Resitting AS - How does it work? Is it the right thing to do?

So I had some pretty bad AS results, and I've had to take a look at my options, and I think there's only really two viable options open to me.

I could resit AS, though I'm not sure how the entire process works, whether there are costs involved and whether it'll be a black mark on my future.

Or I could look to get an apprenticeship, but the more I think about it, the more this idea seems unlikely. There's only one apprenticeship within 20 miles that even interests me, and even then it'd be very difficult for me to actually get there since I have no real means of transport.

So... is retaking AS a good idea? My subjects were Maths, Physics, Geography and Further Maths with the grades CCEU respectively.

There's a lot more I could say but for the sake of keeping this from becoming a wall of text nobody wants to read, there's no point in adding it in.

So I had some pretty bad AS results, and I've had to take a look at my options, and I think there's only really two viable options open to me.

I could resit AS, though I'm not sure how the entire process works, whether there are costs involved and whether it'll be a black mark on my future.

Or I could look to get an apprenticeship, but the more I think about it, the more this idea seems unlikely. There's only one apprenticeship within 20 miles that even interests me, and even then it'd be very difficult for me to actually get there since I have no real means of transport.

So... is retaking AS a good idea? My subjects were Maths, Physics, Geography and Further Maths with the grades CCEU respectively.

There's a lot more I could say but for the sake of keeping this from becoming a wall of text nobody wants to read, there's no point in adding it in.

There are basically 2 options for resitting: you could either retake the whole year and redo year 12, or you could carry on to year 13 and study the A2 content, and retake your AS units at the same time in June.

There are costs, but as far as I know, these are just the costs for retaking the exams set by the exam board.

I really don't think it'll be a black mark - plenty of people retake and it's only ever the top top unis that are really concerned about it, so I think you'd be fine

There is a cost involved in re-taking but I seem to remember on the sheet I was given last year the cost of maths and physics not being ridiculously high. Aaprt from the top unis (i.e Oxbridge and maybe a few others), re-taking shouldn't be much of a problem in terms of your future, especially if you re-take them at the same time as your A2s
If you don't want to do an apprenticeship, don't do one. Personally, I think re-takes are worth it. Yes, it's a lot of work but as long as you put the effort in and know what you need to do improve they can help massively. I re-sat all of my AS exams apart from 1 and overall my grades improved by quite a lot. The only problem is now that January exams have gone, you's have to do all in the summer. It's up to you but I don't think would've been able to sit my A2s and re-takes in one exam season

Thanks for the replies.

Do you have a rough idea of the cost? ~£100 or less?

You both say about resitting AS while I do A2... How would that work? I carry on with my two C subjects for A2 and resit one other from AS, then finish sixth-form with two A2s and an AS? Is it even possible to pull the Cs up to As?

If I were to retake the year, would I be retaking all four subjects? When I turn 19 during A2, will I have to start paying?

Sorry for the barrage of questions, I'm trying to find a decent site to answer them but I'm not getting much. The best I've found is http://www.cife.org.uk/FAQs-about-A-level-retakes.html but that's promoting its own agenda and doesn't cover everything, plus it's not clear when it's talking about AS or A2.

Thanks for the replies.

Do you have a rough idea of the cost? ~£100 or less?

You both say about resitting AS while I do A2... How would that work? I carry on with my two C subjects for A2 and resit one other from AS, then finish sixth-form with two A2s and an AS? Is it even possible to pull the Cs up to As?

If I were to retake the year, would I be retaking all four subjects? When I turn 19 during A2, will I have to start paying?

Sorry for the barrage of questions, I'm trying to find a decent site to answer them but I'm not getting much. The best I've found is http://www.cife.org.uk/FAQs-about-A-level-retakes.html but that's promoting its own agenda and doesn't cover everything, plus it's not clear when it's talking about AS or A2.

I'm really sorry, I'm not so sure about the cost. But it's up to you whether you want to retake 3 or 4 subjects. In terms of resitting, you start the A2 syllabus as normal, but at the same time you have your A2 exams, you'll be retaking AS modules too, it's not something I'd recommend, as they've recently scrapped Jan resits so you have to do them in June, this potentially comprising your A2 results, so if I was in your position I would retake the year. The idea of resitting is that you try to get higher grades on specific modules, which would bring your overall AS grade up.

I don't think any extra, provided you're under 19 when you restart your ASs but I'm not entirely sure . At this point, I would probably contact your school/ college to get their policy on it.

I'm not really sure of a cost, sorry How many resits are you thinking of doing?
What I did was I dropped 1 subject at AS then for my other 3 I sat resat two exams in January as well as one A2 module then I resat the rest in the summer alongside my other A2 exams. Luckily I only had 3 A2 exams so I didn't have too many exams. And yes, it's completely possible to pull up Cs to As. I got DEEE at AS and have just finished with BCC so to pull the two Cs up by 2 grades is easily doable. Yes, I think you do have to pay when you're 19, again you may have to check.

Thanks for the insights

Yeah, I don't like the idea of doing A2 and AS at the same time. A clean resit of the year sounds preferable.

I feel like I should retake everything, since I've always been told I should be getting good grades, but I'm not actually sure. I guess I should start making phonecalls tomorrow, try and come to a decision. Just gotta hope I make the right one :/

I feel quite a bit more informed now, though, so thanks again you two