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Bad AS results to great A2/A-levels results - success stories?

Anyone have any success stories of getting bad at AS, but actually improving at lot in the A2 year?

How hard did you have to work for them?

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Reply 1
ABBC at AS is psychology biology maths and chemistry respectively
Dropped the A in psychology for A2 and ended up getting A*A*A in maths bio chem.
First year wasnt too good since i thought i could doss around in lessons and still come out with A*s just like GCSE by getting out the textbook a week before the exam. Second year I paid attention in class and actually did homework, with a decent prep before the exams I raised my grades.
Pretty chuffed to go from BBC to A*A*A, it is possible.

EDIT - A little update. im going to be studying dentistry in september:biggrin:
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by teen1234
ABBC at AS is psychology biology maths and chemistry respectively
Dropped the A in psychology for A2 and ended up getting A*A*A in maths bio chem.
First year wasnt too good since i thought i could doss around in lessons and still come out with A*s just like GCSE by getting out the textbook a week before the exam. Second year I paid attention in class and actually did homework, with a decent prep before the exams I raised my grades.
Pretty chuffed to go from BBC to A*A*A, it is possible.


So you didn't really do any extra work, just what you were meant to do in the first place?
Original post by im so academic
So you didn't really do any extra work, just what you were meant to do in the first place?


It's surprising how far you can go if you properly engage in lessons (that means you put your hand up when you don't understand - you might look foolish in front of the class, but you'll look more foolish if you don't get the grades you want).
Original post by PythianLegume
It's surprising how far you can go if you properly engage in lessons (that means you put your hand up when you don't understand - you might look foolish in front of the class, but you'll look more foolish if you don't get the grades you want).


In other words, make the most of your lessons? :h:
Reply 5
Original post by im so academic
So you didn't really do any extra work, just what you were meant to do in the first place?


Yeah basically, I think if you know you didnt do well because you didnt work hard enough then its easy to bring your grades up. But if you worked hard and yet you didnt get the grades thats where theres not much you can do. Its even harder now that there are no january exams
Original post by im so academic
In other words, make the most of your lessons? :h:


Precisely - your teachers are there for a reason, they're the best resource you have.
Original post by teen1234
Yeah basically, I think if you know you didnt do well because you didnt work hard enough then its easy to bring your grades up. But if you worked hard and yet you didnt get the grades thats where theres not much you can do. Its even harder now that there are no january exams


So in a way, people who get poor grades get them due to their lack of work?
Reply 8
Original post by im so academic
Anyone have any success stories of getting bad at AS, but actually improving at lot in the A2 year?

How hard did you have to work for them?


Hi there, some one last year in my college pulled a B up to an A* in Psychology, so I hope that gives you some motivation :smile:
Original post by BC95
Hi there, some one last year in my college pulled a B up to an A* in Psychology, so I hope that gives you some motivation :smile:


How did they manage that?

What about people getting A*/A from Cs?
Reply 10
Original post by im so academic
So in a way, people who get poor grades get them due to their lack of work?


Some people like me yeah. But then again I know a lot of people who did a resit year and worked harder and yet did not improve their grades by much at all. I guess it just depends on the person, I got high gcse grades so I knew i was capable.
Original post by im so academic
How did they manage that?

What about people getting A*/A from Cs?


Well getting an A* from a B is no harder than getting it from an A at AS. At least not mathematically.

I've never heard of anyone going from a C to an A*, but I'm sure it's happened and C to A must be fairly common, especially with retakes.
Reply 12
I got BCDD in my first year (Biology, Chemistry, English Lit and Physics) and came out with ABB in Biology, Chemistry and English Lit yesterday. It was a lot of hard work, and will be harder without January resits but it can still be done :smile:
Did zero work at AS ---> BCC
Worked to probably 70% of my capability ---> ABB (C in AS History became an A at A2)

I'm sure I would've managed AAA had I worked better during both years, but I'm happy that I proved my teachers wrong (who discouraged me from aiming too high with my uni choices) and managed to get into a good uni for Law.
Original post by GemG
I got BCDD in my first year (Biology, Chemistry, English Lit and Physics) and came out with ABB in Biology, Chemistry and English Lit yesterday. It was a lot of hard work, and will be harder without January resits but it can still be done :smile:


Yeah, surely it's even worse for those who just finished AS levels as there are no January exams? :frown:
Reply 15
Retook a year to go from CCEU to A*AAab at LSE
Original post by Use Err Name
Did zero work at AS ---> BCC
Worked to probably 70% of my capability ---> ABB (C in AS History became an A at A2)

I'm sure I would've managed AAA had I worked better during both years, but I'm happy that I proved my teachers wrong (who discouraged me from aiming too high with my uni choices) and managed to get into a good uni for Law.


Hey there I got my AS results ABCD yesterday in English lit&lang, Economics, History and biology respectively. Obviously dropping biology which I hated anyway but I was wondering if I still have a good chance of studying law at a really good uni? I'm definitely going to try much harder in A2 as I didn't really this year. I'm sacred I won't be predicted AAB/ABB which would mean not applying to unis I want?
Just feeling a bit disheartened so any advice is appreciated

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Original post by Dursty
Retook a year to go from CCEU to A*AAab at LSE


****, how did that happen? That's amazing.

What are you going to study at LSE?
Reply 18
i got CCDD for my AS do you think i should retake 3 modules to get CBBD or retake the whole year? I want to apply for biomedical science at st Georges?
Reply 19
When you retake a year do your previous grades remain?

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