A Level Extenuating circumstances

Hi everyone, I’m in a pickle.

I have an offer to study at LSE, I need AAA. My predicted grades are A*A*A*. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism end of March, but it wasn’t that bad and I was taking my medication, over the past few weeks it’s gotten a lot worse, I can’t concentrate, I’m extremely tired all the time and I have brain fog as well having a headache all the time. This has impact my performance in my exams a lot. I’ve done 1 geography paper so far and 1 further maths paper and I’ve flopped them both, which is unlike me. Are my circumstances bad enough to apply for extenuating circumstances?

Thanks,
Zainab

Hi everyone, I’m in a pickle.

I have an offer to study at LSE, I need AAA. My predicted grades are A*A*A*. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism end of March, but it wasn’t that bad and I was taking my medication, over the past few weeks it’s gotten a lot worse, I can’t concentrate, I’m extremely tired all the time and I have brain fog as well having a headache all the time. This has impact my performance in my exams a lot. I’ve done 1 geography paper so far and 1 further maths paper and I’ve flopped them both, which is unlike me. Are my circumstances bad enough to apply for extenuating circumstances?

Thanks,
Zainab

Well CP1 (if you do Edexcel) was a nightmare for everyone, so you 'flopping' it could very well just be because it was a hard paper - so don't be too discouraged if you think you did badly because a lot of people feel the same way. As for applying for special consideration, it's always worth asking as the worst thing that can happen is they say no. Do you have any doctor's notes confirming your condition? Did you speak to invigilators on the day of your exam? Or have you mentioned your struggles to teachers or anyone (any adults I mean) in school before now? That could help your case in getting special consideration for the exams you've already done. But definitely talk to someone from your school asap - maybe drop them an email because CP2 is on the Monday after half term so you might not get a chance in person before then and even if they don't see it until after half term, it's good to have it in writing before sitting your exam. Hope you feel better soon and good luck for the rest of your exams!

Do you mean extenuating circumstances? That's a process whereby you tell the universities to which you've applied about something which may impact your grades, in the hope that they'll take that into account wither when deciding whether or not to make you an offer, or whether or not to confirm your place (when your results become available in August). If you check LSE's Extenuating circumstances guidance they cite "The onset or worsening of a serious or chronic mental or physical health condition" as an example of an extenuating circumstance which they would encourage applicants to report. Note that if you are going to inform them, you must do so by 31 July. (Telling them only once you've received your A level grades would be too late.)

Another approach would be "special consideration", whereby your school informs the exam boards of what's happened and - if approved - the exam board tweak your mark upwards slightly in an attempt to take account of your issue. For the "flare-up of a severe congenital/medical condition or a psychological condition", where ‘recent’ is defined as up to four months prior to the examination(s) taking place, they would look to adjust your mark by 3%. That might not sound like much, but it could take you across a grade boundary. Full details of the process and rules can be found here.

Note that the LSE guidance document says, "UK and International A level awarding bodies, and several other examination systems, allow students to apply for Special Consideration if there has been an acute disruption to their studies, for example illness or bereavement during the examination period or a problem administering the examination. Where a candidate is eligible, we would expect them to apply through this process in the first instance." (my emphasis).