Medicine extenuating circumstances

I've gone through your points one by one.

-Anxiety didn't talk about it with others was too shy to ask for help and felt dumb but later found a teacher online for support and guidance (this teacher taught about religion, not A levels). Not that useful unless you were seeing a counsellor/doctor.

- Death of close family members who were like pillars in my family. Absolutely yes. Provide details of dates and how they specifically impacted on your coursework or exams.

- multiple isolation periods due to school and getting covid twice as well as having covid in family and online learning was very difficult. Circumstances affecting many other students in similar ways. Adjustments were made within the education system to compensate for this. So only worth mentioning if it can be tied into your other points.

- Dad has leukemia and works far from home and sometimes work would affect his health and it was just me and mom and siblings at home so I would have to help her to run the house. YES! Provide a little more detail on the timeframe and how it specifically affected you across your A Level study.

- I was working a lot due to wanting to help family pay bills. If this is connected to other things you are mentioning Ieg your dad's illness, then yes.

- Always took friends to see teachers or to even print things off due to anxiety but later on built confidence through work and eventually built communications skills. Too vague.

- Acne made me feel insecure (people talked about it). Only if it is a medical condition and you are under a doctor for it and taking medication.

Are they asking for you to also provide evidence to support this?

Hope this helps!

I've gone through your points one by one.

-Anxiety didn't talk about it with others was too shy to ask for help and felt dumb but later found a teacher online for support and guidance (this teacher taught about religion, not A levels). Not that useful unless you were seeing a counsellor/doctor.

- Death of close family members who were like pillars in my family. Absolutely yes. Provide details of dates and how they specifically impacted on your coursework or exams.

- multiple isolation periods due to school and getting covid twice as well as having covid in family and online learning was very difficult. Circumstances affecting many other students in similar ways. Adjustments were made within the education system to compensate for this. So only worth mentioning if it can be tied into your other points.

- Dad has leukemia and works far from home and sometimes work would affect his health and it was just me and mom and siblings at home so I would have to help her to run the house. YES! Provide a little more detail on the timeframe and how it specifically affected you across your A Level study.

- I was working a lot due to wanting to help family pay bills. If this is connected to other things you are mentioning Ieg your dad's illness, then yes.

- Always took friends to see teachers or to even print things off due to anxiety but later on built confidence through work and eventually built communications skills. Too vague.

- Acne made me feel insecure (people talked about it). Only if it is a medical condition and you are under a doctor for it and taking medication.

Are they asking for you to also provide evidence to support this?

Hope this helps!

You have certainly had a lot going on and it isn't hard to see how it is likely to have affected your academic performance.

In terms of evidence, would be able to arrange a letter from your family GP and they would be able to verify at least some of what you are talking about here?

I have added in CAPS some places where a bit more detail would be useful.

Be careful not to write anything on this thread that could make you identifiable so that your privacy is protected.

Death of close family members (Grandma) who were like pillars in my family.


Happened in the middle of year 12. She was a pillar and we would often speak to her. Very close relationship with her. My Parents were emotionally broken and we worked to send money for her funeral. Went through a period where I shut myself off. My mood was down for a long time. It was near mock exam season GIVE DATE RANGE . I found it difficult to study and prep for exams as I never had to deal with something like this. Prior to her death more close members died STATE WHO + DATES. Eventually, it took a large toll on me and I did badly on mocks and fell ill during them as well. WITH WHAT? DATES? DID YOU SEE A DOCTOR? I then felt worse after doing bad in them and from there my mood spiraled down and I wasn’t performing well in college at all. It wasn’t until late year 13 DATE I realized I needed to fix myself up and study hard. I did study hard in the end but it was too late time was short and exams were close so inevitably my grades were bad.

- Dad has leukemia and works far from home and sometimes work would affect his health it was just me and mom and siblings at home so I would have to help her to run the house.

He was diagnosed with leukemia 4 years ago STATE YEAR. Since he was diagnosed his health has seen ups and downs. His health gets worse when he works but he has to work to pay expenses and before he would also pay for the medication etc for my grandma (she lived in Bangladesh) and to help my family members living in Bangladesh he would pay their bills. For majority of the time it would be me and my mom with our siblings at home. She needed help whenever we needed to contact anything like the council etc so I would have to make a lot of phone calls or emails for her. I would also need to do the shopping and sometimes cleaning or cooking in the house as it was hard for her to manage on her own. This meant I had to take a lot of free time to help my family. My father also had injuries at work like slips or burning his hand which motivated me to work or at least go to work with him just to help out. DATES.

- I was working a lot due to wanting to help family pay bills.

The expenses were high. My dad didn’t earn too much and whatever he did wouldn’t last due to the bills. I worked to help with the household expenses and often during the holidays when I should be studying I was busy at work to help provide finance for my family. My father couldn’t work as much during covid due to being vulnerable WAS HE CLASSED AS CLINICALLY EXTREMELY VULNERABLE BY THE NHS? I had to step up during holidays to help meet the bills and it was hard to find study time. In year 13 DATES I spent a lot of time working so I can help my family and also to help our family in Bangladesh after there was intense periods of flooding there DATE and our shop which our family in Bangladesh lives off was robbed multiple times DATES.

- Acne made me feel insecure (people talked about it).

I have been prescribed medication for acne which I regularly take now. Before my acne was bad and it would make me insecure now it has improved. GIVE DATES, WHEN DID YOU START MEDICATION? A SCREENSHOT OF YOUR PRESCRIPTION OR MEDICATION BOX LABEL WILL USUALLY DO AS EVIDENCE. any side effects from the medication that affected your mood or energy levels?

Hope this helps!

That has come together well and I think makes a strong case.
In terms of general presentation, start with an opening para where you set out why you're sending the statement.
I would also draw up a list of all the supporting evidence you are sending with it and tag that on the end.
Include everything that helps to verify the things you are saying.
If they want anything else, they will come back and ask for it.
All the best with it, hope you get the outcome you want.