Re-sitting

If I don't get the grades I want, would it be a good or a really stupid idea to re-sit the exams alongside my AS levels?

Reply 1

anna258

probably. A levels are harder and you would have no social life. don't think like that and knuckle down!

Reply 2

elljay

I have, I've worked endlessly and I'm predicted all A*s but I'm terrified I won't achieve them :|

Reply 3

haithere

Depends on the subject. I'd say maths/English/Science you want Bs or above in. You shouldn't be asked for anything more demanding than that for any uni courses. I'm just talking real deciding factors though of course.

Reply 4

greenpeas

Only if you do very badly in maths/english as they're the only ones that will limit you when going on as some universitys require you to have them at GCSE before you can register for your course.

Reply 5

ironklaudt

Depends on you and your goals. Universities like lse etc. do prefer students who get the required grades in their first attempt, but i did bad in my maths a2 even though i had over 90 in as, i really want to get in lse so i'll retake along with further maths. Give it your best in the first attempt though.

Reply 6

Ilyusha

elljay

I have, I've worked endlessly and I'm predicted all A*s but I'm terrified I won't achieve them :|

I was exactly like this when I was doing my GCSEs. So scared that I wouldn't get an A* in English Lit that just before going into the exam, I burst into tears. (I know, I'm pathetic :biggrin:

) Basically don't worry. If you're clever (which you clearly are to be predicted all A*s) and work hard (which you do) GCSEs should be no problem at all - the majority of people in the country are neither clever nor hardworking (sorry to be harsh), and the exams are set to be accessible to them too, so aren't too hard.

I'm sure you'll get all A*s but if you muck up an exam due to nerves, and - shock horror - get an A or two, really don't worry about it. At the time GCSEs seemed like the biggest deal ever - I thought it would be so humiliating if I got less than 10A* and everyone would laugh at me - but I definitely blew it out of proportion. Yes they are important, but not so important that minor underpeformances because of nerves will have a massive impact on your life. You do have a whole other set of public exams before you apply to university, which may also have its own entrance tests, making GCSE performance not massively significant.

So - don't be so stressed, you'll be fine.

Good luck :smile: