Y11 2025-26 Final exams are here. Now we wait….

[UncomfortableSilence]

New thread for all things Y11, did they cook or are they cooked. We will find out in 10 weeks😉

When they finished their GCSEs it felt like it was literally ages away. I cant actually believe how quickly it has gone!!

Our school 8am, so up and at it. im going to be so nervous. Had my first results day dream last night where it was all bad except he’d written an exceptional essay on Macbeth, which had been noted on the paper 😆

@Coparentingnightmareonsteriods - I word of caution - my DS1 started 4 plus EPQ - it was brutal and I think has jeopardised his main subjects . He has been quite low throughout yr 12 - he didn’t have the lovely fun lower sixth I had . He dropped the fourth a level in April . I would recommend keeping a close eye on your DC for signs of strain

Not CIE but OCR iGCSE here today at 1pm 😬

Can I ask why he decided to drop the 4th A-Level as opposed to the EPQ?

Having similar discussions here and my suggestion to DD has been to not do EPQ but retain her FM 4th A Level for as long as she can manage.

EPQ is mandatory at DD’s school. But I am heeding the warnings of doing 4!

Yeah I am thinking this. DD is my only child so never been through this before. When I did my ALevels we had to do 4, but I did drop one after year 12 and finished with 3 and an AS. No EPQ in those days.

Justin Craig have published what looks like some good advice for results day. I've sent it to DS, just to think about what he will do whether he gets the results he wants or not.

I find it’s really hard when they don’t know what they want to do in uni.

Out of the broad range of degrees my DD randomly suggests, some require FM, some require an essay based subject, some require maths plus a science. Doing 4 at this stage seems to be the only way to keep her options open. Hopefully by end of year 12 she will have a clearer idea of what she’s aiming for so can drop one if she needs to.

@Beachforever DS1 kept their EPQ as of the 13 unis he was looking at 7 dropped one grade for an A in EPQ . No idea yet if he will have achieved it 🤞( it was FM he dropped - absolute bloodbath for him - he just didn’t fund it intuitive )

9 am at our school. I am really looking forward to it. Just want to know now. DS may need to change his options. He wanted to do one subject but only three kids signed up for it so the school said it wasn’t cost effective for them to run it, sadly. Two of his current choices are available at a level only so I’m worried he won’t know what he is getting into. He also wants to do the EPQ which I think he’d be great at if he actually found a topic he is really into.

I think a good reason to take four is if you are not sure which you want to do, and then you can drop the least fave by (say) December.

Another good reason is if one is FM which can be a lot, and also maths + FM + CS/Physics is very single-focused. DS2 was going to take three inc FM and I talked him into adding a fourth – that turned out to be his fave and degree choice haha and he ditched FM altogether over the summer. Also I believe a few uns for certain courses (med I think) prefer four if one is FM.

Otherwise there is no benefit in taking four. There is certainly no benefit in taking four to the final line. It won't get you better offers from uni. No uni looks for four A levels. All it does is spread you thin and risk ABBB rather than AAA – AAA will get you better offers.

I do think there are considerable benefits to an EPQ (neither of mine did one) – in terms of research, passion, engagement, something to talk about at uni interviews. Not so much in terms of lowering uni offers tho. And again, if YP are being spread too thin, drop it.

ETA: @Beachforever maths, FM, history/Eng lit and biology would cover that, and not be that wild tbh. Lots of med degrees like an essay subject. If FM was a mare, drop it. If you hated it, you would surely hate a degree that needed it. But a lot of maths-based degrees at higher unis do like FM so if that's a possibility it's worth starting it at least.

My DD is not interested in Maths, although is one of her highest predicted grades (always naturally been good at maths although doesn’t really like it!) so she has mentioned that if she doesn’t get a 7 or 8 in sociology she may go for maths instead. She is trying to keep things broad as she is hoping for a degree in forensic psychology so it’s a mixed bag of what there as desirable

Mine is starting 4 too but at her school, they do one as AS unless it's FM.

If she switches, I think she'll start 4 too as she's very undecided but then plan to drop one by Christmas as @clary suggests. @Beachforever mine is also trying to keep options open but she's unlikely to follow a science route which helps.

That's a real pity about the A level course @3GoldenLamps. Hope he can find something else.

@clary thank you for the advice. If you had to choose between FM as a 4th A-level or EPQ, what would you go for? I think both is too much. DD is currently thinking Maths, Chem, Economics and FM. There are a few Econ degrees that prefer FM and also don’t lower offers based on EPQ (LSE) which is why I’ve been gently trying to persuade DD against EPQ in favour of FM.

@Beachforever I would say FM. If she wants to take anything maths related (maths, econ) at any higher ranking uni (LSE, UCL, Warwick, Oxford, Bath and more) then it will look for FM. The unis don’t ask for it bc not all settings offer it, but if you look at the stats the vast majority will have it. If you don’t, my understanding is that you will struggle in that cohort. Also if you love maths that much, why wouldn;t you take it? My dd would gladly have taken Further English haha

There are plenty of unis where it’s not needed but the ones I have mentioned and others at a similar level would advise it. She can always email a couple of admission depts to ask tho.

EPQ – like I say, neither of my DC who took A levels did one, but I know there are posters on these boards who advocate strongly for them. I can see that the practice of research and the skills acquired are very helpful going towards uni and I love the idea of going deep into a specific topic. But it’s a lot of work and unless you get A or Astar is unlikely to lower the uni offer. And even if you do get a top grade in EPQ, not all unis take it into account.

It’s so interesting to read the differences between schools DS’s school is an academic indie (probably on a par with highly selective grammar) and they do not allow DC to take four A levels unless they’re taking maths and also want to do FM. And they don’t offer EPQ either. Argument being that it doesn’t generally make much difference to offers from the kind of unis most of their DC will apply for. Lots of amazing elective options to take alongside A levels though.

Two more sleeps….hope everyone is doing okay.

DD’s school (academic indie) discourages 4 A levels unless the 4th is FM or a language that is spoken at home. They heavily push EPQ and have it down as compulsory but I have been told by other parents at the school that you can refuse if you’re doing 4 A Levels.

DD seems to think that the way her school teaches maths and FM won’t allow her to drop FM though if she struggles. She says they teach the entire A Level maths syllabus in year 12 leaving year 13 to concentrate on FM. That doesn’t sound right to me so I’ll have to seek out head of maths on Thursday I think to interrogate him!

DD’s school (indie) all start with four alevels, but drop one by half term. The EPQ is also heavily encouraged and dd has decided she wants to do it.

Yeh @Beachforever some schools do that but I agree it can lead to the exact issue you mention. Check with school on Thurs

Is my dd the only one on this thread NOT taking maths alevel?!

Haha no - my dd would rather poke her eyes out, and wouldn’t get the grades to anyway. We’ll be over the moon with a 4 in Maths on Thursday.

@Beachforever thats how dd school does it they do the alevel exam in year 12 then further maths in year13.
Does anyone know if Pyshcology comes under essay based. Also do uni's care aboyt further maths for engineering ?

It’s my DD’s idea of a nightmare! She’s chosen history, English literature, psychology and biology as the fourth one that she’ll start with but will drop. Plus EPQ.

Such an interesting mix (I teach Lit A Level so am biased!)