The Student Room Group

Getting kicked off Biology course!?

I’m freaking out just a lot right now. I’m in my second year of sixth form, doing my exams in a month. Everything has so far been fine. However:

For my Biology course, we are required to do 6 core practicals (essentially just experiments set out by the exam board). If you fail to do even ONE of these practicals, you will fail the course. A couple of months ago, I missed a practical because I had to get my ID renewed overseas. I’d told my teacher beforehand and she quite simply said “you’ll just have to do it when you get back.”

Fast forward to now, I’ve suddenly been told by her that if I don’t do it by the end of next week, I will FAIL A-Level Biology. The practical has to be overseen by either her or my other teacher and she is too busy the whole of this week and the next to endorse it. She told me to ask my other teacher if she could do it, but I’m really doubting it because my other teacher is only in two days a week and is also extremely busy.

Just thinking about it is making me feel kind of sick. My entire future is centred around biology. My firm and insurance choices are both for biology courses, and I’m told a month before my exam that if I don’t complete a practical by next week, I won’t have a Biology A-Level.

I have yet to ask my other teacher, but I’m panicking really bad. Like I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous.

As a side note, it can only be one of my two teachers who can oversee it. Please help?
Reply 1
Hurry up and ask the other teacher then?
Original post by Anygy
I’m freaking out just a lot right now. I’m in my second year of sixth form, doing my exams in a month. Everything has so far been fine. However:

For my Biology course, we are required to do 6 core practicals (essentially just experiments set out by the exam board). If you fail to do even ONE of these practicals, you will fail the course. A couple of months ago, I missed a practical because I had to get my ID renewed overseas. I’d told my teacher beforehand and she quite simply said “you’ll just have to do it when you get back.”

Fast forward to now, I’ve suddenly been told by her that if I don’t do it by the end of next week, I will FAIL A-Level Biology. The practical has to be overseen by either her or my other teacher and she is too busy the whole of this week and the next to endorse it. She told me to ask my other teacher if she could do it, but I’m really doubting it because my other teacher is only in two days a week and is also extremely busy.

Just thinking about it is making me feel kind of sick. My entire future is centred around biology. My firm and insurance choices are both for biology courses, and I’m told a month before my exam that if I don’t complete a practical by next week, I won’t have a Biology A-Level.

I have yet to ask my other teacher, but I’m panicking really bad. Like I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous.

As a side note, it can only be one of my two teachers who can oversee it. Please help?


I don't see any way tsr users can help, the only way this can be sorted out is between you and your teachers. If it can't be done directly with them then talk to someone in the school senior leasdership team and get your parents involved if necessary.
Original post by Anygy
I’m freaking out just a lot right now. I’m in my second year of sixth form, doing my exams in a month. Everything has so far been fine. However:

For my Biology course, we are required to do 6 core practicals (essentially just experiments set out by the exam board). If you fail to do even ONE of these practicals, you will fail the course. A couple of months ago, I missed a practical because I had to get my ID renewed overseas. I’d told my teacher beforehand and she quite simply said “you’ll just have to do it when you get back.”

Fast forward to now, I’ve suddenly been told by her that if I don’t do it by the end of next week, I will FAIL A-Level Biology. The practical has to be overseen by either her or my other teacher and she is too busy the whole of this week and the next to endorse it. She told me to ask my other teacher if she could do it, but I’m really doubting it because my other teacher is only in two days a week and is also extremely busy.

Just thinking about it is making me feel kind of sick. My entire future is centred around biology. My firm and insurance choices are both for biology courses, and I’m told a month before my exam that if I don’t complete a practical by next week, I won’t have a Biology A-Level.

I have yet to ask my other teacher, but I’m panicking really bad. Like I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous.

As a side note, it can only be one of my two teachers who can oversee it. Please help?

noooooooooooooooooooooooo

hope it works out well
Reply 4
Original post by Anygy
I’m freaking out just a lot right now. I’m in my second year of sixth form, doing my exams in a month. Everything has so far been fine. However:

For my Biology course, we are required to do 6 core practicals (essentially just experiments set out by the exam board). If you fail to do even ONE of these practicals, you will fail the course. A couple of months ago, I missed a practical because I had to get my ID renewed overseas. I’d told my teacher beforehand and she quite simply said “you’ll just have to do it when you get back.”

Fast forward to now, I’ve suddenly been told by her that if I don’t do it by the end of next week, I will FAIL A-Level Biology. The practical has to be overseen by either her or my other teacher and she is too busy the whole of this week and the next to endorse it. She told me to ask my other teacher if she could do it, but I’m really doubting it because my other teacher is only in two days a week and is also extremely busy.

Just thinking about it is making me feel kind of sick. My entire future is centred around biology. My firm and insurance choices are both for biology courses, and I’m told a month before my exam that if I don’t complete a practical by next week, I won’t have a Biology A-Level.

I have yet to ask my other teacher, but I’m panicking really bad. Like I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous.

As a side note, it can only be one of my two teachers who can oversee it. Please help?


I wish more people read their specs - you say how important Biology is and potentially an area you're wanting to develop further study in yet can't take a moment to even understand the course even a little bit. It's slightly worrying how students go 2 years without even understanding what components and percentages make up their course, intuition at it's finest. :congrats:

You will not fail A-level Biology if you don't do the practical(s). You will however fail the practical endorsement aspect of it, which grants either a pass or fail. This is completely unrelated (except from perhaps enhancing your understanding of practical-based questions in the exams) towards your final grade.
Your uni offers may require you to have a pass in the practical endorsement - again, it's something you should check and know. I'm assuming they will though seeing as it's for Biology/science-related degree.

Your teacher saying you will fail the entire course if you don't get this practical done by x date is laughable - it's merely to moderate it in time and is unaffected by your overall grade. Either you misunderstood her or she misunderstands the course she's meant to be teaching - it literally says on the first few pages of the specification (and with a simple bit of math), exams make up 100% of the grade.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by 8radley
I wish more people read their specs - you say how important Biology is and potentially an area you're wanting to develop further study in yet can't take a moment to even understand the course even a little bit.

You will not fail A-level Biology if you don't do the practical(s). You will however fail the practical endorsement aspect of it, which grants either a pass or fail. This is completely unrelated (except from perhaps enhancing your understanding of practical-based questions in the exams) towards your final grade.
Your uni offers may require you to have a pass in the practical endorsement - again, it's something you should check and know. I'm assuming they will though seeing as it's for Biology/science-related degree.

Your teacher saying you will fail the entire course if you don't get this practical done by x date is laughable - it's merely to moderate it in time and is unaffected by your overall grade. Either you misunderstood her or she misunderstands the course she's meant to be teaching - it literally says on the first few pages of the specification (and with a simple bit of math), exams make up 100% of the grade.


To me, that would essentially be a fail of the entire course considering both my firm and insurance choices require a pass in the practical endorsement. Even if it’s separate to the grade, I’m assuming I still will not be able to get into my chosen universities considering I technically failed the practical side, which is a requirement.

All I can go by is my teacher saying, quote “the deadline for core practicals is next week. If you can’t get [other teacher] to do it with you, you’re stuffed.”

I’m honestly not sure what to do.

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