AS result - does it impact on A level result?

[runner2]

Forgive my ignorance (and daughter's!) but is an AS level result connected to the A level one, or is it completely independent of it? In my daughter's case she was predicted an A in both her AS and A Level but got a B in her AS. Apparently she was 1 mark off an A and we're waiting to see if shes going to get it re-marked, but if she sticks with a B will that have a detrimental impact on her prospective A level grade next summer? (Daughter has emailed her teacher but not yet had a response and we're anxious to know...

Not if she sat it in 2017. However, ucas will know if she flunked- which is why I didn't want some of my less mature students to sit it as they flunked......

I think it depends what subject. My dd also had lower than expected grades - the history doesn't matter as it is 'linear' (or something) and the grade won't be counted next year. However other subjects can be affected by the as grade.

It depends if it is a linear course or not.

If it's a 2 year A level course (and they just happened to have sat the as level) then it won't.

If it's an AS+A2 course then it will.

But if im totally honest, she can get the extra mark at A2. I never recommended people resitting AS modules unless they were way off.

In this case the subject is Government & Politics...

Yes I'm afraid the AS does count. Gov and Pol is in the last group to be reformed with the new linear 2 year course being started this September.

Ah! Any advice? She wants to study Politics at uni....

Before you start worrying about the A2 result, you need to think about the grade prediction that will go on the UCAS form. Start lobbying the teacher to make sure s/he predicts A and not B.

Ok. Thanks

If it's AQA Government & Politics then the AS counts for 50% of the marks for the A-level. G&P is one of the subjects that is not yet linear.

AS: Unit 1 (25% of marks) + Unit 2 (25% of marks)
A2: Unit 3 (25% of marks) + Unit 4 (25% of marks)

Nooooo, don't start lobbying the teacher, If she is an A grade student who missed her A, the teacher will happily predict an A. If she is a B grade student who did well at AS, but wants an A, I'd want to see a couple of A2 essays before predicting an A.

Are you sure she was predicted an A at AS? We don't predict until Y13. Before that, students have targets and we forecast. In the case of OP's daughter, it does sound as if she is an A grade student, but the target grades in Y12 often come from GCSE grades and also not always reliable.

For AS levels, teachers usually request to see a copy of the paper before requesting a remark. There is the possibility that a mark can go down after a remark as well as up, if the examiner has been on the generous side and the teacher review will help rule out this possibility.
For the AS/A2 system it is also possible to resit the exams next Summer (you don't need to retake all the exams, just the one with the lowest mark).

She is an A grade student who missed her A, apparently by 1 mark. Every essay/assignment she has done prior to the AS exam was an A. TBH Cynderella I'm assuming she was expected to get an A in her AS as her school reports throughout Yr 12 have given her forecast and target as an A. Honestly, this convoluted, complex exam system does my head in...

Nooooo, don't start lobbying the teacher

Maybe 'lobbying' was the wrong word. Ask what she is going to predict. If not an A, then ask what the pupil can do to impress the teacher such that s/he will give a better grade (eg Cynderella's answer of "I'd want to see a couple of A2 essays before predicting an A")

Or just let her get into Y13 and see what happens.
It's 1 mark, not the end of the world. 1 mark wouldn't change my view of a student.

I don't know what I'd be predicting my y13 students until after October half term because I want to see how they're coping with demands of 2nd year.

On what planet is getting a B at AS level "flunking?"

In my school (technically the one I just left) pupils were explicitly told that subject teachers would not discuss predicted grades with students to avoid teachers being harangued by students (and parents). Generally, though, I would predict as follows:

• student consistently working at an A but struggling in one exam and getting a B would be predicted an A.
• student consistently working at a C then doing well to get the B would be predicted a B.

The school should have someone responsible for UCAS who organises this stuff (possibly head of sixth form, possibly a separate role) - get DD to speak to them.