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Purposely missing an AS exam

I've got my AS exams coming and I'm almost certain I'll fail my Economics exam. My other 3 subjects on the other hand I'm predicted A's and so I'd like to just miss my economics one. Will Uni's be able to see my grade at all? Or will it seem as though I never even studied Economics and only did the other 3? Also I plan to pick up another AS next year and do it for only the first year to get some extra UCAS points.
As a further point I have asked my teacher to allow me to not take the exam but was told it is too late.

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You must declare all your grades on UCAS.

That includes U grades.
(edited 7 years ago)
You will still be graded for this and I think if you don't turn up (without a medical reason or otherwise), they will mark you zero. This will be worse than whatever you get if you go in and at least attempt the exam.

University's will see this. However, they are more likely to notice a 0 than something higher, but not as high as your other grades, because from my experience, if they see the A-levels you continue with are all A's and you do well in them at the end, they will not focus on one lower result. But they may not overlook a zero.

My advice would be to go and give it your best shot :-)
Original post by Marsell
I've got my AS exams coming and I'm almost certain I'll fail my Economics exam. My other 3 subjects on the other hand I'm predicted A's and so I'd like to just miss my economics one. Will Uni's be able to see my grade at all? Or will it seem as though I never even studied Economics and only did the other 3? Also I plan to pick up another AS next year and do it for only the first year to get some extra UCAS points.
As a further point I have asked my teacher to allow me to not take the exam but was told it is too late.


You have to declare everything on your UCAS application - including Us, which is the grade you'd get for not turning up to the exam. So you may as well sit the exam, as with some studying in the weeks ahead you'd have a good chance of at least passing, which would look a lot better on your UCAS application. I don't know about your school/college, but mine would send a teacher to your house if you don't turn up to the exam, so I doubt your school would be too pleased about missing an exam that they have paid for.

Basically, you have the choice of guaranteeing that you'll get a U, or having the chance to pass. I'd go for the latter option.
Reply 5
Original post by CuriousQuestioner
You will still be graded for this and I think if you don't turn up (without a medical reason or otherwise), they will mark you zero. This will be worse than whatever you get if you go in and at least attempt the exam.

University's will see this. However, they are more likely to notice a 0 than something higher, but not as high as your other grades, because from my experience, if they see the A-levels you continue with are all A's and you do well in them at the end, they will not focus on one lower result. But they may not overlook a zero.

My advice would be to go and give it your best shot :-)


Thank you
Reply 6
Just go and attempt it; you still have a few weeks to try and prep for the exam.
Reply 7
Original post by doctorwhofan98
You have to declare everything on your UCAS application - including Us, which is the grade you'd get for not turning up to the exam. So you may as well sit the exam, as with some studying in the weeks ahead you'd have a good chance of at least passing, which would look a lot better on your UCAS application. I don't know about your school/college, but mine would send a teacher to your house if you don't turn up to the exam, so I doubt your school would be too pleased about missing an exam that they have paid for.

Basically, you have the choice of guaranteeing that you'll get a U, or having the chance to pass. I'd go for the latter option.


So if I don't show up at all I will definitely get a U? Because I've been told different things, with people saying that you receive no grade and it instead seeming as though you never even studied the subject (which is what I'd like)
Reply 8
OP must declare all exams taken and their results, but my understanding is that he is not going to be taking this exam, and consequently hasn't failed it. If he has not sat an exam, he doesn't put it on his Ucas form next year and universities are not going to see it. (It is AS, is it not?) It's a different matter if a Ucas application has already been made i.e. if he is taking A2, not AS, and he has stated he is taking this exam, but as it stands, he is not taking a qualification, he is not failing it and universities won't know he was ever considering taking an exam. Exam results are only sent to Ucas if the exam has been taken in the first place, and it hasn't. Whether it is a good idea or not to drop this subject now is a different question and not one on which I can comment.

@Minerva @Roving Fish @PQ @clairestelle @SlowlorisIncognito @jneill etc. Just summoning the uni genies in case I am missing something obvious.
Original post by Marsell
??


I've tagged Carnationlilyrose, who is a teacher and knows a great deal about exams and how the formalities of them work. She'll get a notification and get back to you with what I hope is an authoritative answer.
Original post by Marsell
So if I don't show up at all I will definitely get a U? Because I've been told different things, with people saying that you receive no grade and it instead seeming as though you never even studied the subject (which is what I'd like)


You won't get a U. It's marked with an X, iirc.
@Compost @gdunne42 @Muttley79 will confirm, I think.
Reply 12
Original post by Hydeman
I've tagged Carnationlilyrose, who is a teacher and knows a great deal about exams and how the formalities of them work. She'll get a notification and get back to you with what I hope is an authoritative answer.


Thank you very much
You can't get a grade if you don't sit the exam. Pretty silly to give someone a U grade when they haven't sat anything???? U grades is a grade as sometimes U grades carry very little UMS. Source; Mums a business teacher
Reply 14
Original post by Marsell
I've got my AS exams coming and I'm almost certain I'll fail my Economics exam. My other 3 subjects on the other hand I'm predicted A's and so I'd like to just miss my economics one. Will Uni's be able to see my grade at all? Or will it seem as though I never even studied Economics and only did the other 3? Also I plan to pick up another AS next year and do it for only the first year to get some extra UCAS points.
As a further point I have asked my teacher to allow me to not take the exam but was told it is too late.


Talk to your school about this NOW. Not your teacher, go to the exams officer. They'll will simply notify the exam board your name was an error but you may have to pay the admission fee to make up for their loss. Don't take no for an answer because it is possible not to sit the exam without getting a U
Reply 15
By the way you will get an X not a U which is undeclareable because it doesn't count as an award like a U grade does
Don't do it. I did it for one of my exams that I could have easily gotten a C in and instead got ungraded (it is on your results sheet as an X and u do have to declare it) and several lectures from various teachers and you also feel really really **** cause of the "what if's" etc. Whilst another exam, I turned up to but did not really even attempt it (was also planning to miss it) and also got a U on it but it was still better than missing it entirely.
Original post by bluemadhatter
Don't do it. I did it for one of my exams that I could have easily gotten a C in and instead got ungraded and several lectures from various teachers and you also feel really really **** cause of the "what if's" etc. Whilst another exam, I turned up to but did not really even attempt it (was also planning to miss it) and also got a U on it but it was still better than missing it entirely.


I thought of you instantly when I read this, LOOL! :biggrin:
Reply 18
Original post by Carnationlilyrose
OP must declare all exams taken and their results, but my understanding is that he is not going to be taking this exam, and consequently hasn't failed it. If he has not sat an exam, he doesn't put it on his Ucas form next year and universities are not going to see it. (It is AS, is it not?) It's a different matter if a Ucas application has already been made i.e. if he is taking A2, not AS, and he has stated he is taking this exam, but as it stands, he is not taking a qualification, he is not failing it and universities won't know he was ever considering taking an exam. Exam results are only sent to Ucas if the exam has been taken in the first place, and it hasn't. Whether it is a good idea or not to drop this subject now is a different question and not one on which I can comment.

@Minerva @Roving Fish @PQ @clairestelle @SlowlorisIncognito @jneill etc. Just summoning the uni genies in case I am missing something obvious.


It is an AS exam and I don't plan to take it at all. To further explain my situation, my teacher for Economics has been absent for most of the year and so I would just not turn up to the lessons in which the rest of my class would be given sheets to work on individually. This has resulted in me lacking a substantial amount of knowledge, though I'm sure 90% of my class feel as though they are going to fail. Hopefully this explains why I want to make it seem as though I never studied it
Original post by Marsell
Thank you very much


Ask the school to withdraw your exam entry - we make people pay if they don't bother to turn up without good reason.

Is there any coursework?

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