The Student Room Group

Messed up in AS Levels, is a comeback this big possible?

Recently recieved my AS Levels and was absolutely gutted :frown: :

Maths: B
Physics: C
Economics: D

I am trying to apply to universities like Imperial, Bristol, Birmingham, Nottingham and Edinburgh in my A2 year to study Computer Science/Computing and I am going to resit my exams all in my A2 year in an attempt to get A*AAA (including Further Maths).

I also have various extenuating circumstances:

- Was supposed to be given 25% extra time for my AS year which I declined for various reasons but I will be recieving it next year.

- Medical reasons...

- Came from an under-performing secondary school which only offered me 5 GCSEs


My teachers at my college have adressed the situation and have predicted me A*AAA for my subjects.

With all these coming into play I wanted to ask a few questions

1. Is it possible to get offers from unis like Imperial and Birmingham requesting A*AA with my AS results and e.c?

2. Are there any similar scenarios as to if this has been done before?

3. How much of an impact will my e.c have on my application?

4. If anyone has an offer or are already studying CompSci/Computing at the following unis do you have any advice for me?

All criticism and advice is accepted :smile:

Leechayy

Scroll to see replies

I think that would be possible, your college probably won't cash in your AS grades in the case of students wanting to resit/remark which will of course change the grade overall. So basically it means your uni's will only receive your predicted grades along with references and of course the personal statement, which will obviously work in your favour!
Original post by Leechayy
Recently recieved my AS Levels and was absolutely gutted :frown: :

Maths: B
Physics: C
Economics: D

I am trying to apply to universities like Imperial, Bristol, Birmingham, Nottingham and Edinburgh in my A2 year to study Computer Science/Computing and I am going to resit my exams all in my A2 year in an attempt to get A*AAA (including Further Maths).

I also have various extenuating circumstances:

- Was supposed to be given 25% extra time for my AS year which I declined for various reasons but I will be recieving it next year.

- Medical reasons...

- Came from an under-performing secondary school which only offered me 5 GCSEs


My teachers at my college have adressed the situation and have predicted me A*AAA for my subjects.

With all these coming into play I wanted to ask a few questions

1. Is it possible to get offers from unis like Imperial and Birmingham requesting A*AA with my AS results and e.c?

2. Are there any similar scenarios as to if this has been done before?

3. How much of an impact will my e.c have on my application?

4. If anyone has an offer or are already studying CompSci/Computing at the following unis do you have any advice for me?

All criticism and advice is accepted :smile:

Leechayy


1. on your UCAS application you don't actually put your AS results only your predicted results so they won't know that you did badly

2. i went from get BCC in my AS subjects, resitting absolutley everything as i did my A2's and got AAA when i picked up my results yesterday so it is possible you just need to work your ass off and make your studies your priority for the year and have the summer to piss about

3. honestly i don't know. They won't know about extra time on your UCAS application,medical problems; if you send a letter with your application to explain then they may give you some leeway in your application/offer but there is no guarantee of this, it depends on the university. don't know about the last e.c as don't want to give you false hope because do not know

4. i can be of no help because i'm going to study psychology

good luck!
Original post by kristianabanana
1. on your UCAS application you don't actually put your AS results only your predicted results so they won't know that you did badly

You do
Original post by Mike_123
You do


you put the grade of the one you dropped, not the subjects you are continuing to A2
Reply 5
Unis will usually trust what your teachers are predicting to be pretty accurate so they'll probably give you the offer regardless of a disappointing AS.
I know someone who mucked up big time in their AS year, and as such couldn't gain offers from Durham-level universities. They firmed economics at Exeter for AAA (after a lot of persuading lecturers to give good predictions despite the poor AS results). He's gone on and scored A*A*B this year. Meanwhile, I managed AAAB in my AS results, so was able to get an offer (for economics) from Bath - I'd rank it as Durham level. I got the results and got in, I also noticed that there were clearing spaces on the course, so there must have been room for adjustment students. I let him know, as his results would be deemed as the same as A*AA (the regular offer). He got back to me this morning letting me know he got in, so the difference in our AS results didn't matter at all in the end!
Original post by kristianabanana
you put the grade of the one you dropped, not the subjects you are continuing to A2


http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1744719


you don't have to declare your grades on your ucas application
I achieved BBCD at AS and got it to AABc. I was 7 UMS off an A* for Maths and 3 UMS off an A in Biology which i've requested to be remarked.

I had severe anxiety problems during my AS year which meant that I had to work twice as hard as everyone else to remember things which I didn't do. I worked hard in my A2 year which meant from day 1 that I was learning it all. Note that I didn't even get extenuating circumstances as I still haven't seen a doctor about it.
Original post by kristianabanana
you don't have to declare your grades on your ucas application

Did you read the link I gave you? You must declare all qualifications that you have taken unless you go to a school where they aren't cashed in (most likely public schools).
It would be a comeback like the Undertaker at Judgment Day.
Original post by kristianabanana
you don't have to declare your grades on your ucas application


You have to put all the grades achieved in the exams you've taken, and then you put the same module again with the grade as unknown to show you're retaking it....
I got BBEE at AS level and got all five of my offers. I applied to Cardiff, Sheffield, Sussex, Birmingham and Oxford Brookes (all very good universities). I got AAB (almost A*AB) at A2 and am going to Cardiff university in September. Seriously as long as your predicted grades are ok you'll be absolutely fine, just resit the exams you did worst in.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Mike_123
Did you read the link I gave you? You must declare all qualifications that you have taken unless you go to a school where they aren't cashed in (most likely public schools).


my school don't cash them in
Original post by Leechayy
Recently recieved my AS Levels and was absolutely gutted :frown: :

Maths: B
Physics: C
Economics: D
You shouldn't be gutted with these results, they good!! :smile:

I am trying to apply to universities like Imperial, Bristol, Birmingham, Nottingham and Edinburgh in my A2 year to study Computer Science/Computing and I am going to resit my exams all in my A2 year in an attempt to get A*AAA (including Further Maths).

I also have various extenuating circumstances:

- Was supposed to be given 25% extra time for my AS year which I declined for various reasons but I will be recieving it next year.

- Medical reasons... Fair enough

- Came from an under-performing secondary school which only offered me 5 GCSEs I don't think this matters at A Level. I'm still at an under 40% school and it's never been an EC.


My teachers at my college have adressed the situation and have predicted me A*AAA for my subjects. Be very careful with this. Teachers give you pretty much any target you want, especially if you tell them you want to go to a Russell Group or something similar. But remember it will put a significant amount of stress on you, and the disappointment of not fulfilling your offer next year would be horrible. Can you realistically achieve this?

With all these coming into play I wanted to ask a few questions

1. Is it possible to get offers from unis like Imperial and Birmingham requesting A*AA with my AS results and e.c? Yes, you would probably get an offer.

2. Are there any similar scenarios as to if this has been done before? There are a few, but they are rare.

3. How much of an impact will my e.c have on my application?

4. If anyone has an offer or are already studying CompSci/Computing at the following unis do you have any advice for me?

All criticism and advice is accepted :smile:

Leechayy


^ Annotated above.

Sorry to be critical, but I do think you're going beyond your boundaries. I don't want you be given false confidence. You didn't get the grades in AS year, even with your ECs taken into account there is still a sharp grade difference you need to amend. If it was BCD and you wanted ABB, it is a lot more realistic and a lot of people achieve this. Going from BCD to A*AAA is extremely demanding, especially with another A level thrown in.

You should still go for this A*AAA target if you want, but make sure you have a good insurance, with a good course and a fair offer.
Original post by Leechayy

- Came from an under-performing secondary school which only offered me 5 GCSEs



This might help

http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/uploads/Access-schemes-to-Russell-Group-universities.pdf
Reply 17
Wow, I did not expect so many replies so quickly! Thanks everyone :smile:

Original post by aishah026
I think that would be possible, your college probably won't cash in your AS grades in the case of students wanting to resit/remark which will of course change the grade overall. So basically it means your uni's will only receive your predicted grades along with references and of course the personal statement, which will obviously work in your favour!


Original post by kristianabanana
1. on your UCAS application you don't actually put your AS results only your predicted results so they won't know that you did badly

2. i went from get BCC in my AS subjects, resitting absolutley everything as i did my A2's and got AAA when i picked up my results yesterday so it is possible you just need to work your ass off and make your studies your priority for the year and have the summer to piss about

3. honestly i don't know. They won't know about extra time on your UCAS application,medical problems; if you send a letter with your application to explain then they may give you some leeway in your application/offer but there is no guarantee of this, it depends on the university. don't know about the last e.c as don't want to give you false hope because do not know

4. i can be of no help because i'm going to study psychology

good luck!


Sounds like a plan, thanks!

Original post by kristianabanana
you put the grade of the one you dropped, not the subjects you are continuing to A2


Original post by mrfletch
Unis will usually trust what your teachers are predicting to be pretty accurate so they'll probably give you the offer regardless of a disappointing AS.


Original post by Pro Crastination
I know someone who mucked up big time in their AS year, and as such couldn't gain offers from Durham-level universities. They firmed economics at Exeter for AAA (after a lot of persuading lecturers to give good predictions despite the poor AS results). He's gone on and scored A*A*B this year. Meanwhile, I managed AAAB in my AS results, so was able to get an offer (for economics) from Bath - I'd rank it as Durham level. I got the results and got in, I also noticed that there were clearing spaces on the course, so there must have been room for adjustment students. I let him know, as his results would be deemed as the same as A*AA (the regular offer). He got back to me this morning letting me know he got in, so the difference in our AS results didn't matter at all in the end!


So it's easier to get in through adjustment afterward if they were to reject me? How does adjustment work?
Congrats on your grades too! :biggrin:

Original post by SteelCookie
I achieved BBCD at AS and got it to AABc. I was 7 UMS off an A* for Maths and 3 UMS off an A in Biology which i've requested to be remarked.

I had severe anxiety problems during my AS year which meant that I had to work twice as hard as everyone else to remember things which I didn't do. I worked hard in my A2 year which meant from day 1 that I was learning it all. Note that I didn't even get extenuating circumstances as I still haven't seen a doctor about it.



Original post by Awesome-o
It would be a comeback like the Undertaker at Judgment Day.


:mmm:

Original post by student613
I got BBEE at AS level and got all five of my offers. I applied to Cardiff, Sheffield, Sussex, Birmingham and Oxford Brookes (all very good universities). I got AAB (almost A*AB) at A2 and am going to Cardiff university in September. Seriously as long as your predicted grades are ok you'll be absolutely fine, just resit the exams you did worst in.


Thanks for all the posts everyone, so how does it work when adding AS module grades to the UCAS form? Everyone's saying different things? Do they have to be declared or not?

It's also comforting to know that its possible + I realise how much work I'll have to put in to achieve my target :smile:
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Leechayy
Recently recieved my AS Levels and was absolutely gutted :frown: :

Maths: B
Physics: C
Economics: D

I am trying to apply to universities like Imperial, Bristol, Birmingham, Nottingham and Edinburgh in my A2 year to study Computer Science/Computing and I am going to resit my exams all in my A2 year in an attempt to get A*AAA (including Further Maths).

I also have various extenuating circumstances:

- Was supposed to be given 25% extra time for my AS year which I declined for various reasons but I will be recieving it next year.

- Medical reasons...

- Came from an under-performing secondary school which only offered me 5 GCSEs


My teachers at my college have adressed the situation and have predicted me A*AAA for my subjects.

With all these coming into play I wanted to ask a few questions

1. Is it possible to get offers from unis like Imperial and Birmingham requesting A*AA with my AS results and e.c?

2. Are there any similar scenarios as to if this has been done before?

3. How much of an impact will my e.c have on my application?

4. If anyone has an offer or are already studying CompSci/Computing at the following unis do you have any advice for me?

All criticism and advice is accepted :smile:

Leechayy


1. The based offers by addind a grade to your AS and presume that's what you'll achieve at A2. So no, if they request A*AA they'd want ABB. However, this does not mean they are closed to you.

2) yeah, I got my results and my AS grades are worse, but Im still confident I can get into the Uni's I want which request AAA.

3) What's E.C. Stand for?

4) N/A

Advice: If you apply to them with your bad AS grades then they'll reject you and wont consider you in the future, so you can do several things:
1) If you're confident you can get these to the required grades via A2 exams and AS Resits then you can choose to take a gap year after A2. this means you'll already have your overall grades and can apply next year knowing you wont have to worry about exam results. Still, I'd use your time at your college to perfect your personal statement so it's ready for the next year. During the gap year you could work to save money, get work experience or even take a summer internship.
2) Don't apply to uni's this year and go through clearing if the ones you want are available to do so. This means you can still get in without taking a gap year as long as it's up there. Again, you wont have to wait in horror for your exam results but it can be pretty stressful wondering if youre going to get a place or not. More often than not, Clearing should get you a place at one of your 5 choices.
3) IF, AND ONLY IF, you are confident you WILL, get the required grades for your original wanted Uni's, then apply for one with a much lower entry requirement, and go through adjustment. You can call uni's on results day to say that you have exceeded your offer and have achieved A*AA for example, dont tell them that your previous offer was BBC or something because it wont matter. They might make a space for you, use a clearing space on you or say no altogether. If that happens then make sure to contact the Uni you firmed to try and turn them down, most commonly they'll let you without a fuss, if they argue then withdraw your UCAS application altogether then they have no choice. That just means reapply next year and resubmit your actual grades with your personal statement to the Uni you want and if you got the grades you should get a place.

Rules of advice: With all 3 options, Personal Statement is crucial! So get that sorted no matter what!
With advice option 3, im unsure whether that will affect the 4 year funding you get from student loans so you will want to check with UCAS if you can withdraw an application, resubmit next year and still get full funding. I doubt that cancelled first year counts but it's better safe than sorry.
Either way, if you apply to them with these grades then they will turn you down and wont consider you in the future even if you choose to follow any advice options.

Please reply with any questions you have and I'll be happy to respond and help where I can.


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App
Reply 19
Original post by Iggy Azalea
^ Annotated above.

Sorry to be critical, but I do think you're going beyond your boundaries. I don't want you be given false confidence. You didn't get the grades in AS year, even with your ECs taken into account there is still a sharp grade difference you need to amend. If it was BCD and you wanted ABB, it is a lot more realistic and a lot of people achieve this. Going from BCD to A*AAA is extremely demanding, especially with another A level thrown in.

You should still go for this A*AAA target if you want, but make sure you have a good insurance, with a good course and a fair offer.


That's fine. Honesty is the best policy :tongue:
I'll give it a go, besides, Nottingham ask for ABB so I have a fair backup there

Original post by All-rounder
1. The based offers by addind a grade to your AS and presume that's what you'll achieve at A2. So no, if they request A*AA they'd want ABB. However, this does not mean they are closed to you. Oh okay... :s

2) yeah, I got my results and my AS grades are worse, but Im still confident I can get into the Uni's I want which request AAA.

3) What's E.C. Stand for? Extenuating Circumstances

4) N/A

Advice: If you apply to them with your bad AS grades then they'll reject you and wont consider you in the future, so you can do several things:
1) If you're confident you can get these to the required grades via A2 exams and AS Resits then you can choose to take a gap year after A2. this means you'll already have your overall grades and can apply next year knowing you wont have to worry about exam results. Still, I'd use your time at your college to perfect your personal statement so it's ready for the next year. During the gap year you could work to save money, get work experience or even take a summer internship.
2) Don't apply to uni's this year and go through clearing if the ones you want are available to do so. This means you can still get in without taking a gap year as long as it's up there. Again, you wont have to wait in horror for your exam results but it can be pretty stressful wondering if youre going to get a place or not. More often than not, Clearing should get you a place at one of your 5 choices.
3) IF, AND ONLY IF, you are confident you WILL, get the required grades for your original wanted Uni's, then apply for one with a much lower entry requirement, and go through adjustment. You can call uni's on results day to say that you have exceeded your offer and have achieved A*AA for example, dont tell them that your previous offer was BBC or something because it wont matter. They might make a space for you, use a clearing space on you or say no altogether. If that happens then make sure to contact the Uni you firmed to try and turn them down, most commonly they'll let you without a fuss, if they argue then withdraw your UCAS application altogether then they have no choice. That just means reapply next year and resubmit your actual grades with your personal statement to the Uni you want and if you got the grades you should get a place.

Rules of advice: With all 3 options, Personal Statement is crucial! So get that sorted no matter what!
With advice option 3, im unsure whether that will affect the 4 year funding you get from student loans so you will want to check with UCAS if you can withdraw an application, resubmit next year and still get full funding. I doubt that cancelled first year counts but it's better safe than sorry.
Either way, if you apply to them with these grades then they will turn you down and wont consider you in the future even if you choose to follow any advice options.

Please reply with any questions you have and I'll be happy to respond and help where I can.


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App



So basically, don't apply to university next year if the choices above are the ones I want to apply to? :confused:

Quick Reply

Latest

Trending

Trending