DS' AS results...the train crash

[CostaRicanBananas]

Hi, DS just got his AS results: C, D and D. As I had feared, he did no revision whatsoever. DS attends a great boys grammar school but I can't see the point of him staying on for another year as he won't be able to do anything with his results - and realistically, if he hasn't managed to work for 1 year, never mind a re-sit plus next year's work. He's got a job with Waitrose, and I think he's better off going into full time work and deciding further down the line what he wants to do than wasting time for another 12 months. I would be grateful for any advice and personal experiences, please.
Thank you in advance and have a lovely Sunday

What does he want to do?

He has to be in education until he's 18 so dropping out isn't an option. How doe he feel about his results ? CDD could be turned into BCC with a bit of effort which are still university grades. as are CDD

I think it is reasonably common for people to crash and burn a bit at AS level. It is quite a step up from GCSE and those that coasted through GCSE get a shock at AS. Lots then go on to get good A levels even if they need to resit.

You know your son best and you know if this is likely to shock him into trying harder. But don't tell him there is 'no point in trying as you will just fail' he is probably feeling pretty crappy right now as it is.

I taught a student who went from a C at AS to an A*. It takes work but it can be done.

I know someone who only ended up with one a level which they got a C in. They did a foundation course in that subject that they did so well in that they turned it into a degree. They are doing amazingly well in life now working for an excellent company... Sometimes it's just finding their own niche! Is it worth resitting to pull up Ds to Cs?

Were his AS's in linear subjects or will they count towards his A-levels?

He could consider restarting Y12 at a different school.

I would encourage him to go back. Yes his results are disappointing but perhaps they will be a " wake up" call for him. At 17 he is in my opinion too young to go into a full time job in a supermarket. Has he considered any apprenticeship courses such as engineering , accounts or trade?

Just to say, being in education until 18 is not something that is enforced. My nephew left school at 16 - he's now 18 and has been in employment since then.
Not saying it's right, and I certainly wouldn't tell any 16 year-old that!
My DS17 has also had disappointing AS results. We're currently looking into different colleges, and maybe changing at least one subject to a more achievable one.

C,D,D isn't great but it isn't a train crash either, in a lot of ways it depends on his attitude and what he wants to do next year.

He can definitely improve on those results IF he is willing to put in some work. He could get a uni place with the same results anyway.

What does he want to do? How does he feel about his results? Does he want to go to uni?

Don't be too hasty. DD got CCDE last year which she managed to turn into CCD last week with NO revision and terrible attendance. Not stellar results, and I have posted about the agonies it took to get that, but with her AS points added to her A2 points, she has enough to get her into Uni (just). His grades are far from the worst possible. Keep his choices open.

most ASs don't count towards the A levels. Most A levels are now terminal exams - in as much all exams are taken in year 13 and these are the ones that will count for the A level. Some schools are treating the AS as a mock - as long as they get a grade they can carry on with the subject, but the grade itself won't contribute to the A level itself. Often the poor grade can be a vital kick up the backside.

Will he be allowed to stay at the school?

The grammars near to us would insist on at least a C in any of the subjects they were hoping to continue.

Hi all, thank you ever so much for all your posts. DS' GCSE results should have been a huge wake up call as he almost failed to achieve what he needed to stay at his grammar school. He wants to study international law, but from his attitude there's a very wide gap between what he wants and his desire to work for it. In fact, that's his attitude to pretty much to everything, from driven license to fitness: he wants it on a plate.
Unfortunately, I've lost faith in his ability to work hard. Therefore, instead of messing around and socialising at school for another year, I thought it may be more sensible for him to go to work and return to his A levels when he's ready to work for them. Otherwise, it's a waste of 12 months.
If only I could make him realise the impact of the path that he's choosing to go down...

For the record, DS has got the brains but no desire to work hard. At GCSE, he was predicted a string of A*s. He chose not to revise. At all. In spite of all our monitoring and encouragement. Parents evening, one teacher after the other described him as an A pupil but that he had to want to do well, nobody could do it for him. As for subjects, he's doing politics, French and Maths - all strong subjects and he's described as a natural linguistic. But until he changed his mindset...

I think it would be good for him to carry on. It's only one more year, and you'd be surprised how many universities will offer courses to students with similar grades. And hopefully he can improve on them next year. If he could push them up to say CCC it would look much better.

It must be very frustrating for you though to see a bright boy wasting his talents by being so lazy. Send him to France for a bit to improve his French maybe...?!

lapin that's a very good idea about going to France. DS wants to go to the Netherlands for his law course - well, 'wants'

I wish I was taking my A levels now (I'm 23) .
I definitely had the ability but looking back I just did nothing with it.
I didn't revise, wasn't even sure what it was all for and at that age it seemed like such a hassle, and I was way too laid back because college tutors ask you to call them by their first name and no one really got on your case, if you didn't want to be there whatever.
Got crap results in the end just scraped through but if I was doing it again I wouldn't have bothered with them at 16/17 as I just wasn't really mature enough (as I now know).

Totally agree that some of us just aren't mature enough at 16-18. Shame the system is so inflexible. I agree he'd be better off getting a job after 18 and going to university if/when he knows what/why he wants to go.

Just to say that law is pretty competitive for degree courses and there is a high attrition rate between degree and the next stage of professional qualification and beyond.
Perhaps getting him some legal work experience will either motivate him of force to make realistic alternative plans?

My mum seems to think that DS should quit his part-time job at Waitrose and do nothing else but focus on his studies (re-sit etc). The problem is that, as she comes from another country with a completely different set up, she's found it hard to grasp the idea of part-time work & school) which virtually all of DS' school friends do) and the fact that he's not doing every single subject as he did for his GCSEs (which would have placed different demands on his time).
As it stands, he's only doing 3 subjects and failed to do any work whatsoever for his exams. In fact, his results were worse than his mocks a few months ago - and THAT should have been a wake up call!
More importantly, no plan so far. He's made a mess of it and he's expecting us to now tell him how to get out of it. At least an idea coming from him would provide us with a glimpse of what's going through his mind or what his priorities are / what motivates him. As it stands, we are totally in the dark - well, he's motivated by the short term gain that work provides (i.e. money).

He absolutely should stay - if the poor results have given him a kick up the arse to do better. He can take a gap year after his A level results if he's done vastly better than expected and reapply.

DS got one of his A levels up from an E at AS to a B. it can be done. You also don't know if he'll be more motivated if he takes a year out and starts again.

Don't let him give up his job. You'll be even more frustrated at his lack of motivation if you do.

Costa, I am in the same place as you. My DS1 got As and Bs at GCSE, predicted Bs at A Level, has just got his AS Level results and has come away with a C, D, E and a U. I'm so frustrated as he is an intelligent boy with ambitions but since he went on NCS last summer and met his girlfriend and got a part time job, he's just lost his way. He stopped going to sixth form after the AS exams, I managed to get him to go until the end of term and now he's point blank refusing to go back in September. Actually, I don't even know if the school will take him back anyway.
Anyway, I don't really have any advice but I wanted to let you know that you're not on your own hugs.