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Secondary education

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Original poster

AS Level disappointment

17 replies

TheRealGracePoole · 21/08/2022 09:59

I hope I am putting this in the right place as I have not been on MN for so long I am out of the way of it.

My daughter is doing a level sociology, health and social care and biology.

She has struggled so much with biology even though she was a science whizz at gcse. She was planning to apply to university for bio medical science but has just got a U in biology in her AS. (A and C for the other 2)

It has transpired that she loves and is really good at sociology and health and social care.

We are sitting down tonight to chat through how this could alter her path and I would really value some advice.

Can she possibly pull the biology back up? The unis she is looking at are looking at a b in biology I think it’s too much of a leap.

Does this mean maybe she should review what she wants to do at uni?

Should she look at different less selective unis?

ideas on how I can guide her through this massive dissapointment.

OP posts:
TeenDivided · 21/08/2022 13:37

I would ask for a copy of the script.
Then try to work out what went wrong.


  • Did she misunderstand the questions?

  • Did she not use technical language?

  • Did she not give detailed enough answers?

  • Did she just not know the information?

  • Did she fail to revise effectively?

  • Did she fail to put in revision hours?

Because she didn't actually sit external exams it may be that her 'exam technique' wasn't up to scratch (which could be easily fixable). however if she just doesn't understand the biology or it is too technical to learn that is another matter.

Justgamboling · 21/08/2022 13:39

What level HSC is she doing? I'm assuming it's a BTEC. Most uni's will allow entry with just a BTEC depending on the uni course and also how big a BTEC she is doing. Send me a message if you want more info

TeenDivided · 21/08/2022 13:42

Justgamboling · 21/08/2022 13:39

What level HSC is she doing? I'm assuming it's a BTEC. Most uni's will allow entry with just a BTEC depending on the uni course and also how big a BTEC she is doing. Send me a message if you want more info

Surely for that she would have to be doing the L3 Extended Diploma (ie the 3 A level equivalent)?

Given she is doing 2 A levels, if the HSC is a BTEC one might assume it is the Certificate (1 A level equiv).

Justgamboling · 21/08/2022 13:45

Usually that is the case, but I have taught ExtDip to a student who also did an additional al 2 A Levels.

Justgamboling · 21/08/2022 13:46

The certificate is also only 0.5 A Level

Original poster
TheRealGracePoole · 21/08/2022 13:47

Justgamboling · 21/08/2022 13:39

What level HSC is she doing? I'm assuming it's a BTEC. Most uni's will allow entry with just a BTEC depending on the uni course and also how big a BTEC she is doing. Send me a message if you want more info

Thank you. It is A Level HSC we are based in Northern Ireland so it’s the northern Irish exam board. She loves it and is doing very well and I am wondering if this may be a better route for her.

OP posts:
Justgamboling · 21/08/2022 13:52

I have no idea about the Irish Exam board so I can't help there unfortunately. It's definitely worth looking at a range of universities and really paying attention to their entry requirements.

I would say all is not lost though with the subject, especially if she isn't overly struggling with the content and it was more to do with study skills - definitely worth discuss with the teachers to get their input.

mumonthehill · 21/08/2022 13:55

From my own experience it is hard to bring that grade back up. Ds got an E in his maths AS and he decided to resit year 12 and do geography instead. Getting the maths up to a B was going to be impossible. It was a hard decision for him to make but absolutely the right one as he got excellent A levels in the end and got on to the course he wanted to. He had got an A* in maths at GCSE but just found the course difficult and was not engaged in it enough to learn.

TeenDivided · 21/08/2022 13:57

OP. In your system is the AS a standalone qualification, or does it count towards half the A level grade? If the latter, how common is it to resit alongside the second half?

jalu47 · 21/08/2022 14:00

I did biomed at uni, it only gets harder. I found it challenging and I got a B in biology at A level. I would really interrogate why she got a U.. was their a misunderstanding in what she would be assessed on, was she unprepared or particularly bad exam? it will be no fun to constantly struggle. It sounds like she did really well in her other subjects so maybe a reevaluation of her options would be a better way to go?

Original poster
TheRealGracePoole · 21/08/2022 14:11

TeenDivided · 21/08/2022 13:57

OP. In your system is the AS a standalone qualification, or does it count towards half the A level grade? If the latter, how common is it to resit alongside the second half?

No it counts towards the final grade at the end of next year. They pulled many students aside on results day to say they had to reset but they didn’t with her so I called in and they said they were just looking forward to seeing her back. She is thinking of asking about resitting this year alongside second half.

OP posts:
Original poster
TheRealGracePoole · 21/08/2022 14:13

jalu47 · 21/08/2022 14:00

I did biomed at uni, it only gets harder. I found it challenging and I got a B in biology at A level. I would really interrogate why she got a U.. was their a misunderstanding in what she would be assessed on, was she unprepared or particularly bad exam? it will be no fun to constantly struggle. It sounds like she did really well in her other subjects so maybe a reevaluation of her options would be a better way to go?

This is my feeling. I suspect it’s is, as someone else said, exam technique and not using right wording etc but I see how she thrives in hsc and sociology and wonder if her path is verging off in a different direction. Sometimes it’s hard for them to accept they can change their minds. She needs to think seriously though as they are having to finalise personal statements this half term.

OP posts:
Prescottdanni123 · 21/08/2022 14:34

I got really good GCSEs but my AS Levels were atrocious. I didn't handle the pressure very well and just cracked in the exams. I found coping mechanisms to help me with exam stress during the following year, I aced my A levels and got into the uni that I wanted.

A bad AS Level grade does not mean that your daughter has to alter her plans yet if it is what she really wants.

Original poster
TheRealGracePoole · 21/08/2022 15:19

@Prescottdanni123 that’s really encouraging thank you.

OP posts:
morescrummythanyummy · 21/08/2022 16:54

AS is a big step up for biology - it exposes you if you weren't very good at chemistry, because there is a fair amount of that in it. Does your DD actually like what she learned in the AS? If she did, then she may be able to resit and pursue biochem if it was just a bit of a shock doing exams and revision etc. if not, then great to find that out before signing up to biochem. Some people like the context of biology, but not the granular stuff you need to learn more later on.

Original poster
TheRealGracePoole · 21/08/2022 16:57

Funny actually she struggled a little with chemistry. I think I am thinking about getting her a tutor to pull it up as much as poss but investigating other degrees that would be more suited to her . She will need to talk to school too but I feel she thinks all is lost at the mo and I want her to open her mind and see that this just is a signpost on her path.

OP posts:
HairyKitty · 21/08/2022 17:25

Can you look up the board and spec yourself? I thought there was an option to resit them as papers alongside the a level papers. Or is the AS a stepping stone qualification and the full A level doesn’t depend at all on the low grade she just got?

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