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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Any secondary teachers about? Dd has done really badly in her AS levels. What next?

23 replies

Showandtell · 17/08/2017 09:48

She failed Biology completely.

Got a D and a E in the other two subjects.

I've mailed the school to ask what happens now. We are presuming she won't be allowed to take Biology in year 13 (and she doesn't want to anyway now!). I feel gutted for her as we know she picked the wrong subjects in the first place although to be fair she was encouraged to do Biology and it was only me saying do Photography instead! Now she really wishes she'd done a BTEC in health care or sport. Wish we could turn back time!

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LoniceraJaponica · 17/08/2017 09:52

How have you got the results already? DD can't get hers until 10.30.

Can she redo year 12 and start again?

TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince · 17/08/2017 09:54

I think she can resist. Some of mine this year, turned As D grades into A2 A and B grades. Im not 100% sure, as my subject is the last to change under the government proposals, but l think she can.

Or she could go to do the course you talked about.

chocolatesa · 17/08/2017 09:54

She definitely won't be able to do year 13 Biology.

I think I would potentially look at doing year 12 again and take subjects she feels stronger in.

Original poster

Showandtell · 17/08/2017 09:58

She really doesn't want to start again, although I agree that seems a sensible option. Really embarrassing though for her to do that, it doesn't seem to be a 'thing'

I feel awful as we moved her from private to state for financial reasons and now I wish we'd made the sacrifice and kept her there even though she hated it!

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Allthebestnamesareused · 17/08/2017 09:58

My son got a DUDE in his AS levels first time round.

He told me he would speak to his tutor and I let him get one with it. I was thrilled when he came back to say he was going to repeat year 12, drop his U and do a different AS. He even stayed at the sme school 6th form despite everyone knowing him and knowing why he'd be doing it, which made me feel quite proud.

He eventually got CCC at A levels, went to his first choce uni and got a 2.1 in Sport and Exercise Science and now is earning very good money in recruitment.

He got there in the end. It wasn't the disaster I felt initially. And he came to the decision to repeat by himself (rather than Mum forcing him too which I suspect may have been a red rag to a bull and he'd have declined just because I suggested it (if I had)).

Fingers crossed for her. Have a look at what alternatives there are .

Allthebestnamesareused · 17/08/2017 09:59

good grief my typos

Original poster

Showandtell · 17/08/2017 09:59

LoniceraJaponica she got hers by 8.30 on the school intranet

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Original poster

Showandtell · 17/08/2017 10:01

*My son got a DUDE in his AS levels first time round.

I'd be proud too! I have emailed the tutor and hopefully dd1 can sort it out with them. She's not very self motivated which is probably part of the problem to be honest.

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onlyconnect · 17/08/2017 10:03

It really all depends on the school. Now the AS grades don't contribute to the overall A level, schools are a bit up in the air with it. Some schools aren't doing ASs at all.
Most schools would not allow the biology to be continued with but would let a student continue with a subject they had a D grade in. To some degree it depends how well the rest of the class has done. If lots of students have a U he may be able to continue.

Hercules12 · 17/08/2017 10:07

I really recommend she starts again. Ds got similar grades and started again at the same school 6th form. He didn't make any friends with the lower year and it was difficult when his year group went to uni a year before him and he was still at school.
However it was the right decision. He got 2 As and a B in the end and has now finished year 2 of a science degree at a red brick. He was limited to where he could apply as some only want you if you've completed a levels over 2 rather than 3 years.
His friends from school have finished now this year but he's kept in hood contact and it made no difference to starting uni a year later.

SayNoToCarrots · 17/08/2017 10:10

All biology is linear now , which means that although your daughter cannot resit, if she wishes to complete an A Level in it she will have all of her exams at the end of the second year.

Theoretically this means she has the potential to improve on her score, but realistically if she has failed the AS it is unlikely that she will do better with double the content and harder questions next summer. Also, she will have to declare her U grade at AS on her UCAS applications, which might affect whether she is accepted.

A D, on the other hand, is not the worst grade in the world and if she works hard, could be built on next year. Often students do at least a grade better in their A Levels than their AS.

Does the school have any A Levels that can be done in a year? Are there any 6th form colleges that will allow her to enter as an AS student, doing subjects more suited to her?

noblegiraffe · 17/08/2017 10:13

If she knows that she picked the wrong subjects, did badly in them and wished she had taken other options then it would be madness to fight to have her continue to Y13 where she will probably not succeed (my school wouldn't allow it).

She should pick herself up, look at new courses and restart Y12, possibly somewhere else.

LoniceraJaponica · 17/08/2017 10:18

DD's school won't do that. It is in person or by post only

Original poster

Showandtell · 17/08/2017 10:47

This sounds really stupid but I'm wondering if she was looking at the right thing. She got the same grades in her mocks in January. Seems unlikely that she wouldn't have changed at all since then.

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Original poster

Showandtell · 17/08/2017 12:15

Unfortunately they are the correct grades

She has emailed the school to see of she can repeat year 12 with different easier subjects

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Fifthtimelucky · 17/08/2017 16:11

It's worth asking the school to get the exam scripts back and for the teachers to go through them to see what the problem was. I gather it is free if the exam was with Edexcel, and about £10 if one of the other boards.

Tabymoomoo · 17/08/2017 17:14

I would advise repeating Year 12 either at the same school or fresh start elsewhere depending on the reasons for her poor performance. I often find repeat Year 12ers have a really good attitude and renewed effort as they have experienced what it is like to fail and don't wish to repeat that! Best of luck.

Original poster

Showandtell · 17/08/2017 18:05

They have offered her a repeat year 12. We don't know what the issue is. She was predicted a B in RS and did excellent essays all year but got an E

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Original poster

Showandtell · 17/08/2017 18:05

They have offered her a repeat year 12. We don't know what the issue is. She was predicted a B in RS and did excellent essays all year but got an E

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camcam1 · 17/08/2017 19:30

Not a teacher- but my sister got the exact same results for AS last year (different subject). This was a real shock for her and she spent yr13 resisting and sat her yr13 exams and today received b c d. So there is hope. All the best x

Tabymoomoo · 17/08/2017 19:51

If a mark is completely out of the blue (eg B grade to E) I would request to see the paper. Ask your school about this. But didn't you say she got the same grades in her mock so although disappointing not a complete shock?

To be honest with grades like that unless she can work like an absolute Trojan and give up anything else outside of schoolwork I would still say repeat the year rather than carry on with grades like that.

Original poster

Showandtell · 17/08/2017 19:53

She got a C in her mock,i double checked. It was a real shock.

Her HOY says she's a fantastic student (sob!) and looking forward to talking to us on Wednesday about repeating year 12

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noblegiraffe · 17/08/2017 20:10

If she did poorly out of the blue in just one subject it would be worth asking for a remark as sometimes they do make the most ludicrous marking errors. However, as it's across the board, it's less likely.

I would suggest asking the exam board for copies of her scripts to try to figure out what went wrong, however this will cost, so maybe pick just a couple?

One of my students once who was getting As all through Y12 inexplicably got a D in her exams. We never did figure out what happened, but she resat some modules in Y13 and pulled her grade back up.

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