how can i get into bio chem a level with not enough grades

2

so for gcses i got a 5-4 near a 5-5 they need a 6-6 for me to get in i tried to tell my sixthform to resit the combined science exam privately and do the a levels after i get my grades they refused i couldn't find other ones so i choose different options but i still want to do bio chem a level what should i do? should i resit science gcse else ware or should i do the as level privately then try to get in for year 2 help thank you

Reply 1

Higherup

3

There’s a school in north London that will accept you if you got 5-5 in gcse science. You can do bio and chem a level. Did u do higher

Reply 2

a student 113

OP

2

Original post by Higherup

There’s a school in north London that will accept you if you got 5-5 in gcse science. You can do bio and chem a level. Did u do higher

yes i did higher but i did not find any school that dose a level with my grades so i stayed in my sixth form is it possible to do what i said before

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 3

Higherup

3

Yeah it seems like a good idea but it seems kind of long. Why don’t you have a look at schools that will accept you to do bio and chem a level with your grades. That way you can do bio and chem a level without no interruptions.

Reply 4

a student 113

OP

2

i did look but did not find can you tell me whats the name of the college in north west london never heard of a college like that

Original post by Higherup

Yeah it seems like a good idea but it seems kind of long. Why don’t you have a look at schools that will accept you to do bio and chem a level with your grades. That way you can do bio and chem a level without no interruptions.

Reply 5

Higherup

3

Here is the course guide, have a look at the subjects you want to do and the entry requirements. They may accept you as you did higher.

https://www.standrewtheapostle.org.uk/documents/sixth-form/StAndrews_6thFormCourseBooklet-2018-19online.pdf

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 6

CaptainDuckie

Study Forum Helper

22

Your options

- resit your GCSE’s at a private exam centre so that you can get 6-6 to then eventually enroll into sixth form/college.

- go to a college/sixth form that will accept you with 5-4 (since you’ve said that you have looked, this may no longer be an option) even if it’s a local college, these tend to accept lower grades. I know someone who got 6-5 in combined science but was still able to do A-level in bio and chem because the college accepted them.

- pick different a-levels or look into something called “applied science”.

do you have any ideas what you want to study at university?

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 7

a student 113

OP

2

can you please elaborate more about the gcses part like i already enroled into applied science and told them about resitting gcses privately they said i can but wont be able to study this year so do i sit gcse science while doing applied and then at the end of year 1 i can see if i can enrol into year 12 agian? as they said i might not be able and also lets say my school dose AS level year 1 then a level so can i privately sit as level at the end of the year 1 then try to enrol to year 2 or do like i said before about resitting science my school did not say that much details also i have interest in med

Original post by CaptainDuckie

Your options

- resit your GCSE’s at a private exam centre so that you can get 6-6 to then eventually enroll into sixth form/college.

- go to a college/sixth form that will accept you with 5-4 (since you’ve said that you have looked, this may no longer be an option) even if it’s a local college, these tend to accept lower grades. I know someone who got 6-5 in combined science but was still able to do A-level in bio and chem because the college accepted them.

- pick different a-levels or look into something called “applied science”.

do you have any ideas what you want to study at university?

Reply 8

Higherup

3

If you want to do medicine you cannot do it with btec applied science. You would also need to do the ucat which will need to happen in the summer of yr12

Reply 9

Studybug136

1

Original post by a student 113

i did look but did not find can you tell me whats the name of the college in north west london never heard of a college like that

Judging by your situations I think it’s best to move schools. I know a friend who got 5-5 in their science gcse and he went to a school that would accept him to do bio and chem. He’s now predicted As. So it’s better to do a levels than just retaking which is just long unless you feel your grades are not what you want them to be. But my advice is that you should move schools.

Reply 10

EBluebear

12

The reason that most sixth forms won't accept students with less than a 6-6 (and some require 7s and/or at least a 6 in Maths) is because your chances of succeeding at Science A levels with those grades is extremely low. If you knew you needed at least a 6-6 and the best you could manage was a 5-4 then A level Sciences are probably not for you. You need to look honestly at your capabilities and then choose a suitable course going forward.

If you take A level Biology then your most likely grade is a D and you have less than a 1% chance of achieving an A or A* (which you'd need for medicine). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/610077/Progression_from_GCSE_to_A_level_-_Comparative_Progression_Analysis_as_a_new_approach_to_investigating_inter-subject_comparability.pdf

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 11

vesq

13

Original post by EBluebear

The reason that most sixth forms won't accept students with less than a 6-6 (and some require 7s and/or at least a 6 in Maths) is because your chances of succeeding at Science A levels with those grades is extremely low. If you knew you needed at least a 6-6 and the best you could manage was a 5-4 then A level Sciences are probably not for you. You need to look honestly at your capabilities and then choose a suitable course going forward.

If you take A level Biology then your most likely grade is a D and you have less than a 1% chance of achieving an A or A* (which you'd need for medicine). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/610077/Progression_from_GCSE_to_A_level_-_Comparative_Progression_Analysis_as_a_new_approach_to_investigating_inter-subject_comparability.pdf

May be true in some cases. But if you look back on what went wrong and you put in the hard work and hours, I am pretty sure you can get A/A*S. You should limit yourself and think oh I did badly in GCSE I'm probably going to do badly in A levels. OP, if you really want to do A-level bio and chem and it is not just a phase, then I think you should go for it. reflect on what you did wrong in GCSEs and improve on it. Work ethic is extremely important if you want to do bio and chem, you need to have one or else it won't lead to success. It is key that you should believe in yourself in order to do well, as it will take a lot. It is most likely that other students with higher grades will have an advantage which is why hard work and dedication are important.

Reply 12

EBluebear

12

Original post by vesq

May be true in some cases. But if you look back on what went wrong and you put in the hard work and hours, I am pretty sure you can get A/A*S. You should limit yourself and think oh I did badly in GCSE I'm probably going to do badly in A levels. OP, if you really want to do A-level bio and chem and it is not just a phase, then I think you should go for it. reflect on what you did wrong in GCSEs and improve on it. Work ethic is extremely important if you want to do bio and chem, you need to have one or else it won't lead to success. It is key that you should believe in yourself in order to do well, as it will take a lot. It is most likely that other students with higher grades will have an advantage which is why hard work and dedication are important.

The statistics tell us that it's a lot more than 'May be true in some cases'. I presume the majority of people who take up A levels in Biology and Chemistry with low GCSE grades think they can buck the statistics and do well. The statistics tell us that barely any of them do. The OP knew what grades they needed as a minimum to take these subjects at A level and failed - for whatever reason - to achieve them. Unless there are some extraordinary reasons behind the OP's GCSE performance it does not seem that medicine is a realistic option for them and A level Sciences are probably not the best path.

Reply 13

haykub

1

I’m in the same situation, found a school that took someone in with a 5-5 in sci and a 4 in maths, I got a 65 in sci and a 5 in maths I met the requirement for maths but was one grade off to do bio in combined. My usual school didn’t take me. But honestly I would recommend searching for a school that will and if not then resit. And if that’s not an option either than try and do applied? You can get into good scientific fields I’m not sure if medicine would be an option for you with a 5-5 in science tho but ofc if you can work hard, practice a lot surely you can beat the odds.

Reply 14

H3881

1

Original post by Higherup

There’s a school in north London that will accept you if you got 5-5 in gcse science. You can do bio and chem a level. Did u do higher

What about in walsall wolverhampton or birmingham. Yes i did higher

Reply 15

nj001

5

option a. find a college that does gcse combined science in a year or option b do edexcel igcse double award privately in november or summer. only issue with resitting is that you wont get the option to retake year 12 as the govement funding ends when your 19. To counteract this you could get a part time job for year whilst retaking gcses as a home deucated student then you could save up the money for a level retakes just in case you fail

how can i get into bio chem a level with not enough grades

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