Do worse advanced higher results overwrite good higher results in the same subject

I'm going into S6 now and just received my results for 2023. I got 5 A's at higher including: English, Maths, Physics, Computing, History.

I want to go to uni at glasgow or strathclyde for computing/engineering which i *think* i should be good for with my results however i'm taking 2 advanced highers for my S6 year in Advanced Maths and computing.

So my question is, if i do poorly in my advanced highers and get for example 2 C's, will that replace my 2 A's at higher and leave me with a final result of 3 Higher A's & 2 AdvHigher C's? (2 Higher B's) therefore leaving me worse off by taking the advanced highers.

orrrr does it just leave me with 5 Higher A's + 2 AdvHigher C's ?

Thanks :smile:

Reply 1

cantdomathlikefr

11

Original post by PorkyJoe

I'm going into S6 now and just received my results for 2023. I got 5 A's at higher including: English, Maths, Physics, Computing, History.

I want to go to uni at glasgow or strathclyde for computing/engineering which i *think* i should be good for with my results however i'm taking 2 advanced highers for my S6 year in Advanced Maths and computing.

So my question is, if i do poorly in my advanced highers and get for example 2 C's, will that replace my 2 A's at higher and leave me with a final result of 3 Higher A's & 2 AdvHigher C's? (2 Higher B's) therefore leaving me worse off by taking the advanced highers.

orrrr does it just leave me with 5 Higher A's + 2 AdvHigher C's ?

Thanks :smile:

orrrr does it just leave me with 5 Higher A's + 2 AdvHigher C's
this^

AH maths is SOOO easy just need enough practice (and intuition) and that should be guarenteed A (or B)
Hint for AH maths try and understand the maths wrather than rote learning it, you will get so much further but understanding it.

Reply 2

S1098

7

Original post by PorkyJoe

I'm going into S6 now and just received my results for 2023. I got 5 A's at higher including: English, Maths, Physics, Computing, History.

I want to go to uni at glasgow or strathclyde for computing/engineering which i *think* i should be good for with my results however i'm taking 2 advanced highers for my S6 year in Advanced Maths and computing.

So my question is, if i do poorly in my advanced highers and get for example 2 C's, will that replace my 2 A's at higher and leave me with a final result of 3 Higher A's & 2 AdvHigher C's? (2 Higher B's) therefore leaving me worse off by taking the advanced highers.

orrrr does it just leave me with 5 Higher A's + 2 AdvHigher C's ?

Thanks :smile:

The Advanced Higher grades don't replace your Higher grades but they do add to them. So for example the Glasgow uni Computing Science entry requirements are here:

https://www.gla.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/computingscience/#tab=entry

They say you need AAABB by end of S5 which you have. Typical offer for end of S6 is AAAAAA. So you need one more A at Higher or a B at Advanced Higher (they count a B at Advanced Higher as equivalent to an A at Higher).

Their website explains about where you can double count your subjects and what grades at Advanced Higher are considered as equivalent to in Highers:

https://www.gla.ac.uk/undergraduate/entryrequirements/policy/#scottishhighers

In the computing science entry requirements they do also say that Advanced Higher Maths is recommended. So you are probably better sticking to doing Advanced Highers in Maths and Computing - and aim to get an A or a B in one of them. If you get a C in both of them you won't meet their likely offer (unless you are eligible for a contextual offer). If you choose to do a Higher instead in a different subject just to get an A you will probably be up against other candidates with good predicted grades in relevant Advanced Highers when they are deciding who to make offers to. Depends how competitive the course is - probably quite competitive looking at the entry requirements.

Reply 3

PorkyJoe

OP

2

Original post by S1098

If you choose to do a Higher instead in a different subject just to get an A you will probably be up against other candidates with good predicted grades in relevant Advanced Highers when they are deciding who to make offers to. Depends how competitive the course is - probably quite competitive looking at the entry requirements.

I just re-read my post and realised i completely forgot to mention that i'm also gonna be taking Higher business next year which i'm fairly certain i'll be able to get an A in. Do you think that changes things? My main worry was that taking 2 advanced highers and doing bad in them could ruin my grades from S5 but from what you're saying + glasgow uni link it doesn't seem like that to me.. am i right?

Reply 4

S1098

7

You are right that if you get an A in business you will meet the grade profile of their likely offer but that isn't the only thing you have to think about. The university will be looking at all aspects of your application (personal statement, reference, subjects studied). As I said, I would think they'd have a preference for applicants with higher predicted grades in relevant subjects.

In university applications, the advice is usually to pick one or two aspirational choices - places where you will have to push to get the entry requirements, a couple of safer options and one safe backup. So you need to have a think (and talk to your teachers) about what they think you can acheive in your exams. You got 5 As this year, why do you think you might get Cs in the Advanced Highers - are you just thinking through all possible scenarios or is there something else behind your question?

You can look at some SQA stats if that helps. The SQA used to do progression stats - how students did moving from one level of exams to the next. They should not be relied upon to predict individual performance but give you an indication of how students did as a cohort. They haven't done these stats in recent years but if you look back at 2019 you can see progression from Higher to Advanced Higher.

https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/91419.html

In 2019, for students who had got an A in Higher Maths in 2018, 45% got an A in Advanced Higher Maths and 22% got a B.

Reply 5

eggbread78134

6

AH maths was easy all year round. I ended with 91% in the prelim I grinded past papers so hard. Final exam wasnt the best but still got the A. Same with AH physics

Reply 6

S1098

7

Original post by eggbread78134

AH maths was easy all year round. I ended with 91% in the prelim I grinded past papers so hard. Final exam wasnt the best but still got the A. Same with AH physics