GCSE and A Levels - exams same time?

[ThisPerkySloth]

Hello

New here and perhaps should have been here earlier!!!!! DS is y10 and DD y12.
perhaps I should have spaced them out a bit more but next year they will be taking GCSE / A levels at the same time?😱

are GCSEs held first then A Levels or vice versa? Or could they be same time? how does the timings work?

They are at different school / sixth form respectively.

DS just last week finished his y10 school set tests (at his school getting a 7 in maths and each individual science will determine if can do individual sciences next year).

DD started yr 12 exams (AS I think) yesterday carrying on into next week.

Anyone else had this and Any tips too for coping with two teenagers taking key exams roughly at same time?

Thanks in advance

This sounds like great advice @ouch44, noted for next year, thanks!

I have one doing GCSEs and one doing A levels at the moment. The exams aren't really the problem here as they are just getting on with them. It's the finalising of apprenticeship applications and worries about having to go to Uni if they don't get offered an apprenticeship when they don't really want to go.

I'm a bag of nerves at the moment not knowing what my two will be doing come September as both are very much borderline as to whether or not they will get the grades they need. I can't stand it!

We found the whole process much easier when my eldest did A-level exams (compared to when it was his gcses), I think he had matured a lot over the two years, and had done more focused work during the two years, so he (and I) felt reasonably calm and relaxed. He did ask if I could clear space in the spare room (we have a desk in there) for him to use it so he could study there, as he was getting too distracted in his bedroom, so aside from getting in special food / treats, that was the only effort I had to put into his A-level prep. Keeping fingers crossed it will be like that for DS2 (currently doing gcses)..

I think its fairly common 2 years is a very standard age gap.
Mine are 3 years apart but 4 school years apart so thankfully haven't had 2 sets of exams at once. (DD is doing A levels now. They'll be all done by the first week of June)

@AngelsWithSilverWings dont let him go to uni if it’s not what he really wants - he can apply again or for different apprenticeships next year? My year 13 ds hasn’t applied for anything - he’s planning a gap year of working and travel and then he’ll start on apprenticeship applications. I read somewhere that older (21-25) applicants are much more successful at getting them so I’m thinking there’s no rush.

I agree with @crazycrofter - they don't have to go to uni, apprenticeship or no. If they are offered an apprenticeship or if not, they can still choose uni or not.

Who is saying they have to go? School? Ignore them. You? Themselves? It's a lot of debt (yes I know it's more of a tax) for something you don't want to do. Better to work for a year and see what you feel like. Nothing wrong with going to uni at 19/20 - or not going at all.

@crazycrofter @clary it's all him. He refuses to even consider a gap year , I've suggested staying with my cousin in Oz for 6 months and doing some sort of retail job and then coming back and starting the apprenticeship search again.

He refuses to consider a job that won't give him the chance to get a professional qualification. He wants to be an accountant but he spent all of his energy on the big 4 companies ( quite a tough application process ) He's waiting on result of final
Interview with one and waiting for final interview with another.

This need to aim high comes from the culture at his grammar school but sadly didn't translate to decent AS levels which is what his predicted grades are based on. Thankfully his apprenticeship applications are based on his A level mock results which are two grades higher.

I've suggested enrolling at college to improve grades if needed as he would be happy to go to somewhere like Exeter but all of his offers are for less prestigious unis. But he really doesn't want to delay a year. He's now really fixed on an apprenticeship as plan A and uni as plan B.

I'm hoping results day will open up more options that he will be happy with.

👍it’s only dawned on me now so thanks for people sharing their experience, I will try and approach forewarned.

the logistics of the school / college run has tested us, we travel through which ever route we take three local authorities and where their borders meet they all decide to rip up the road so only 20 mph and stones flying up hitting the car. But we made it, hopefully not too many exam clashes next year.

If he is looking at accountancy I'd definitely suggest looking at mid-tier and smaller firms as well.
We are top 40, weren't necessarily planning on an apprentice this year having had a full year of recruitment last year but due to circumstances are now looking to take one on.

I've also had my eye on the market as my 18yo is in a similar position, although he is interested in consultancy degree apprenticeships (gold dust) and now thinking about restructuring.
There are a lot of post-18 apprenticeships in audit, accountancy and tax being advertised in various sizes of firms.

My 18yo is in the same position re apprenticeships/uni.
He has uni offers, because he was keeping his options open, but he has been pretty clear he doesn't want to go.
He has applied for some degree apprenticeships but not got anywhere, and it's now on hold because all he can think about is the exams.

I definitely won't be pressuring him to go to uni, although I think his dad might be (divorced).
He needs to do something, but there is time for the apprenticeship and the something could be work & travel for a while if that's what he wants.

@AngelsWithSilverWings I’m an accountant and I worked for a big 4 for 18 years but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend training there. I did my chartered accountancy training contract with a local 2-partner firm and you get a much broader grounding - and more interesting than audit in a big firm I think.

i agree with @Chasingsquirrels - look wider. And if he’s sure he wants to be an accountant there’s absolutely no point in going to uni and accruing the debt. Ds is also thinking he might consider accountancy among one or two other things, but there’s no rush.

@AngelsWithSilverWings logically, if he goes to uni due to no apprenticeship offers by August, then he won’t be qualifying as an accountant for at least 6 years! Whereas if he starts looking at mid tier/smaller firms in August, he could be there in 3 to 4 years. I joined my small firm in March, after dropping out of a PGCE (I had a degree but no one else there did and they didn’t just recruit in September). This push from schools is really unhealthy. My dd was at a pushy grammar school too and could really have benefited from a gap year instead of being forced down the ‘academic subject at an RG’ route. We tried but schools and peers are so influential aren’t they?

100% agree with both paragraphs of this post.

There are lots of reasons for going to uni, but if he doesn't want to go then it really could be a waste, and limits the opportunities to go later if he's already had funding.
My 18yo says he just can't face the thought of another 3 years full time studying something.

(As well as wanting to study my subject further, one of my reasons was I didn't want to go to work at 18. And my main reason for not doing the PhD my uni invited me to do was that I didn't want to do full time study any more. So I did an accountancy training contract which is full time work and full time study combined - duh!)

This was me in 2019. It was OK, you just have to batten down the hatches and be in total support mode. And yes to having lots of snacks in.