the thread title again [gulp...]

HSM, I had a suspected uti on hol and I drank literally litres of water which seemed to wash it away after a couple of days, thank god! Can she go out to the Tesco's and get something for it (have forgotten the name of it but you mix it in water IIRC) and cranberry juice (DD mixed hers with voddy last night!!!) Or do what ono says.

ono, no word from DD either and I am not at all worried as she went last year and survived. Saying that, I have now probably put a hex on it!

Had results day again today - DS did 2 early GCSES. Decent results. Worked hard for them though!

My two have gone to Reading too!

Thanks. I've told her to go to the medical tent (silly idea apparently) and drink lots of water (of course she is. How stupid do I think she is). And luckily I had already given her some sachets of cranberry stuff, which she has reluctantly drunk one of, despite it tasting disgusting apparently.

The people in the medical tent are very good. DS2 was injured a couple of years ago and they really looked after him (though he ignored their advice to go home ). DS3 is there at the moment - bit hot and bored I think having been there since yesterday. Just waiting for the music to start!

My son has finished year 12 going into year 13 next month. Could anyone point me in the right direction to somewhere that can tell me how to work out his grade, well, whether he got near misses or not. The boards are AQA and OCR, level GCE/ASB.

ButteredToast - hello and welcome to the board, we are all very friendly and supportive here.

The grade boundaries were published last week. The one for AQA is here www.aqa.org.uk/exams-administration/results-days/grade-boundaries-and-ums/ums-converter and OCR is here www.ocr.org.uk/ocr-for/exams-officers/stage-4-results/results-statistics/

That's great, thank you very much for the welcome and links one40