Disappointing A-level mock grades

[MindtheGapBetweentheTrainandthePlatform]

My 17 year old daughter got A in art (great), C in biology and a D in chemistry. I’m separated from her father but she tends to stay with him during the week as his house is close to her college. She got good results at GCSE but has dropped with A-levels. She has also been skipping lessons (which I had been unaware of until recently) so a lot of it is her own fault. She has applied to do a biology degree and I doubt she will make the grade to get in - she has only had one offer from York. I know she struggles with chemistry and so feel she copied her friend a bit when choosing A-level subjects (her strengths at GCSE were English and history). Her friend got the highest GCSE grades in the town (all A*) and is set to go to Cambridge. My son did well at his A-levels (and dod hardly any revision) so she has had a bit more pressure on her, I suppose.

She has asked for a tutor (online). Had anyone got any recommendations? Is it too late??

PS. She has her head in the clouds a lot - thinks she’s going to be a millionaire.

A tutor isn't a magic wand to fix poor science understanding. What concrete action is she taking to study? Does she condense textbook explanations into bullet points or apply to different elements, for example? How regularly does she watch revision videos e.g. Khan academy? Does she talk through concepts with her knowledgable friend? Are they in a study group together? Is she doing all her homework and paying attention in class, doing practice exercises and asking the teacher for clarification when she doesn't understand (especially in good time before any due dates on assignments/homework)? Because most failing students aren't doing any of that and a tutor won't really help sort out issues with poor study habits.

Is she prepared to do the work alongside the tutoring? If she's skipping lessons then it sounds as if her heart isn't in it. And is a biology degree a good idea if chemistry is also a struggle? If she's good at art does she, deep down, want to do something creative? And creative careers come with many concerns about income and reliability...
DD1 got an 8 in GCSE biology but found the A level really difficult. We got her a wonderful tutor but DD also put in lots of work at home. Despite the effort she got a C at A level for biology but I was prouder of her for that than the A * and B she also in her other subjects got because of the work biology took. She's currently loving being on an industry year after doing two years of a slightly unusual degree which is creative but also technical. A levels are so hard as they're asked to specialise into three subjects so early and making those choices at fifteen or sixteen is not easy.

I think it is common to dip at this age. But she does need to get working and a tutor would help. There are lots of applied routes if she is interested in working in NHS.

What is she hoping to do with a Biology degree? Does she actually know or does she just think she has to do a degree in something? Skipping lessons and getting those grades at mocks doesn't bode terribly well for doing well at Uni where she will have to be even more self motivated than at A level. I would maybe talk to her about her long term plan then decide what the best course of action is

A tutor is likely to help her to at least some extent. Why an online one though? I think face to face is generally more effective. You could ask for recommendations on your local Facebook page, or if you have a class WhatsApp the other parents may be able to recommend.

I asked the head of the subject at college if they had any tutoring recommendations and they recommended local ex teachers from the college. She goes in person though which I think is more effective.

I’m a secondary school teacher.

Your daughter is clearly not a scientist. It’s very hard to get an A in Art, and doing so requires a good deal of work on her portfolio, so there is evidently real talent and enjoyment there. This is really positive and I would be giving lots of praise and encouragement for that. I wonder whether an Art degree might be more where her heart lies…

The Biology and Chemistry grades and skipping lessons suggest she is struggling with the content and is not able and/or motivated to do independent work at home. I would be very concerned about her university choice of Biology as this is clearly not where her aptitude lies and she is obviously also not particularly passionate about it.

I have to say that as an Arts/Humanities teacher, there is a lot of pressure in schools and colleges to push children towards STEM degrees to the detriment of more creative pathways. A lot of children feel they ‘have’ to do something science or maths based at university if they’re going to be taken seriously as graduates and get a job. I’ve seen a lot of young people struggle their way through science A Levels as a result. They require a certain way of thinking and understanding the world, and to excel at them there has to be a natural interest, as there is a huge amount of content to learn. They really aren’t for everyone. You need to have a conversation with her about why she chose Biology and what she thinks she’s going to do with it, as I would suspect she’s plucked it out of the air based on external pressures rather than genuine interest.

I would suggest the following:

1. Speak to her Biology and Chemistry teachers as a matter of urgency. Are the mock grades reflective of a lack of ability, effort or both? What do they say her focus should be to get her grades up? Can they recommend tutors?
2. Speak to your daughter and find out what’s going on. Have an honest and supportive discussion about where her interests really lie and if there’s another university course that might be better suited. If you think she won’t have this conversation with you, ask her tutor at college to have it with her and report back to you. Give her lots of reassurance that she can do a gap year and apply again next year or go through clearing if she’s changed her mind and wants to do something else. I would make it very clear that there is zero point in paying £30k for a degree in something she doesn’t want to do and you will not be allowing her to do that.
3. Depending on what the teachers say, get tutors and focus on your daughter being able to get two decent passes in Biology and Chemistry. Regardless of the outcome of your discussion with her in terms of uni, she will need at least a C in both to be able to have a range of decent choices for her next steps. Make this clear to her - she needs to put in some short term effort here with a longer term goal in mind.

It’s a tricky time and she needs a blend of lots of support and reassurance with a healthy dose of reality. There is time to get her grades up with external support and some effort on her behalf. In my experience she will be a lot more likely to make this happen if she feels motivated by what it’s going to achieve. But nagging and scolding won’t help - her behaviour is telling you she’s struggling, so be gentle with her!

Tutors don’t make up for lack of work and she needs to be very clear that if she gets a tutor which is expensive then she needs to work all the time she’s in school which includes her study periods.

Science entry is often 7+ because it’s hard to get B+ from below that. What are her gaps - is it knowledge or application?

Is the uni offer motivating or a subject she actually doesn’t want to do? A gap year to figure things out is fine but having grades in hand is still much better than having to resit a year

She needs a concrete plan which includes the topics she needs to work on, and how to address it. Is it that she needs to go over content in which case a tutor might help or can she answer questions with enough time and prompt notes in which case it’s a revision issue

It's unreasonable of her to ask for a tutor when she's not taking full advantage of the tuition already on offer to her by actually turning up to all her lessons!

I'm a teacher and it's not uncommon for students to take this attitude. It's as if they think a tutor will fix their grades for them. The effort needs to come from her, not from an external person.

I would not focus on what friends are doing or what siblings did. Support her to do the best she can, if not keen on bio after results there is clearance or other options. See if issues why cant access addition support or actual lessons at school.

Thanks for the replies.

To be honest, she always wanted to work in the aviation industry. She had her heart set on being a pilot but I think she has realised how competitive it is and had a re-think a couple of years ago. I was surprised that she chose to do biology and chemistry at A-level. They weren’t her strongest subjects at GCSE and I am concerned she has ‘copied’ her friend in her choices. I did a science degree (although chemistry wasn’t my finest subject) and I work in the science field. My daughter was adamant she wasn’t going to do science at A-level. I really think she has no idea what she has chosen this route for. I knew at 14 what I wanted to do and mapped out how I’d get there. She hasn’t got a clue what she wants to do with a biology degree. She is very different to me. I was never influenced by others and followed my own path whereas she copies others and is influenced a lot by TV.

I know that she needs to attend lessons and get stuck in. I am going to speak to her teachers at the parents evening - I am going without her and haven’t told her I’m going.

Hoping we can get something sorted out for her but it is looking like she will have to do a foundation degree or stay on another year. But, not sure that will make much difference.

Hoping we can get something sorted out for her but it is looking like she will have to do a foundation degree or stay on another year. But, not sure that will make much difference.

Or not do a degree at all if she has no idea of what she wants to do after the degree. its a very expensive debt to have for no reason.

She could look at going into the workplace or an apprenticeship. She can always do a degree in the future if she decides that's what she wants to do.

I will encourage her to look at apprenticeships and ask her if a biology degree is really what she wants to do. I do wonder if the college (she has been there since age 11) encourages them to do STEM subjects though! I was surprised at her A-level choices at the time. I thought she’d do English.

What GCSE grade was she at in Chemistry and Biology? What are her predicted grades?

It's not too late if she puts in the work. This means attending lessons. Maybe tell her that she has to attend a few weeks of full lessons, then she can have the tutor. Obviously, if she skips lessons, no point for the tutor. Ask her to get extra support from her teachers and attend any intervention sessions. I think if she's at a D, it's more of a lack of understanding of content or memorisation than actually struggling with exam practice and I think that's something she can improve on her own.

Hopefully her Biology grade can improve as if she's at a C at A Level, it may be a little difficult to study at uni? York is a great uni though

Yes @MindtheGapBetweentheTrainandthePlatform what were her GCSE grades in these subjects?

I think @EnidSpyton’s post is spot on. Did she take STEM A levels bc she thought she should? Does she really love art? Is that something she could pursue? an art foundation year might be a way to decide (I know a YP who did art foundation and then studied something else at uni). What were her grades in English? Could she reconsider and apply for something more humanities based at uni (I am thinking not eng lit as no A level, but perhaps something like sociology, criminology, philosophy? would that be of interest?).

One thing that comes across from your posts (sorry) is a lot about other people. her brother abc, her friend xyz, even what you did – the conversation needs to put all that aside and focus on her.

It is possible to jump a couple of grades between January mocks and the real exams. This is assuming a lack of revision rather than a lack of understanding of the content. It needs a focussed effort to learn though which may be lacking if she is skipping lessons.

Speak to her and if possible her teachers. She needs to think about whether Biology is the right subject for her. She may want to consider a year out and reapply for a different subject or do another A level in a year whilst working part time.

I’ve just had a look at her certificates.

GCSE grades were:

Religious Studies 9
English Language 9
History 9
English Lit 9
Mathematics 8
Combined Science Trilogy 8-7
Art and Design 7
Business Studies 6
French 5

A biology agree with combined science gcse?
Very unusual imo

As long as she puts the work in she can go at least two grades up. My DD got a C and two D’s and ended up getting an A in biology and maths, and a B in chemistry. She missed most of the first 6 months of A levels so she had a lot of catching up. She almost did everything off her own back, attended any after school study and homework sessions. She had a tutor once a week for chemistry. But equally I encouraged her to rest and take breaks as well, they get so burnt out.

She has been revising a lot and for quite a few months. It’s highly likely that she just doesn’t understand the content. I remember the big jump from GCSE to A-level. I found my BSc (hons) degree easier than my A-levels (but I went to a really rubbish college pre-OFSTED days).

Her GCSEs were really excellent and it is a shame she didn't pursue humanities A Levels instead.

She can still go up in her A Levels and come out with ABB or higher even if she puts in the work from now

Yes I agree her GCSEs are excellent and it does seem a shame she didn't pick history and Eng lit instead. Interesting that the art has jumped from a 7 to an A at A level. Does she wish she had done Eng and history instead of the sciences? I would have a conversation with her.

It really isn't.

Not all schools offer triple.

And where they do, your free choice in options might be so limited you do not want to use the only one you have on extra science.