Sixth form won't let me do sciences.

I wasn't too pleased with my results when I received them in August. I went to sixth form but all I really want to do is science and maths. In my GCSE's I got:
Biology: C (4 from a B)
Chemistry: C (3 from a B)
Physics: B
Maths: A (5 from an A*)
English Language: C
English Literature: C (1 from a B)
Religious Studies: D (1 from a C)
Drama: B
BTEC ICT: Distinction x 4
GCSE ICT: B (A* in exam and C in coursework)
General Studies: E (Had 4 weeks to do the whole course on half an hour a week)

My school wouldn't remark the papers that were like a few marks from the grade above because I was moving schools for sixth form which was a shame as I really wanted to do sciences a levels. I'm starting to miss it more and more though and I don't know what to do!

For A level I'm doing:
Maths
Business Studies
Applied ICT

i don't see any point in doing them if I don't like them but my school won't let me do sciences a level on BCC. Advice anyone? Thank you in advance!

Reply 1

LadyHaha

7

Original post by sean170296

I wasn't too pleased with my results when I received them in August. I went to sixth form but all I really want to do is science and maths. In my GCSE's I got:
Biology: C (4 from a B)
Chemistry: C (3 from a B)
Physics: B
Maths: A (5 from an A*)
English Language: C
English Literature: C (1 from a B)
Religious Studies: D (1 from a C)
Drama: B
BTEC ICT: Distinction x 4
GCSE ICT: B (A* in exam and C in coursework)
General Studies: E (Had 4 weeks to do the whole course on half an hour a week)

My school wouldn't remark the papers that were like a few marks from the grade above because I was moving schools for sixth form which was a shame as I really wanted to do sciences a levels. I'm starting to miss it more and more though and I don't know what to do!

For A level I'm doing:
Maths
Business Studies
Applied ICT

i don't see any point in doing them if I don't like them but my school won't let me do sciences a level on BCC. Advice anyone? Thank you in advance!

If you want my honest opinion, I think you'd struggle at A level science - even if your school did let you get those remarked and they went up, it would be a B at a scrape - you need to be getting comfortable As to excel at A level. Physics might not have been so bad with your A in Maths though :smile:

Are you allowed to do Economics instead of Business Studies - it's more mathsy, so you'll probably enjoy it more... If I were you, I'd have tried doing: Maths, Physics and Economics.

Reply 2

SannaS

10

Maybe do strikingly well at as and show them your capable to do a science and spend and extra year in college?? Beleuve me I got a b in science and I was learning from scratch for chemistryy level, gcses hardly have any relevance at all to a level unless u do triple award, my sixth form is quite stubborn but a level science is actually not as fun as I thought, I think you'll be fine without them :smile:

maths is super hard and that shows off your intelligence anyway

Reply 3

sean170296

OP

10

Original post by LadyHaha

If you want my honest opinion, I think you'd struggle at A level science - even if your school did let you get those remarked and they went up, it would be a B at a scrape - you need to be getting comfortable As to excel at A level. Physics might not have been so bad with your A in Maths though :smile:

Are you allowed to do Economics instead of Business Studies - it's more mathsy, so you'll probably enjoy it more... If I were you, I'd have tried doing: Maths, Physics and Economics.

Well I tried asking if I could do physics AS with an A in maths and he wouldn't let me on the course... The only reason I got BCC was because I was taken unwell before my final exams and got DDE... I explained this to the teacher and he still wouldn't let me on so I don't really know what to do! I think I would like economics but I would have to repeat the year and university's don't generally like it do they?

Reply 4

sean170296

OP

10

Original post by SannaS

Maybe do strikingly well at as and show them your capable to do a science and spend and extra year in college?? Beleuve me I got a b in science and I was learning from scratch for chemistryy level, gcses hardly have any relevance at all to a level unless u do triple award, my sixth form is quite stubborn but a level science is actually not as fun as I thought, I think you'll be fine without them :smile:

maths is super hard and that shows off your intelligence anyway

My teacher won't let me repeat the year so I'd have to go to college and start again but then that is a year of education wasted. I just wish I could go back and do better in my GCSE's

Reply 5

Molly9

2

Original post by sean170296

I wasn't too pleased with my results when I received them in August. I went to sixth form but all I really want to do is science and maths. In my GCSE's I got:
Biology: C (4 from a B)
Chemistry: C (3 from a B)
Physics: B
Maths: A (5 from an A*)
English Language: C
English Literature: C (1 from a B)
Religious Studies: D (1 from a C)
Drama: B
BTEC ICT: Distinction x 4
GCSE ICT: B (A* in exam and C in coursework)
General Studies: E (Had 4 weeks to do the whole course on half an hour a week)

My school wouldn't remark the papers that were like a few marks from the grade above because I was moving schools for sixth form which was a shame as I really wanted to do sciences a levels. I'm starting to miss it more and more though and I don't know what to do!

For A level I'm doing:
Maths
Business Studies
Applied ICT

i don't see any point in doing them if I don't like them but my school won't let me do sciences a level on BCC. Advice anyone? Thank you in advance!

I think you need to really consider whether you're capable of A level science before you complain about your teachers because in some cases the teachers are really just trying to do the best for you - they don't want you to get bad grades. A level science is very difficult and I think you have to have a real aptitude for it. I did biology AS and after getting an A* at GCSE I thought that I'd be pretty good at it but its VERY HARD and took a lot of work. I know people who got As/Bs st GCSE and couldn't get more than a D/E in the exams. Just something to think about.

I'm not sure what options you have if your sixth form are saying you cannot do the sciences, other than changing sixth forms/ going to a college? All you can do is keep trying to convince them how passionate you are. With your maths score I would say Physics would be your best bet. Good luck!

Reply 6

chapmouse

11

Original post by sean170296

I wasn't too pleased with my results when I received them in August. I went to sixth form but all I really want to do is science and maths. In my GCSE's I got:
Biology: C (4 from a B)
Chemistry: C (3 from a B)
Physics: B
Maths: A (5 from an A*)
English Language: C
English Literature: C (1 from a B)
Religious Studies: D (1 from a C)
Drama: B
BTEC ICT: Distinction x 4
GCSE ICT: B (A* in exam and C in coursework)
General Studies: E (Had 4 weeks to do the whole course on half an hour a week)

My school wouldn't remark the papers that were like a few marks from the grade above because I was moving schools for sixth form which was a shame as I really wanted to do sciences a levels. I'm starting to miss it more and more though and I don't know what to do!

For A level I'm doing:
Maths
Business Studies
Applied ICT

i don't see any point in doing them if I don't like them but my school won't let me do sciences a level on BCC. Advice anyone? Thank you in advance!

I suggest you get out of the habit of telling people you're x marks away from the next grade in a subject. The point is, you got the grade you got. That's all anyone sees.

In any case, I wouldn't suggest you did the Sciences.
I got A*s in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, and English Language. I got As in the rest of my subjects. I currently study Chemistry, Physics, Maths and Further Maths. I am struggling. My January results were ABBBC, and while I scored enough points in Maths to get an A in AS, I'm still not 100% happy with my performance.

It's not uncommon to turn people down with those GCSEs in the sciences, though, so don't feel like you're alone. My college won't accept someone onto any science course unless they got BB in double science, or BBB in triple science at GCSE. You also need a B in maths to do sciences, and an A in maths in order to do Maths. Science is hard.

However, I do agree that your GCSE performance has almost no bearing on your A level performance, given that I know people that got Bs and Cs at GCSE, and are getting As at A level.

Hope this helps

Reply 7

LadyHaha

7

Original post by sean170296

Well I tried asking if I could do physics AS with an A in maths and he wouldn't let me on the course... The only reason I got BCC was because I was taken unwell before my final exams and got DDE... I explained this to the teacher and he still wouldn't let me on so I don't really know what to do! I think I would like economics but I would have to repeat the year and university's don't generally like it do they?

I repeated the year (changed my subjects from Physics, Biology, Chemistry and History to Philosophy & Ethics, Psychology, History and Geography)... I got 5 offers (Exter, Nottingham (my first choice), Sheffield, Kent (insurance) and Keele), so they really don't mind when you have a legitimate excuse :smile:

Reply 8

tangledweb

8

Just to counter some of the other posts: I got a C in physics, and only picked it for A level as it complemented my others (chemistry, maths). My head teacher didn't want me to do A level, but luckily my physics teacher backed me. I really enjoyed A level, and went on to read physics at uni. So, just because you don't do fantastically at GCSE doesn't mean you shouldn't strive for something you really want to do.

Reply 9

Molly9

2

Original post by sean170296

Well I tried asking if I could do physics AS with an A in maths and he wouldn't let me on the course... The only reason I got BCC was because I was taken unwell before my final exams and got DDE... I explained this to the teacher and he still wouldn't let me on so I don't really know what to do! I think I would like economics but I would have to repeat the year and university's don't generally like it do they?

I have changed my mind from doing law at UCL to wanting to do neuroscience next year, so I will be doing another year at sixth for, to do A2 biology, A2 maths and a whole A level in chemistry. I emailed all the universities I might want to apply to in September (Cambridge, UCL, Imperial, Manchester, Bristol, Sussex) and they all said that they would not penalise me at all for the extra year, as they understand the need to take science subjects. If you're applying for a science based degree, the fact you did an extra year just so you can do science a levels because you're so passionate about it would probably be a bonus.

Just make sure you can get good grades in them.

Reply 10

BioGeek

13

Check your wall :wink:

Reply 11

LHJ

I got As at GCSE in the sciences and last year started chemistry AS level and really struggled, I ended up dropping it, everybody is different, but in my school you had to get at least Bs to be allowed to do the sciences. Teachers give boundaries for a reason, they don't want people to struggle, they only want to help them

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Reply 12

Future-doc

9

Ye, you probs would find it tough!
btw, your mark is your mark!! Uni's care about your GRADE, they don't write on ucas how far away you were from the next grade, that really doesn't count!
unless you didn't work hard at GCSE, a level might prove to be too difficult!

Reply 13

becky1237

Original post by sean170296

I wasn't too pleased with my results when I received them in August. I went to sixth form but all I really want to do is science and maths. In my GCSE's I got:
Biology: C (4 from a B)
Chemistry: C (3 from a B)
Physics: B
Maths: A (5 from an A*)
English Language: C
English Literature: C (1 from a B)
Religious Studies: D (1 from a C)
Drama: B
BTEC ICT: Distinction x 4
GCSE ICT: B (A* in exam and C in coursework)
General Studies: E (Had 4 weeks to do the whole course on half an hour a week)

My school wouldn't remark the papers that were like a few marks from the grade above because I was moving schools for sixth form which was a shame as I really wanted to do sciences a levels. I'm starting to miss it more and more though and I don't know what to do!

For A level I'm doing:
Maths
Business Studies
Applied ICT

i don't see any point in doing them if I don't like them but my school won't let me do sciences a level on BCC. Advice anyone? Thank you in advance!

Then don't waste your time at this sixth form. Go to another college which will allow you to or I guess getting your mum involved is worth a try. Worked for a friend of mine.

Reply 14

Tomatochuckers

18

Original post by sean170296

I wasn't too pleased with my results when I received them in August. I went to sixth form but all I really want to do is science and maths. In my GCSE's I got:
Biology: C (4 from a B)
Chemistry: C (3 from a B)
Physics: B
Maths: A (5 from an A*)
English Language: C
English Literature: C (1 from a B)
Religious Studies: D (1 from a C)
Drama: B
BTEC ICT: Distinction x 4
GCSE ICT: B (A* in exam and C in coursework)
General Studies: E (Had 4 weeks to do the whole course on half an hour a week)

My school wouldn't remark the papers that were like a few marks from the grade above because I was moving schools for sixth form which was a shame as I really wanted to do sciences a levels. I'm starting to miss it more and more though and I don't know what to do!

For A level I'm doing:
Maths
Business Studies
Applied ICT

i don't see any point in doing them if I don't like them but my school won't let me do sciences a level on BCC. Advice anyone? Thank you in advance!

There's no point doing subjects which you don't want to do- this just increases the chance of you not performing well.
What degree would you like to do?
Pick the relevant subjects and try doing them in one year (by learning all the AS content in the rest of yr 12/ summer hols). Maybe move college as well.
This is going to be difficult though so you need to work consistently, and for the sciences, have a secured centre where you can sit the practicals.

Reply 15

Forget that

15

Original post by sean170296

I wasn't too pleased with my results when I received them in August. I went to sixth form but all I really want to do is science and maths. In my GCSE's I got:
Biology: C (4 from a B)
Chemistry: C (3 from a B)
Physics: B
Maths: A (5 from an A*)
English Language: C
English Literature: C (1 from a B)
Religious Studies: D (1 from a C)
Drama: B
BTEC ICT: Distinction x 4
GCSE ICT: B (A* in exam and C in coursework)
General Studies: E (Had 4 weeks to do the whole course on half an hour a week)

My school wouldn't remark the papers that were like a few marks from the grade above because I was moving schools for sixth form which was a shame as I really wanted to do sciences a levels. I'm starting to miss it more and more though and I don't know what to do!

For A level I'm doing:
Maths
Business Studies
Applied ICT

i don't see any point in doing them if I don't like them but my school won't let me do sciences a level on BCC. Advice anyone? Thank you in advance!

In my opinion you should not be doing ICT if you got a C in the coursework for GCSE, how will you cope with 10x more work?
I got denied biology because of the school timetable, on the bright side at least you know more than 10 seconds in advance.
Have you thought of adding a subject you havnt done before? I did two- and even though its a risk its more interesting because you havnt done it before! What about Geography, politics, law?

Reply 16

sean170296

OP

10

Original post by chapmouse

I suggest you get out of the habit of telling people you're x marks away from the next grade in a subject. The point is, you got the grade you got. That's all anyone sees.

In any case, I wouldn't suggest you did the Sciences.
I got A*s in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, and English Language. I got As in the rest of my subjects. I currently study Chemistry, Physics, Maths and Further Maths. I am struggling. My January results were ABBBC, and while I scored enough points in Maths to get an A in AS, I'm still not 100% happy with my performance.

It's not uncommon to turn people down with those GCSEs in the sciences, though, so don't feel like you're alone. My college won't accept someone onto any science course unless they got BB in double science, or BBB in triple science at GCSE. You also need a B in maths to do sciences, and an A in maths in order to do Maths. Science is hard.

However, I do agree that your GCSE performance has almost no bearing on your A level performance, given that I know people that got Bs and Cs at GCSE, and are getting As at A level.

Hope this helps

In double award I would have got BB, it's my last exams what let me down. Thanks for te advice anyway.

Reply 17

sean170296

OP

10

Original post by Forget that

In my opinion you should not be doing ICT if you got a C in the coursework for GCSE, how will you cope with 10x more work?
I got denied biology because of the school timetable, on the bright side at least you know more than 10 seconds in advance.
Have you thought of adding a subject you havnt done before? I did two- and even though its a risk its more interesting because you havnt done it before! What about Geography, politics, law?

My school don't do politics and law and you have to have a B in GCSE geography to do it as an AS

Reply 18

therisenmitten

12

Sorry but I agree with people saying that you'll probably struggle.

I got 3 A*s in science for GCSE but still found chemistry A-level really hard. I worked pretty hard and even retook a couple of modules but still struggled to get a B.

A-level science is hard!

Reply 19

KingMessi

19

Original post by sean170296

-!

Unfortunately I agree with the posters that have suggested that you would struggle at A-Level, especially at A2. There's a very big jump both in the amount and the difficulty of content, and I would argue that doing three subjects you're not quite as keen on, but have a greater chance of success in, is a better bet than undergoing two very stressful, dispiriting years struggling.

If you are adamant that the only possible course of action for you is science then you really have to either kick up a fuss with the school - which I wouldn't advise: I doubt the school is being wantonly difficult - or move school, which I also wouldn't advise because of the upheaval. Why is this an issue now? How has your year of AS gone thus far?

Sixth form won't let me do sciences.

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