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I failed My As levels, and need your advice

I took As levels Maths , chemistry and biology and I got UUU. I feel really depressed right now and my parents are disappointing at me and they keep shouting at me because i failed and took everything away from me and really need your help to turn things around because i truly believe i can do well. My sixth form wont accept me back and i dont know where to go and was wondering if there was retakes or a place to do exams this year . E.G do my as levels this year and A levels in year 13. Please would like any advice and help because i cant take this anymore

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Original post by Musty1999
I took As levels Maths , chemistry and biology and I got UUU. I feel really depressed right now and my parents are disappointing at me and they keep shouting at me because i failed and took everything away from me and really need your help to turn things around because i truly believe i can do well. My sixth form wont accept me back and i dont know where to go and was wondering if there was retakes or a place to do exams this year . E.G do my as levels this year and A levels in year 13. Please would like any advice and help because i cant take this anymore


Do an apprenticeship
Reply 2
Why did you fail? If you didn't put in the effort, then you know who to blame.
Reply 3
Hey there, I was exactly in the same position as you a year ago.

I retook the year because it is not impossible, but very difficult to get grades when retaking the same subjects in the same year. You'd often get the same grade or only get an E at best usually. Don't let that put you off though!

Needless to say, I got my results yesterday and I got an C in History but a U in Economics again. I had to change it for an extra BTEC so it's two BTECs and an A level in History.

It's not the end of the world, try contacting other sixth forms near by. Bombard them with emails if they are still doing enrolments, it will usually take place during next week when the Year 11's go to collect their GCSE's. The earlier that is done, the better.

Good luck and we should hear about how you are getting on very soon!
Reply 4
Original post by richpanda
Do an apprenticeship


i dont want to do an apprenticeship because i believe i can change things around and people at my stage should have shot of redemption. I think this is a wakeup call and i do truely believe i can improve and get better grades
Reply 5
Original post by Dnkz7
Hey there, I was exactly in the same position as you a year ago.

I retook the year because it is not impossible, but very difficult to get grades when retaking the same subjects in the same year. You'd often get the same grade or only get an E at best usually. Don't let that put you off though!

Needless to say, I got my results yesterday and I got an C in History but a U in Economics again. I had to change it for an extra BTEC so it's two BTECs and an A level in History.

It's not the end of the world, try contacting other sixth forms near by. Bombard them with emails if they are still doing enrolments, it will usually take place during next week when the Year 11's go to collect their GCSE's. The earlier that is done, the better.

Good luck and we should hear about how you are getting on very soon!


Hey there, Did you redo the year at the same school you failed or a different school because my school wont accept me back and its hard trying to find a different school with The U grades i got. Do you think i should redo the year or go in straight to year 13 by redoing all the exams in the same year because hand on my heart i s will sweat my guts out to get the grades that i truly deserve.
Original post by Musty1999
I took As levels Maths , chemistry and biology and I got UUU. I feel really depressed right now and my parents are disappointing at me and they keep shouting at me because i failed and took everything away from me and really need your help to turn things around because i truly believe i can do well. My sixth form wont accept me back and i dont know where to go and was wondering if there was retakes or a place to do exams this year . E.G do my as levels this year and A levels in year 13. Please would like any advice and help because i cant take this anymore


Hey, I did chem, bio, maths and psychology.

I got my results yesterday and am very dissappointed too.
Pysch- BChem- UBio - EMaths - U
I kinda knew maths was going to be a U but i am shocked with biology and chemistry. I know EXACTLY how you feel right now. My sixth form wont let me redo there and wont take me on so now I'm left feeling like **** and regretting how much I underestimated A levels.
Reply 7
Original post by Musty1999
Hey there, Did you redo the year at the same school you failed or a different school because my school wont accept me back and its hard trying to find a different school with The U grades i got. Do you think i should redo the year or go in straight to year 13 by redoing all the exams in the same year because hand on my heart i s will sweat my guts out to get the grades that i truly deserve.


Hey,

Not to put you off or anything, but you'll feel generally overwhelmed with the amount of work you have got to do. The A2 for Chemistry is easier but that was with the old spec. I assume you started the 2015 new spec for all the subjects as its linear based.

I retook the year at my current sixth form, I'm going into Year 13 now knowing that I had a massive wake up call.

I did apply at others though, and I was looking to study different A levels. I think it depends what you want to do later for your career whether that you want to be a doctor or a barrister. Have a deep think about your future if you are deeply committed to becoming those types of occupants.

Remember, achieving these grades can be done in the short term. However, the bigger picture lies in front of you - what do you really want to do?
Some college sixth forms offer you the chance to re-take AS Levels, they might let you do the AS and A levels in the same year but most wouldn't recommend it. They often recommend you redo the year so you get a good foundation for the first year which then you can build on top for the next year (year 13)
Good luck :smile:
Reply 9
Hey there,
If you took the new specification (2015) this year then none of your AS except maths count towards your final grade next year. It is only if you drop that subject except maths, that your AS grades count.

Don't be disheartened about not being able to return to the same sixth form. Look around there will always be places available. If you feel like you need a fresh start then redo yr12 first and then go in to yr13. However, bearing in mind that yr12 grades don't matter except maths and we have to redo the AS section anyways next year, if you feel like you as able to push yourself and rectify the mistakes you made this year then just go straight to yr13 and just redo the maths unit.

It's obviously up to you at the end of the day. You know your own work ethic and should seek advice from teachers & maybe friends who performed better to understand where you went wrong. Perhaps also you could consider changing the A-levels you took.

Best of luck!
Original post by Musty1999
I took As levels Maths , chemistry and biology and I got UUU. I feel really depressed right now and my parents are disappointing at me and they keep shouting at me because i failed and took everything away from me and really need your help to turn things around because i truly believe i can do well. My sixth form wont accept me back and i dont know where to go and was wondering if there was retakes or a place to do exams this year . E.G do my as levels this year and A levels in year 13. Please would like any advice and help because i cant take this anymore


First of all, don't give up. There are plenty of routes into decent employment these days, and opportunities to retake if needed. You will not be the only one who has screwed up their A levels.

Several questions: 1) Do you know what you want to study at university, or even if you want to go to university (there are some very good apprenticeships that take people with 5 A*-C at GCSE which if you got into A levels you most certainly have)? 2) Are you definitely sure that those are the subjects you wish to study for AS/A2? If you did not find the subjects interesting, perhaps try a different set of subjects.

I know a girl who was in my further maths class, but she ended up failing out of regular maths and my school does not allow you to do further maths without maths. That means that instead of 4 AS levels, she would only have 2, which the sixth form I went to did not permit (you need to do a minimum of 3). So basically, she dropped out of my sixth form and started working, and the next school year she went to a nearby college instead and studied a different set of subjects.

With A levels you have to properly understand the content. Sometimes there are some very weird questions asked in the exams, but it has to be related back to the specification. There are also a lot of online resources which are very useful (such as physicsandmathstutor, in your case not for chemistry or biology, but definitely for maths). A lot of learning should be self-motivated. It is possible, if you motivate yourself enough and know exactly how you work the best, to get very good grades.

As for retaking exams, there are private examination centres where you can do those (although you would have to pay for them, and they can be quite expensive). You probably won't be able to do coursework there though, which isn't a problem for maths but may be for the sciences (I know they changed the AS levels, but I don't know how they changed them. Is there still coursework? If not, disregard this point about coursework!) It is still worth looking into though.

I hope this helps.
Do a levels at a college. Colleges will accept anyone and they're okay with people repeating years if they fail (my college retook a lot of students who failed the first year). They also tend to have more places than a school does.
Reply 12
I'm going to be honest with you. it's not the end of the world and you failing your Alevels now doesn't make you a failure. You just have to learn from your mistakes and re-evaluate what you want to do in the future.
There are so many options out there, you can go back to a local college and study for a BTEC in Science or start an apprenticeship.
Just because everyone else is doing an Alevel doesn't mean you have to do one too. There are even Apprenticeships that gives you the opportunity to qualify to level 3 which is the equivalent to Alevels have a browse around your local college to see if they offer this.
Reply 13
Original post by Runescapian
Do a levels at a college. Colleges will accept anyone and they're okay with people repeating years if they fail (my college retook a lot of students who failed the first year). They also tend to have more places than a school does.


Colleges are really good for things like vocational subjects that actually qualifies you to do certain jobs this is what I tell people you get one shot at gaining an Alevel qualification do a qualification that would give you the opportunity to do a certain job
Reply 14
Original post by Musty1999
I took As levels Maths , chemistry and biology and I got UUU. I feel really depressed right now and my parents are disappointing at me and they keep shouting at me because i failed and took everything away from me and really need your help to turn things around because i truly believe i can do well. My sixth form wont accept me back and i dont know where to go and was wondering if there was retakes or a place to do exams this year . E.G do my as levels this year and A levels in year 13. Please would like any advice and help because i cant take this anymore


Hey,
Firstly, it is okay to feel a bit disappointed and knocked back but it is important that you get yourself back up on your feet and dust yourself off.
I was in a similar situation as you last year, failing two of my four AS levels. I was gutted and found it hard to motivate myself to get going. I retook one of them and yesterday got my overall Alevel grades of BBC (which I am very happy with). In order to retake however I had to teach myself the A S level whilst being taught the A2 modules, which is difficult. Therefore it is important not to put too much pressure on yourself. If what you want to do in life only requires three alevels then I wouldn't bother with a forth- keep your focus on the ones you need to achieve your goals.
My friend also didn't do aswell as she hoped and dropped out of alevels all together. She wants to do midwifery. Instead she went to the local college which does a route into Medican course. She has found that easier aswell as being a direct route into her future aspirations.
The best thing to do would be to have a good look at what you want to do in the future. Then from their decide how you can reach it. Aswell as alevels there are apprenterships, college courses, etc.
Overalls just remember it isn't the end of the world. Life never goes to plan and it may take longer to get there but you can do it!
Original post by Musty1999
I took As levels Maths , chemistry and biology and I got UUU. I feel really depressed right now and my parents are disappointing at me and they keep shouting at me because i failed and took everything away from me and really need your help to turn things around because i truly believe i can do well. My sixth form wont accept me back and i dont know where to go and was wondering if there was retakes or a place to do exams this year . E.G do my as levels this year and A levels in year 13. Please would like any advice and help because i cant take this anymore


I was in the same position as you last summer but I got BUUU. I moved school and did subjects I had done really well in at GCSE, started revising earlier and harder and yesterday I got Bs and Cs. It's terrible by TSR standards but I'd say it's a big improvement :smile: Anyway it's not the end of the world even though it may feel like it.

And you can get into decent unis by retaking Year 12. I know one girl who got UUUU in her first year of A levels but worked her ass off and she ended up getting into Bristol through Adjustment.
Reply 16
Original post by jellyandjam
Hey, I did chem, bio, maths and psychology.

I got my results yesterday and am very dissappointed too.
Pysch- BChem- UBio - EMaths - U
I kinda knew maths was going to be a U but i am shocked with biology and chemistry. I know EXACTLY how you feel right now. My sixth form wont let me redo there and wont take me on so now I'm left feeling like **** and regretting how much I underestimated A levels.


Hey, I know what you are feeling just like me im looking for colleges who will let me do my as and a2 because i dont want to redo the whole year and just go into year 13. Science as levels dont even count this year so thats a relief. Please keep my updated on your situation so we can solve this together.
Reply 17
Original post by MrsSheldonCooper
I was in the same position as you last summer but I got BUUU. I moved school and did subjects I had done really well in at GCSE, started revising earlier and harder and yesterday I got Bs and Cs. It's terrible by TSR standards but I'd say it's a big improvement :smile: Anyway it's not the end of the world even though it may feel like it.

And you can get into decent unis by retaking Year 12. I know one girl who got UUUU in her first year of A levels but worked her ass off and she ended up getting into Bristol through Adjustment.



Thats great to hear , should i retake year 12 or just go into year 13 do you think?
Original post by Musty1999
Thats great to hear , should i retake year 12 or just go into year 13 do you think?


Retake Year 12. Just view it as a gap year to improve yourself :smile:
Reply 19
Original post by LMDTOP
Hey,
Firstly, it is okay to feel a bit disappointed and knocked back but it is important that you get yourself back up on your feet and dust yourself off.
I was in a similar situation as you last year, failing two of my four AS levels. I was gutted and found it hard to motivate myself to get going. I retook one of them and yesterday got my overall Alevel grades of BBC (which I am very happy with). In order to retake however I had to teach myself the A S level whilst being taught the A2 modules, which is difficult. Therefore it is important not to put too much pressure on yourself. If what you want to do in life only requires three alevels then I wouldn't bother with a forth- keep your focus on the ones you need to achieve your goals.
My friend also didn't do aswell as she hoped and dropped out of alevels all together. She wants to do midwifery. Instead she went to the local college which does a route into Medican course. She has found that easier aswell as being a direct route into her future aspirations.
The best thing to do would be to have a good look at what you want to do in the future. Then from their decide how you can reach it. Aswell as alevels there are apprenterships, college courses, etc.
Overalls just remember it isn't the end of the world. Life never goes to plan and it may take longer to get there but you can do it!


Thank you for the kind words and inspiration. Im trying to find a college / sixth form so i can carry out these subjects because i am really passionate of the subjects and would like to do well. I will keep you updated on how things are going.
Thanks Musty

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