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please help. have a unique situation regarding gcse retakes and a level to do medicin

Hello, I am in year 12 currently and I have failed my gcses due to extreme circumstances in 2019. For year 12, i took a btec applied science level 2 course and was going to retake maths and triple science gcse in the summer. Unfortunately, exams are cancelled and I will be resitting the exams in the autumn series. This causes many problems as I am going to have to take a year out to retake these gcses in the hopes of getting high grades to study A levels such as bio, chem and physics. Problems are that when i get my grades in february, i would be a second year student if i was still in college and in september I would be 19 years old. If i do happen to get grade 6 or above in maths and triple science would i be allowed study A levels in college as a third year since A levels last around 2 years. This has been a really sticky situation for me and i will be thankful to those who give advice during these weird times.

Reply 1

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

Only the course provider for those A-levels can tell you whether it would be possible to go on to study those subjects with those (prospective) GCSE grades. I would note that if you are over the age of 19 when you begin the course you may be liable for fees. I'm not sure if you will be permitted to "take a year out" if you are not yet 18, as you are required to be in education or training until that age: https://www.gov.uk/know-when-you-can-leave-school. You may need to then undertake some qualification or training in that year. It may be worth looking at some apprenticeship opportunities for that year, ideally something healthcare related and in the NHS, as that may give you some relevant experience you can reflect on for a medicine application. You will also be able to earn some money, which is a bonus :smile:

may be able to advise on how such an education format may affect a medicine application. In theory I suppose you would only be taking the A-levels over two years, and if you have documented extenuating circumstances for the GCSE resits that may not make a difference (and may not be that important for some medical schools anyway). Since the BTEC is only a level 2 qualification that wouldn't overlap with the A-level material so there shouldn't be any overlapping content to cause concern for having sat the material over more than 2 years...it is a bit all over the place though.

Reply 2

Lifeismad

You'll be allowed. College is usually for 16-19 year olds so don't worry. If you're really worried you could always call/email your college and confirm if you could do a third year with them and it shouldn't be a problem especially with the coronavirus situation going on. Good luck!