HELP !!!! DO A-LEVELS really matter?

hi ! im 18 and i recently got my A-levels which were an ABE -obviously because of the E, i ended up losing my firm and insurance offer and ended up having to go through clearing. however, i have been v. lucky to have found a decent university to do the course i wanted to.
however, i am just concerned that the E will affect me at a later date, although my job prospects does depend on what i get in my degree.
To help people out, the kind of carreer that i want to go down is to do with retail, marketing, possibly media or even accountancy. i just wanted to know if the E will be such a burden for the future, even though i have 2 good A-levels?

thanks for reading and please any advice will be of a help !! xxx

Reply 1

456789

most big accounting firms will have a problem with the e unless you have extenuating circumstances

Whats the E in??

Well, you're academically just as good as your last exam results, so as long as you get a 1:1 or 2:1 in your degree, your A levels will not matter to employers :smile:

Reply 4

necessarily benevolent

14

Bust your gut for a First.

Reply 5

blondie_

3

As long as you get a good degree grade i dont see why it should matter that much. What was the E grade in? Maybe do an sandwich year or something to boost your employment prospects?

Reply 6

lazarra777

OP

i got the E in politics -all by A2 exams were AWFUL although my AS result came up to a solid B. :C

Reply 7

ZakBrannigan

13

Hi
Like someone has already advised you as long as you get a decent degree classification at university,u Having that E at A Level In Politics will be overlooked as your other A level Grades are fine. :yep:

Reply 8

lucho22

13

Toffee_Kid

Well, you're academically just as good as your last exam results, so as long as you get a 1:1 or 2:1 in your degree, your A levels will not matter to employers :smile:

I'm not sure - lots of firms have prerequisite A-level standards - and if you don't have them it pretty much disqualifies you unless you have a really good reason or plenty of work experience..

Reply 9

NazB

1

i recomend that you resit the E exam just once.. itll make a big difference..

Reply 10

free_the_mind

1

I guess if you're going to be at uni and you work hard it should be ok if you get a good degree classification as mentioned. But i suppose you could resit a module to boost the grade up. You don't want it bothering you in the future.

Reply 11

Malsy

18

Your degree is what will matter. A Levels are just for getting into Uni...Employers aint going to look at your A Levels rather how good your degree is :smile:

Reply 12

djhworld

Malsi101

Your degree is what will matter. A Levels are just for getting into Uni...Employers aint going to look at your A Levels rather how good your degree is :smile:

Incorrect.

Reply 13

Malsy

18

djhworld

Incorrect.

Ha.

So they do care about A Levels. Mehhh

Reply 14

rkd

12

Having a 300 UCAS point requirement happens sometimes for grad schemes, but not everywhere, and they might ask that it's from your first set of A-levels - so resitting wouldn't change anything anyway.

Reply 15

djhworld

I don't have any experience of the HR/recruitment side of things but I'd imagine they DO look at your degree classification first (most employers expect a 2:1 or higher), then your A levels, then your GCSE's.

This is usually down to the effects of competition, if there is only 1 position going and 100 people have applied with 2:1's, you have to look lower down the chain of results to weed out the wheat from the chaff.

It's an awful system I know, but that's the way it is.

Reply 16

gdunne42

21

In general I agree that once you have your degree your A level results aren't very relevant. Law and Accountancy are two career choices where A level results can come into play. If when you graduate you plan to join one of the big firms they will expect a minumum 2/1. They get so many 2/1 applicants they are VERY likely to also specify a mumimum UCAS score as well. Here's an example from PWC.
http://www.pwc.com/uk/eng/car-inexp/student/application-timetable.html

Hope this helps you decide what to do.

Reply 17

manutdsupporter

gdunne42

In general I agree that once you have your degree your A level results aren't very relevant. Law and Accountancy are two career choices where A level results can come into play. If when you graduate you plan to join one of the big firms they will expect a minumum 2/1. They get so many 2/1 applicants they are VERY likely to also specify a mumimum UCAS score as well. Here's an example from PWC.
http://www.pwc.com/uk/eng/car-inexp/student/application-timetable.html

Hope this helps you decide what to do.

So if u retake the E and improve ur UCAS score to what is needed, isnt everything all gravy?

Reply 18

unknown demon

15

rkd

Having a 300 UCAS point requirement happens sometimes for grad schemes, but not everywhere, and they might ask that it's from your first set of A-levels - so resitting wouldn't change anything anyway.

This requirement is bare minimum and pretty much is ignored since the majority of candidates will have significantly higher grades ie. 360+.

For the bulk of graduate schemes you'll see BBB + 2.1, much higher for careers in law, management consultancy or ibanking where it will be around AAA + high 2.1/1st class honours from a top university.

My advice would be to, go to uni, bust a gut and aim to secure a 1st and do as much a possible to get work experience in lots of companies, the bigger the better (networking is very important). Then I'd say apply to jobs or grad schemes that do not stipulate any A level requirement to make things easier and waste less of your time.

Reply 19

419

14

i dont think anyone can really say what the future holds. i suggest that you resit it just in case.

HELP !!!! DO A-LEVELS really matter?

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