A-Level results day: Didn't do as well as you'd hoped? Advice here - 14 August 2014

Thursday 14th August 2014 A-Level Results Day: Didn't do as well as you hoped?
A-Level Results Day is just round the corner and we hope that you all achieved the grades that you wanted! Unfortunately, this won't always be the case for everyone. If you are in this position, the first thing to realise is that it is not the end of the world - there are still several options open to you. This thread will hopefully give you an insight of what you can do next, whether you are an AS student or an A2 student with a university place at stake.

If your query is not answered in this post or you have any further questions, please feel free to make a post in this thread. To get the attention of the mods looking after these threads, just copy and paste the following into your post (from [noparse]

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If you wish to have a general chat about A-Level results day, have a look at the A-Level Results Day Discussion thread. If you are in year 12 and you have just collected your AS results, you may wish to have a look at the AS-Levels: what next after results? thread. When they are released, you can access grade boundaries via the Grade Boundaries thread.

Good luck with results! :biggrin:

I am an AS student and I didn't do as well as I wanted to!
If you did not score as highly in your AS exams as you intended, the first thing to remember is that all is not lost. If you plan on completing a full A-Level in the subject in which you didn't perform as well as you wanted to, realise that AS levels count towards 50% of your final results and there is still everything to play for in year 13. Some common scenarios have been discussed below, with advice on what you should do if you are in a similar position.

I missed the grade required in order to continue studying a subject at A2.
Many institutions require for you to score a certain grade at AS in order for you to continue studying a particular subject at A2. If you are in the position where you did not meet the minimum grade required, you need to consider why you were unable to do so.

If it was due to a lack of understanding of the content, then you may wish to reconsider whether or not you want to continue with that subject for A2. Many people find the jump between AS and A2 to be just as bad, if not worse, than the jump between GCSE and AS level. As a result, continuing with this subject could make life very difficult and stressful for you.

If you feel that there were other, outside circumstances that affected your performance in your AS exams, you should try to speak to the subject head as soon as possible. It may be the case that they will let you continue with the subject at A2. Unfortunately, this won't always be the case and you will need to be prepared to convince your subject head to let you continue.

If you are adamant on continuing the subject for A2, then you could consider getting a module remarked or retaking an AS module alongside your A2 exams (see below for more information on retakes/remarks).

My Sixth Form/College is not letting me complete my A-Levels as I didn't meet their AS requirements.
If you did not meet the AS requirements for your current institution and you want to continue with A-Levels, then it would be best to try to contact other Sixth Forms/colleges with lower entry requirements to see if they're willing to take you on for A2. You will need to do this as soon as possible, as their places may fill quickly.

Please note that your new institution may not teach the same specification (i.e. may have different exam boards for your subjects), so the content of your AS levels may not correspond to the content at A2. You will also need to submit an application to switch exam boards by the 21st October. In addition, the exam boards may not be willing for you to switch from one to another, so it is important that you have thought of a back up. The application to switch exam boards and more information can be found here: http://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/entries/gce-entry-information-incltransfer-of-credit

I want to retake year 12.
After reflecting upon your results, it may be the case that you wish to retake the whole of year 12. If this is the case for you, you should speak to the Head of Sixth Form/College to see if they will be willing for you to do this. It may also be the case that you'll be allowed to change your subjects completely (although you will still have to declare your other results on UCAS if they have been certificated). Also note that some universities only consider applicants who have completed their A-Levels in 2 years, so you may be limiting your options for the future by studying for them in 3 (or more) years.

I don't think I want to continue with further education.
It may be the case that you no longer want to go into Further Education. If so, you could:

- Seek to pursue a vocational course instead. See here for more information: http://www.cityandguilds.com/qualifications-and-apprenticeships#fil=uk

- Go straight into work. If so, have a look at our Careers and Employment forum: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=8

- Take up an apprenticeship. Have a look at our Apprenticeships forum: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=516

I am an A2 student and I didn't meet my offer for my firm/insurance!
If you have completed your A-Levels and you didn't quite meet your offer, it can feel like the end of the world. However, this doesn't have to be the case.

- In some cases, your firm or insurance may let you in even if you haven't quite met their conditions. If this is the case, Track will update to show that you have been accepted and you can celebrate!

- If track says that your offer is still conditional for either your firm, your insurance or both, then you should call the university in question as soon as possible to see if they have made a decision or not. If they say that they are still considering, you may need to plead your case to let them take you on.

- If you missed your offer by just a few UMS, you may consider getting one or more papers remarked to see if the grades go up to meet your offer (see below for more information). You will need to let your desired university know as soon as possible if this is the case and, unfortunately, it is up to their discretion as to whether or not they will be willing to accept you even if your grade does increase.

- If you are in a position where your firm and insurance are not willing to take you on (or you got no offers), you will go into Clearing. You can find more information on our Clearing guide and you can find details of every university in Britain on the Clearing 2013 contact directory . If you are in Clearing, you can make life very easy for yourself by having:

1) Your previous results slips with all of your modular results.
2) A mobile phone that is fully charged and that has plenty of credit.
3) Internet access.
4) The Telegraph paper, which will give you the full list of universities in clearing.

- If you do not want to go through the process of clearing, you may wish to take a gap year and retake some exams in that year (see below for more information on retakes). If you would like more information or advice on what you can do in your gap year, please have a look at our Gap Year forum.

Remark information
If you were just a couple of UMS off the next grade boundary for a particular subject or you feel that your result does not reflect how you felt you did in the exam, you may wish to get one or more papers remarked. There are many different post-results services available and these have been explained below.

I missed my offer by a couple of UMS. Will my Firm/Insurance still consider me if I remark?
Firstly, it is very important for you to contact your desired university to tell them that you are considering getting a paper remarked. It is also vital that you request a priority remark (see below). Unfortunately, universities are not obliged to keep your place if you are awaiting the result of a remark. If this is the case, however, and after the remark your grade goes up to meet the offer, the university might be able to have your place deferred.

What services are available and which is suitable for me?
There are various services available for an EAR (enquiry about results), and the services may differ between exam boards. These services have been listed below (click the blue writing to expand).

Check EAR Service 1: Clerical

(exams) EAR Service 2: Post-results review of externally marked components

(exams) Priority EAR Service 2: Post-results review of externally marked components

coursework EAR service 3: Post-results review of internally assessed/externally moderated

If you want to use any of these services, you will need to speak to your examinations officer.

How can I use these services if I'm a private candidate?
You can apply for EARs directly. Most applications are done online where there are clear instructions.

If the result of my remark is lower than my original result, can I keep my original result?
No - the final mark will count even if it is lower than the original.

Can I request to see my paper to help me decide if it's worth getting a remark or not?
You can request to receive your original script or a photocopied version of your script through Access to Scripts services (ATSs). If you have a university place at risk, however, it is not advisable to request this as you will require an urgent remark.

If you do want to see a copy of your paper, you should speak to your examinations officer. Note that if you request to receive your original script, you will not be able to use the EAR service. Thus, it is almost always best to request a photocopied version of your paper.

How likely is it that my mark will change?
There is no definitive answer for this. In general, however, subjects in which a strict markscheme is followed (e.g. Maths) are unlikely to have been marked incorrectly and so it is less likely for marks in these subjects to change. In subjects where the marking is more subjective (e.g. English), there may be a difference in what one examiner considers A grade material to another examiner. As a result, it is more likely for marks to change in these types of subjects. Note that "more likely" or "less likely" does not mean "certain" or "impossible."

Will I have to pay?
In most cases, you will have to pay for a remark. If your mark goes up, however, you will get a full refund. The prices for each exam board have been summarised in the table below:

I am still not happy with my result after my EAR. Can I appeal?
If you still feel that your result is incorrect, you are able to appeal the outcome of an EAR. Appeals must be sent from centres and not from individual candidates. The deadline to appeal the outcome of an EAR can vary between exam boards, so it is best for you to search online to find out when the deadlines are.

There are 2 stages to appeals, which are as follows:

Stage 1:
Examination of the case is done by a senior examiner who hasn’t previously been involved. If they feel that there is an inconsistency, then the case will be upheld (allowed) and if necessary further work may be done on candidates work. If it is rejected (disallowed) then no further action will be taken. Reports will be sent to the centre or private candidate in both cases.

Stage 2:
This must be made within 2 weeks of the result of a stage 1 appeal. Stage 2 appeals give centres or private candidates a chance to present their case to an impartial body in a hearing. This body will decide the fate of the appeal. Again a report on the outcome will be sent to the centre or private candidate.

More information regarding appeals can be found here: http://store.aqa.org.uk/admin/library/APPEALS.PDF

Key dates
22nd August: Deadline to receive applications for priority EAR service 2.

31st August: Final date to inform universities of your new grades if they are different following an EAR and if the university is holding on to your place.

20th September: Deadline to receive applications for all other EAR services.

4th October: Deadline to receive applications for ATS's.

Retake information
If you want to try to boost your mark for a particular subject, you have the option to retake one or more papers in the following exam season. In England, this will be in June 2015. Many people for some reason or another think that because they are retaking a paper, they are automatically guaranteed a higher mark. It is important that you do not fall into this mindset and that you revise for your retakes.

Wait! In the past, I could retake in January?
January exams have now been abolished so this is no longer possible.

Can I retake only one paper or do I have to retake the whole subject?
You can retake just one paper rather than the whole subject.

If my retake mark is lower than my original mark, which mark will count?
Your best mark will count.

How do I decide if I should retake a module?
Here are a few questions that you may wish to ask yourself before deciding:

down? Is one modular result significantly lower than the others and holding your overall grade

UMS? Are you close to getting the grade want, but have missed boundary by a few

papers? Do you feel extenuating circumstances affected your performance on

exams? Do you have the time to prepare for retake alongside other

If you are still unsure, you could try speaking to your subject teacher for advice or making a new post in this thread.

What do universities feel about retakes?
Before you retake, bear in mind that universities will be able to see that you are retaking exams as you'll have to put the grade as "Pending" on UCAS.

Most universities are fine with the odd retake. A few of the top universities and in particular Medical Schools may feel that retakes show that you will not be able to cope with the course. The best thing for you to do is contact the universities you are interested in applying for and asking them if they're still happy to consider you.

For Medicine, you may wish to have a look at the Medical School Resit Policies page. Please note that some information on that page may be out of date, so it is in your best interests to contact Medical Schools yourself to see what their policies on retaking are.

Will I have to pay?
There is usually a small charge associated with retaking some units. It's best to speak to your examinations officer as the exact price can vary between centres.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 1

zme srrpa

i gave my as biology exam and got d and then again i gave a2 but got U i alevels biology. i just want to retake my a2 .is it possible only to retake a2 biology and carry over the as grades

Reply 2

usycool1

OP

19

Original post by zme srrpa

i gave my as biology exam and got d and then again i gave a2 but got U i alevels biology. i just want to retake my a2 .is it possible only to retake a2 biology and carry over the as grades

I've merged your post here - that way, you can get more info regarding retakes in the post above. :smile:

Yeah, you can do that. :smile:

Reply 3

zme srrpa

thank god..i hardly got d in biology and i really dnt wanna retake as but just retake a2 and improve my grade

Reply 4

wabz95

Do unis ask for higher grades if We retake exams or the same As someone who is taking the exams for the first time?

Reply 5

saifulahmed

1

i got an A in math and C in further maths, and my marks for all the units are
AS- A2
C1-88 C3-97
C2-89 C4-80
Fp1-96 Fp2-82
M1-80 M2-49
S1-81 M3-49
S2-59 D1-70
if i combine M1 and M2 with core maths i get an A in maths and B in further maths, but instead the examiners combined D1 and S1 with core maths. can someone suggest me who should i talk to about this and if anything can be done?i think its not fair, cause i wanted M1 to go with core maths, and before registration i asked british council if i could choose it, but they said that edexcel will use the best combination for best grades, but they didn't.combining S1 with core maths in AS and S2 with FP left me with choice of only one optional unit for core maths, that is D1, but if it was M1 with core maths there would have been two choices for optional unit. either D1 or M2. that was not fair!

Reply 6

Bunny2014

10

Can i do a course that is 280 points when I got AACCC today?? Thanks please help!!

Reply 7

xxvine

19

Original post by usycool1

I've merged your post here - that way, you can get more info regarding retakes in the post above. :smile:

Yeah, you can do that. :smile:

uni's don't like retakes do they? they want it all in one sitting?

Reply 8

Master722

1

Thank you for this Thread. I feel slightly better about how i've done.

Reply 9

hau28

19

I got an A in english lit, B in history and B in italian. Is it worth getting a remark for English and history? I'm no way near the next grade but something just doesn't seem right. I got a C in the English exam, yet I got an A for my coursework at AS and full marks in my A2 coursework. Furthermore, I got an A in my history coursework and a high B at AS, yet a D in the exam! I seriously think these exams have been marked wrong, but the jump is so far to the next grade. But I really need to get my grades to at least aab

Reply 10

deeferdog

6

Hi all, just looking for some advice :smile:

I'm in year 12 - disappointed with my results - AACD in geography, history, biology and psychology + A in my EPQ.

I would have liked biology to be higher but found the exam hard. Thought I'd done way better than a D in psychology.

Basically, everyone thinks I should now drop psychology - however, I really liked it, and I like what we'll be studying in year 13. But I really hate history, and it's what I had planned on dropping. It doesn't interest me and I can't imagine doing another year of it.

School aren't much help at all really. I know at the end of the day it's up to me but I'm not sure whether to carry on with a higher grade in a subject I detest or a much lower grade in a subject that interests me.

I want to do Zoology and so Bio, Geog and Psych would count as 3 sciences, if that makes a difference :smile:

Reply 11

Llewellyn

14

Original post by Bunny2014

Can i do a course that is 280 points when I got AACCC today?? Thanks please help!!

Yes, you have exceeded this by a lot. I think you have 480 points.

Original post by saifulahmed

i got an A in math and C in further maths, and my marks for all the units are
AS- A2
C1-88 C3-97
C2-89 C4-80
Fp1-96 Fp2-82
M1-80 M2-49
S1-81 M3-49
S2-59 D1-70
if i combine M1 and M2 with core maths i get an A in maths and B in further maths, but instead the examiners combined D1 and S1 with core maths. can someone suggest me who should i talk to about this and if anything can be done?i think its not fair, cause i wanted M1 to go with core maths, and before registration i asked british council if i could choose it, but they said that edexcel will use the best combination for best grades, but they didn't.combining S1 with core maths in AS and S2 with FP left me with choice of only one optional unit for core maths, that is D1, but if it was M1 with core maths there would have been two choices for optional unit. either D1 or M2. that was not fair!

Well done on your results! So you need to notify your school/college about this immediately, they should be able to get this sorted with the board.
The board has made a mistake here and I can't really understand why they have done this, but you should be due AB.

Original post by wabz95

Do unis ask for higher grades if We retake exams or the same As someone who is taking the exams for the first time?

No, this is rare. Generally, Unis will give the same offers for a certain course.

Reply 12

andy0996

My results were much worse than I was hoping for so I missed my firm but still (somehow) got accepted by my insurance. However, my firm course has been put into clearing with a lower offer of BBB. I have BBD but with my extended project and AS level I have 330 UCAS points, so the equivalent of more than BBB. Is it worth trying to talk to my firm or will they just say flat out no? I don't want to be released from my insurance without knowing but I love that course :frown:

Reply 13

08rgill

7

Hi!

I got ABBC in AS today in biology, chemistry, maths and physics and really badly want to study medicine at Oxford or at any other top university. Can someone please tell me what emphasis Oxford put on AS grades? Do you think that I can still apply? My GCSE profile is 9A*s and 2As. I'm thinking of dropping the subject with the C and taking the AS Levels with ABB to next year. I'm really stuck on what to do! :frown:

Thanks!

Reply 14

hau28

19

How prestigious is queen Mary's university in relation to other london unis and and ones in the Russell group?

Reply 15

Llewellyn

14

Original post by deeferdog

Hi all, just looking for some advice :smile:

I'm in year 12 - disappointed with my results - AACD in geography, history, biology and psychology + A in my EPQ.

I would have liked biology to be higher but found the exam hard. Thought I'd done way better than a D in psychology.

Basically, everyone thinks I should now drop psychology - however, I really liked it, and I like what we'll be studying in year 13. But I really hate history, and it's what I had planned on dropping. It doesn't interest me and I can't imagine doing another year of it.

School aren't much help at all really. I know at the end of the day it's up to me but I'm not sure whether to carry on with a higher grade in a subject I detest or a much lower grade in a subject that interests me.

I want to do Zoology and so Bio, Geog and Psych would count as 3 sciences, if that makes a difference :smile:

Well done on your results!

This is obviously a difficult decision. Firstly, I'd point out that for Zoology it doesn't really matter if your 3rd subject is history or psychology - so don't concern yourself over that.

I think it's better to be sensible about this and really think about yourself and your strengths. Be honest here - was the D in psych really that surprising? How did your classmates do in psych (if they didn't do well, it could well be the case that your school isn't preparing your properly, which isn't really something you can fix, and that could really come back to bite you.

Also consider that you'll likely be asked for As and Bs for certain Universities. It will be very difficult to do this in psych - you will either need to resit or make a massive improvement next year to bring that D up to a A/B. On the other hand, it will be much easier to do this in History as you already have a high mark. This will also make year 13 much less stressful if you go in thinking "I just have to do last year again". I would make the mature decision, and stick with History even if you don't like it. Just put up with it for a year, work as hard as you did this year and then you can have fun at Uni studying Zoology (without having to do history again)!

I do understand the "not wanting to do a subject you don't like" - but I would really emphasise here that doing History is a much better decision in the context of getting into Uni. You don't want to be doing a load of psych. resits next year.

Original post by hcu95

I got an A in english lit, B in history and B in italian. Is it worth getting a remark for English and history? I'm no way near the next grade but something just doesn't seem right. I got a C in the English exam, yet I got an A for my coursework at AS and full marks in my A2 coursework. Furthermore, I got an A in my history coursework and a high B at AS, yet a D in the exam! I seriously think these exams have been marked wrong, but the jump is so far to the next grade. But I really need to get my grades to at least aab

If you think something is very wrong, and you need AAB, then I would say it's worth gettting a remark for History.
I am not sure if I recommend getting English remarked, it could easily go down. I would think carefully about this - are you a lot over the A mark (320) in English? This would decrease the risk of getting marked down.

Original post by xxvine

uni's don't like retakes do they? they want it all in one sitting?

It's better to sit exams once and not need to do retakes. However, Unis do understand that people have bad days, or get stressed, or get into a muddle and so it is perfectly acceptable to retake units. But if you do retake, you should look to improve.

It is super-common to do retakes, but just keep it to a minimum. If you are doing 3+ retakes as well as a lot of "new" modules, this could be too much work.

Reply 16

username1014643

6

I got BCC and needed BBC to get into Leeds, I missed getting a B by 3UMS marks which equates to 2 raw marks !
so I'm getting a remark I really hope I get it or I can persuade them to let me in otherwise :frown:

Reply 17

Llewellyn

14

Original post by andy0996

My results were much worse than I was hoping for so I missed my firm but still (somehow) got accepted by my insurance. However, my firm course has been put into clearing with a lower offer of BBB. I have BBD but with my extended project and AS level I have 330 UCAS points, so the equivalent of more than BBB. Is it worth trying to talk to my firm or will they just say flat out no? I don't want to be released from my insurance without knowing but I love that course :frown:

Sorry to break this to you, but it's a bad idea to try this. Your firm has already "rejected" you because they didn't accept you, so it's unlikely they'd take you through clearing. Also UCAS points don't factor into this when they're specifically asking for grades - sorry :/ It would be a very risky move in my opinion.

But really well done on your results! I'm sure you'll still have a great time at Uni

Original post by hcu95

How prestigious is queen Mary's university in relation to other london unis and and ones in the Russell group?

QMU is obviously a well-thought of University, and has a lot of history and prestige associated with the Uni.

To be honest, I think Imperial, UCL and some other top Russel Group Unis are viewed as slightly better. But really, University is about your experience, don't let what others think negatively impact your decisions - it's more what you'd get out of it.

Original post by 08rgill

Hi!

I got ABBC in AS today in biology, chemistry, maths and physics and really badly want to study medicine at Oxford or at any other top university. Can someone please tell me what emphasis Oxford put on AS grades? Do you think that I can still apply? My GCSE profile is 9A*s and 2As. I'm thinking of dropping the subject with the C and taking the AS Levels with ABB to next year. I'm really stuck on what to do! :frown:

Thanks!

Unless you get a resit and boost your Bs in chemistry and maths to As - I don't think you can apply to Oxford this year sorry. :console:

(Btw, please don't apply for a resit just for the sake of it - do this if you feel that a certain module was lower than you expected).
But! - this isn't the end of the line by any means :smile:

your GCSEs are excellent, and medicine is a course where generally speaking, your education is the same no matter what Uni you get into. I think for this year, you should apply for medicine and see if you get in. If things don't go so well, then you could potentially take a gap year and apply with (hopefully) better A2 grades (the better you do next year, the easier it will be to get in). It's also a worthwhile option to go into biochem, or a similar biology degree if you don't get offers, and then apply for postgrad medicine.

I understand that you're upset, but in the context of how most people do, you have still done fantastic and should be proud :biggrin:

Original post by cyan kat

I got BCC and needed BBC to get into Leeds, I missed getting a B by 3UMS marks which equates to 2 raw marks !
so I'm getting a remark I really hope I get it or I can persuade them to let me in otherwise :frown:

Ah, that's heartbreakingly close :frown:

I'm sorry to hear this... let us know if the remark improves! Also, has your track changed? - Leeds may still be making the decision to take you regardless. If they haven't rejected you yet, it may be worth ringing them to point out how close you were.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 18

hau28

19

If you think something is very wrong, and you need AAB, then I would say it's worth gettting a remark for History.
I am not sure if I recommend getting English remarked, it could easily go down. I would think carefully about this - are you a lot over the A mark (320) in English? This would decrease the risk of getting marked down.

I'm 14 marks in to an A and I doubt it will go down, because like I said, it's already suspiciously low. Moreover I think it may be another exam board much up like for the 2012 gcses, I went from a b to an a* in my summer exam after a remark. How risky is it if I'm 14 ums in?

Reply 19

andy0996

Original post by Llewellyn

Sorry to break this to you, but it's a bad idea to try this. Your firm has already "rejected" you because they didn't accept you, so it's unlikely they'd take you through clearing. Also UCAS points don't factor into this when they're specifically asking for grades - sorry :/ It would be a very risky move in my opinion.

But really well done on your results! I'm sure you'll still have a great time at Uni

That's fine, that's what I thought but figured it couldn't hurt asking :smile:

thank you, I'm sure I will. I do really like my insurance anyway!

A-Level results day: Didn't do as well as you'd hoped? Advice here - 14 August 2014

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