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Can you get an A at A2 with a B at AS?

I want to study English Literature at The University of Birmingham and for that I need AAB at A2.

At AS I got BBB (English Literature, English Language and Art) so I'm just wondering if it's possible for me to achieve AAB at the end of A2.
I was only 2/3 marks off an A in all 3 of my subjects.

Any help would be appreciated greatly :smile:

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Reply 1
Yes
Original post by Jamesy11
Yes


My friend told me it would be impossible so I was panicking haha.
Would it be significantly harder to get an A?
Reply 3
No, if you are 2-3 UMS off you just need to average marginally over 80% to balance it out.
Reply 4
Original post by chloemichelle97
My friend told me it would be impossible so I was panicking haha.
Would it be significantly harder to get an A?


If it makes you feel better I got 4B's at AS and also need AAA-AAB for my course (CompSci) - I plan on resitting 3 modules which may be an option for you. Just try not to worry and make sure you get your 'knowledge' foundations set strongly now so its easier for you later when revising.
Reply 5
I got an A at A2 (and overall) after a D at AS. But this was chemistry which is arguably easier to improve in than english. And in maths, I went from a C to a B with only one resit in each.
Seriously, you are fine. If I were you, I wouldn't even retake as it's easier to make up the 2-3ums in another module than to spend revision time on a resit.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by ojj_12
I got an A at A2 (and overall) after a D at AS. But this was chemistry which is arguably easier to improve in than english. And in maths, I went from a C to a B with only one resit in each.
Seriously, you are fine. If I were you, I wouldn't even retake as it's easier to make up the 2-3ums in another module than to spend revision time on a resit.


This is a huge help thank you so much.
Yeah I'm just gonna have to work like crazy because the grade boundaries in literature are ridiculously tight. I don't want to retake because it's extra stress etc. so I'd rather focus on A2 exams only.
Congratulations on your improvements + grades! Thank you :biggrin:
Original post by Jamesy11
No, if you are 2-3 UMS off you just need to average marginally over 80% to balance it out.


Thank you so much I feel a lot better now
Original post by Loz8
If it makes you feel better I got 4B's at AS and also need AAA-AAB for my course (CompSci) - I plan on resitting 3 modules which may be an option for you. Just try not to worry and make sure you get your 'knowledge' foundations set strongly now so its easier for you later when revising.


I really don't fancy re-sitting them because I don't know what I'd do differently, plus it's extra work and stress that could be put into my A2 exams. It's pretty difficult in English to move up grades because there are only a few marks in-between grades it's so annoying.
Thank you for your help and good luck!
Reply 9
Original post by chloemichelle97
I want to study English Literature at The University of Birmingham and for that I need AAB at A2.

At AS I got BBB (English Literature, English Language and Art) so I'm just wondering if it's possible for me to achieve AAB at the end of A2.
I was only 2/3 marks off an A in all 3 of my subjects.

Any help would be appreciated greatly :smile:


Yes, yes and yes.
I got all B's in all my subjects at AS level. In the end I got an A* in Biology, an A in Chemistry and an A in Geography. It will require you to get your head down for A2 and do some serious work.
Yes you can, I got a B in Geology at AS and just scraped an A overall at A2 (I did do one resit though) :smile:
Original post by Leviathan1741
Yes you can, I got a B in Geology at AS and just scraped an A overall at A2 (I did do one resit though) :smile:


I'm not sure re-sitting would benefit me.
So after your resit you had a B?
Original post by chloemichelle97
I'm not sure re-sitting would benefit me.
So after your resit you had a B?


Yeah, I did the resit for one of the AS units and got a B for AS, and then got an A overall at A2
Original post by Leviathan1741
Yeah, I did the resit for one of the AS units and got a B for AS, and then got an A overall at A2


Ah I see. I got 25/30 on the first part of the exam and 25/30 again on the second half so I'm not sure how much that would change with a resit :/
Definitely, especially if you do resits.

I had a friend who went from a D to an A* in one of her subjects.
Original post by Peaches and Cream
Definitely, especially if you do resits.

I had a friend who went from a D to an A* in one of her subjects.


I don't plan on doing any resits for the reasons i've mentioned in other comments.
I'm really asking if I can get an A with a high B and no resits
Original post by chloemichelle97
I don't plan on doing any resits for the reasons i've mentioned in other comments.
I'm really asking if I can get an A with a high B and no resits


It's mathematically possible, yes. A2 material is generally harder than AS material, however, so keep that in mind. It's technically possible to get an A* with a B at AS too so you should be okay.
Original post by Hydeman
It's mathematically possible, yes. A2 material is generally harder than AS material, however, so keep that in mind. It's technically possible to get an A* with a B at AS too so you should be okay.


Okay! I mean, I'd resit if I really had to but I'd honestly rather not (not because I can't be bothered haha).
Original post by chloemichelle97
Okay! I mean, I'd resit if I really had to but I'd honestly rather not (not because I can't be bothered haha).


That's fair enough - without January exams, any resits have to be balanced with the workload of your A2 exams, which are generally more difficult anyway. It's understandable why someone might not want to resit. :smile:
Original post by chloemichelle97
I want to study English Literature at The University of Birmingham and for that I need AAB at A2.

At AS I got BBB (English Literature, English Language and Art) so I'm just wondering if it's possible for me to achieve AAB at the end of A2.
I was only 2/3 marks off an A in all 3 of my subjects.

Any help would be appreciated greatly :smile:


Yeah totally possible. I got a mid B at AS in one of my subjects and ended up getting an A by just one mark :s

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