What to make of my AS mock grades

Hi guys,

I am taking Economics, ICT, Physics and Maths and I achieved AACC respectively in my mocks. In class, I have done very well in Maths and Physics, but struggled a bit more with Economics and ICT. This all changed come the exams as I found the Economics and ICT exams pretty simple, but I had difficulty with the Maths and Physics.

I am a bit concerned with my Maths as I continue to underperform. At GCSE I got a B, even though I was more than capable of an A/A*. The mock was only in C1, which I have found relatively straightforward, but placed in an exam situation I never seem to do so well. I'm always calm under pressure, but the questions always feel so much harder in the exam and I tend to make little slip ups. After the disappointment at GCSE, I am really determined to try to get an A, so what can I do to sort out these exam issues?

I have been right at the top of my year group for Physics and ended up one mark off a B which was the second highest in my year group. There were plenty of Es, Fs and Us so I feel that I've done well in comparison to others. However, I faced the same problem as in Maths as I was comfortably getting As when doing past papers, but dropped down to a C. I am a bit worried that I may not meet my full potential here too.

I've been wondering what I might achieve at the end of the year and I know that I have the ability to get AAAA. However, I've never felt that I've been able to nail an exam perfectly before - even at GCSE. Aside from hard work and practice, is there anything that I can do to sort this out and get AAAA?

I am not certain whether or not to continue to university, but I know that I will only go to university if I get top grades as I'm not from the wealthiest background. I don't intend to go to university just for the sake of it, but I know that I must go there if I am to achieve my full potential as a person. I would absolutely love to do something in the field of Physics or Engineering at a top university.

Thanks for any help.

Keep practising those past papers and your marks should improve. You could try timing them to put ourself under a bit more pressure. C1 is a 'funny' module as you can almost over-think the questions and make them too complicated.

Some of my students have got engineering jobs in F1 and they haven't gone to RG unis! In fact, some employers actively seek students from the more industry based courses ...

Oxford Brookes supply most F1 engineers - all teams took at least one student last year, one team took 20 - their engineering degrees need BBB.

They also do Formula Student and I think they are the most successful UK team.

So keep working on those past papers!