Because of personal issues during the exam season, I've messed up my A-levels but don't have the faintest idea of the degree to which I've done so. At best but possibly unlikely, I'll have got ABC/ABD, in which case I might be able to narrowly gain a place on an ABB course, providing there are a lot of spaces the university wants to fill (am I being too presumptuous here?). If my results are something in the range of BCD - BEE/F - probably more likely - then would it be correct to say that I'll have no chance of gaining a place on courses at places such as Exeter, Southampton and York (which I'm eyeing up on the Clearing lists)? I should also mention that the A-level in which I've done worst unfortunately is related most to my choice of degree.
Other questions:
How is performance in an A-level subject related to likelihood of being accepted for a place? e.g. if I got BCD and wanted to go for Economics and French, would I be worse off if my D was in maths (as opposed to Physics, for example)? I'm asking because I'm interested in joint honours courses where the combinations are typically very different from each other.
All in all, would it be a better use of my time if I looked at gap year opportunities instead?
Would it be worth calling up universities advertising the Clearing places I'm interested in about how lenient they're willing to be in light of my personal circumstances (I can provide evidence) and their leniency with their firm/insurance candidates in general? I know that they give priority to firm/insurance candidates.
Is it/was it more important to you to get a place at uni and avoid retaking Yr 13 OR would you retake to attain better A-levels and avoid tarnishing your academic record? What would you do in my position? I'm torn because I know I'll be devastated to have tarnished my (thus far) good academic record, but I also see no reason not to move onto the next chapter in my life if I can find a suitable/similar course at a uni I like, in spite of less-than-good A-levels; I also fear that I won't do well in retakes and will thus have wasted a year.
Any thoughts? I've read the Clearing advice material that TSR has to offer, btw.