Do you have questions about your child’s options following A level results day? Q&A with The National Careers Service - £100 voucher to be won

[JustineBMumsnet]

With uncertainty at a peak surrounding A level results day this year, we’ve partnered with the National Careers Service to bring you an expert careers adviser to help answer your questions about your child’s choices - including apprenticeships, university, internships and more - following their A level results.

Find more information on post-18 options here.

Francesca Cinotti, a qualified Careers Adviser, will be answering your questions. Read on if you’d like to know a bit more about her background: “Francesca is a qualified Careers Adviser, usually covering the Central London area. Francesca has been a part of the National Careers Service London team since 2018 and her areas of expertise include working with customers who are hoping to change careers and helping customers who have been out of work for a long time.”

Post your questions for Francesca on the thread below - she’ll be online to answer questions on results day and periodically in the days following.

Please note the advisers will be giving advice with the education system in England in mind. If you're living elsewhere, any advice given may not be relevant.

All who post on the thread with a question for Francesca will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Have a child awaiting GCSE results? Keep an eye out for our Q&A next week.

Thanks

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

Given the current situation my niece is considering taking 2 years out from studying and working instead. She would like to be able to save for uni so when she does go she wont have to take out finance/loans (she's been working since she was 16 and already has enough saved to cover her first year)

I think this is a reasonable thing to do (I did the same but only for a year and came out with significantly less debt than my friends), but my sister is worried that because her grades were good and she has gotten into her first choice now she wont be accepted there again if she doesnt go now.

Is it likely to impact on her being accepted again?

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Hello, DS wants to appeal but the school haven't answered the phone or his emails today and we were warned last week not to go in person.
My understanding is that he needs the support of the school to appeal? How can he continue with this if they are not responding to him?
He has already lost his Durham place and is pretty fed up.
Thank you for trying to help.

Are A level results going to be re-moderated blanketly and are universities holding open offers while results are re moderated?

Well, the exam results in Scotland were nothing short of shambolic forcing the Scottish Education Minister to do a U turn on the failure of the system.
Now the rest of the country's exam results are out and the same mistake has been made leaving children devastated, yet Boris at the time of writing this sticks by the results which do not reflect on teacher's appraisals and estimates.
This has left thousands of children not knowing what there future holds now.
Will Universities extend the date for applications for the exam results to be changed or to give the unfairly treated children a chance to appeal ?

Will university's be more accommodating to grades, due to the current system?

My son was predicted A,B,B, and was given A,C,C and has not got the grades to get into his course at Liverpool - as of typing this I cannot get i touch with the Uni, we are obviously going to appeal - how long does the appeal process take ? Totally devastated teen at home.

Given the situation, do you think a gap year would be more or less beneficial compared to other years?

@raeraeofsunshine

Is an apprenticeship a good option or do employers prefer a degree?

Hi @raeraeofsunshine thanks for your question. This will depend on what type of job/career you are looking to get into. If the job requires a degree, university is a worthwhile route to consider - to help you decide, you can find more information about Job Profiles on the National Careers Service website and the Prospects.ac website:

nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-careers
www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles

Alternatively, an Apprenticeship is a good route in helping you to become 'job ready,' so for other employers, this could be the more desirable option. For more information on apprenticeships, please visit the following website:
www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

There are also other post-18 options that you could look into that may be better suited to you/your desired career. These can be found on the National Careers Service website:

nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/career-choices-at-18

Surely A level students from England will be at a disadvantage compared to A level students in Scotland when applying to English or Scottish universities?

Surely A level students from England will be at a disadvantage compared to A level students in Scotland when applying to English or Scottish universities?

@fishnships

How do you suggest I explain to my daughter that the extreme hard work she put in was worthwhile when she has found today that her results are below what she was expected to get (as are many other friends who took stem subjects) yet she sees those she knows who took humanities happy with their A and A* grades, knowing that they did not work as hard?

Hi @fishnships thanks for your question. It’s a tricky one to answer and I can appreciate you want to try and give your daughter the best answer you can to help her to move forward. It may be worth reminding her that our abilities aren’t always reflected in our results, often due to things that we may have no control over (such as what is happening during the pandemic). But also that the most successful people don’t let these things stop them and have faced challenges and set backs like this. It may take a longer pathway (such as re-takes) to get there, but if you want to get there, you need to keep going. That self-motivation will be the difference between your daughter and other people going for jobs in the future. I hope this helps you. For more information on this year's results, please visit the following website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-cancellation-of-gcses-as-and-a-levels-in-2020/coronavirus-covid-19-cancellation-of-gcses-as-and-a-levels-in-2020

@PickledChicory

This might be a stupid question but is it easier for you to give careers advice if a student has a career in mind or could you make recommendations based on results?

Hi @PickledChicory thanks for your question. It’s useful if a student has an idea about the type of job/career they are interested in as we can recommend specific courses and the type of experience or qualifications needed for that industry. However, even if a student has no idea about what they want to do, we are equally happy to provide information on different options to help them with their career choices. Taking a career quiz can also be helpful if the student feels they need to know more about their skills/likes/dislikes etc. You may want to look into the following websites for further information on a career quiz based on personality types or the skills health check which can be found on the National Careers Service website:

icould.com/buzz-quiz/
nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/skills-assessment

DS has been awarded AAB with the B in maths.

He was given an A at AS (and A at GCSE further maths). They didn’t do any mocks in maths (because they do AS in Y12) so would his AS Grade A count as a mock result from the ‘triple lock’ point of view? I know Wales have said they will look at AS grades, but will England?

After working hard and being predicted A's and B's from school, and receiving actual results of B A C, do you feel the schools were being generous, taking into account the schools reputation, and have to be realistic ? After all it's in the schools best interest to have a record of good grades, and the algorithm took this into consideration

@MBirch

I’m concerned that universities have the marked down results already. If grade appeals are successful, but courses are over subscribed, will universities discriminate based on the initial downgraded grade? All things being equal they have to make the cut somewhere, I’m worried it will hit those initially downgraded.

Hi @MBirch thanks for your question. Whether you appeal, resit, or use the existing grades, all will hold exactly the same value with universities. I can't speak for all universities but it's unlikely they will be focusing on the downgraded result, although it may also be worth getting touch with the university about this. For more information, please see the following website: www.gov.uk/government/news/appeal-arrangements-for-as-a-levels-and-gcses

@pinkspideruk

Given the current situation my niece is considering taking 2 years out from studying and working instead. She would like to be able to save for uni so when she does go she wont have to take out finance/loans (she's been working since she was 16 and already has enough saved to cover her first year)

I think this is a reasonable thing to do (I did the same but only for a year and came out with significantly less debt than my friends), but my sister is worried that because her grades were good and she has gotten into her first choice now she wont be accepted there again if she doesnt go now.

Is it likely to impact on her being accepted again?

Hi @pinkspideruk thanks for your question. There is likely to be an increase in students applying for universities next year due to the much lower numbers this year. Your niece will need to check that the same course is being offered in two years. Whether this will affect her being accepted will depend on the university and her course – it may be worth getting in contact with UCAS or her university about this. You may also find the below websites helpful to read through:

www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/when-apply/deferred-entry

www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/student-advice/applying-to-uni/deferred-entry-to-university

@Serin

Hello, DS wants to appeal but the school haven't answered the phone or his emails today and we were warned last week not to go in person. My understanding is that he needs the support of the school to appeal? How can he continue with this if they are not responding to him? He has already lost his Durham place and is pretty fed up. Thank you for trying to help.

Hi @Serin thanks for your question. The school is most likely inundated with calls and emails at the moment, however I would continue trying to get through to them over the next week until you have some answers. You can request that your school or college to get the qualification result reviewed. If you’re not satisfied with the outcome, your school or college can make an appeal to Ofqual.

For further information, you may find the following websites helpful:
www.gov.uk/government/news/appeal-arrangements-for-as-a-levels-and-gcses

www.gov.uk/appeal-qualification-result

Do you think that students should appeal their scores if they luckily got into their first choice university but did significantly worse than predicted? How much emphasis do you think future employers will place on the grades from 2020 and therefore would it be worth appealing?

@Thelondonmommy

Are A level results going to be re-moderated blanketly and are universities holding open offers while results are re moderated?

Hi @Thelondonmommy thanks for your question. Presently there is no indication that these results will be re-moderated, there is a “triple lock” protection to ensure students achieve the highest grade possible. It’s likely universities will hold open offers until further guidance is received from the government. However, I would suggest you contact the university directly for the latest information. For further information, please see this website:

www.gov.uk/government/news/triple-lock-for-students-ahead-of-a-level-and-gcse-results

@rocketriffs

Well, the exam results in Scotland were nothing short of shambolic forcing the Scottish Education Minister to do a U turn on the failure of the system. Now the rest of the country's exam results are out and the same mistake has been made leaving children devastated, yet Boris at the time of writing this sticks by the results which do not reflect on teacher's appraisals and estimates. This has left thousands of children not knowing what there future holds now. Will Universities extend the date for applications for the exam results to be changed or to give the unfairly treated children a chance to appeal ?

Hi @rocketriffs thanks for your question. These are unprecedented times and as decisions have been made very rapidly, I think the universities themselves are still trying to establish a process. I would suggest you contact the university that you had in mind for the latest updates as it could vary between different universities. I hope this helps you.

@MrRichTea

Will university's be more accommodating to grades, due to the current system?

Hi @MrRichTea thanks for your question. All entry requirements will depend on the university. However, I would suggest applying for places via clearing, as there are likely to be many vacancies to fill from the shortfall left by international students. For further information, please visit the following website: www.ucas.com/clearing-launch

@Montydoo

My son was predicted A,B,B, and was given A,C,C and has not got the grades to get into his course at Liverpool - as of typing this I cannot get i touch with the Uni, we are obviously going to appeal - how long does the appeal process take ? Totally devastated teen at home.

Hi @Montydoo thanks for your question. I appreciate this is a difficult time for your son and I would encourage you to continue trying to contact the university until you get a response. It’s also worth getting in contact with your school or college for further information on appealing. For further information on the appeal process, please view the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/news/appeal-arrangements-for-as-a-levels-and-gcses

@ButterflyOfFreedom

Given the situation, do you think a gap year would be more or less beneficial compared to other years?

Hi @ButterflyOfFreedom thanks for your question. It will help if you have a plan of what you want to do during your gap year, although it shouldn't be more or less beneficial in comparison to other years. It may be useful to consider all of your options before deciding to defer your place. For further information, please see the following websites which may help you in making a decision:

www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/when-apply/deferred-entry

www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/student-advice/applying-to-uni/deferred-entry-to-university

@lovemyflipflops

After working hard and being predicted A's and B's from school, and receiving actual results of B A C, do you feel the schools were being generous, taking into account the schools reputation, and have to be realistic ? After all it's in the schools best interest to have a record of good grades, and the algorithm took this into consideration

Hi @lovemyflipflops thanks for your question. The grades have been based on teacher’s estimates of what their students would have achieved in their exams. I understand that you may have concerns over your child’s grades and if you would like further information on the grading model, I suggest you make contact with the exam regulator, Ofqual, who should be able to provide you with a more detailed explanation. www.gov.uk/government/news/appeal-arrangements-for-as-a-levels-and-gcses