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Going to bad sixth form english lit

the closest sixth form to me is not the best. i want to go into medicine and so want to get all A*s ideally.

one of my subjects is english lit which is my main concern. i enjoy it a lot, but my school results for english lit A Level is basically all Bs with the occasional C and D in the past few years.

However, they explained that basically everyone who took a level english lit got 6s/7s in their gcse.

i currently work at a low grade 9 level. will going to this sixth form harm my grades? im concerned that teacher wont go over A* material cus it would be useless for the vast majority.

also note my school has very small cohort. only around 10 ppl in english class for a while. this year will be around 14.

Reply 1

Original post by ismaelishere
the closest sixth form to me is not the best. i want to go into medicine and so want to get all A*s ideally.

one of my subjects is english lit which is my main concern. i enjoy it a lot, but my school results for english lit A Level is basically all Bs with the occasional C and D in the past few years.

However, they explained that basically everyone who took a level english lit got 6s/7s in their gcse.

i currently work at a low grade 9 level. will going to this sixth form harm my grades? im concerned that teacher wont go over A* material cus it would be useless for the vast majority.

also note my school has very small cohort. only around 10 ppl in english class for a while. this year will be around 14.


If there’s small class sizes, I’m sure you would get more contact time with the teacher so you can ask questions. You can try look for resources online too

What other a levels will you be taking?

Reply 2

Original post by subbhy
If there’s small class sizes, I’m sure you would get more contact time with the teacher so you can ask questions. You can try look for resources online too
What other a levels will you be taking?


im taking bio, chem, maths, english lit.

Reply 3

Original post by ismaelishere
im taking bio, chem, maths, english lit.


Sounds like a good combo!

Reply 4

Also worth noting that you don't need 3×A* at a level for medicine (and you only need 3, rather than 4)

Reply 5

Original post by ismaelishere
the closest sixth form to me is not the best. i want to go into medicine and so want to get all A*s ideally.
one of my subjects is english lit which is my main concern. i enjoy it a lot, but my school results for english lit A Level is basically all Bs with the occasional C and D in the past few years.
However, they explained that basically everyone who took a level english lit got 6s/7s in their gcse.
i currently work at a low grade 9 level. will going to this sixth form harm my grades? im concerned that teacher wont go over A* material cus it would be useless for the vast majority.
also note my school has very small cohort. only around 10 ppl in english class for a while. this year will be around 14.

one thing i like to think is: if you're good, you're good no matter where you go. if the level of effort at that sixth form isn't as high as the effort you put in, continue putting that effort in. the sixth form average grades aren't going to change the a-level grade boundaries, so if you keep up the amazing hard work i'm sure you're doing, then you will still get the grades you want. obviously, some schools have a lot more resources than others, and that can prove to be helpful in your studies, but if you're willing to put in the effort, and talk to your teachers 1-1, and just work like a grade 9 student, then i personally don't see why you couldn't achieve that. obviously some people may think differently, but i just wanted to push a little bit of a positive approach if that would help 🫶

but, are there any other sixth forms nearby that you could look into? it might be worth doing that, if you're still not confident in that school.
(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 6

Original post by itsadara
one thing i like to think is: if you're good, you're good no matter where you go. if the level of effort at that sixth form isn't as high as the effort you put in, continue putting that effort in. the sixth form average grades aren't going to change the a-level grade boundaries, so if you keep up the amazing hard work i'm sure you're doing, then you will still get the grades you want. obviously, some schools have a lot more resources than others, and that can prove to be helpful in your studies, but if you're willing to put in the effort, and talk to your teachers 1-1, and just work like a grade 9 student, then i personally don't see why you couldn't achieve that. obviously some people may think differently, but i just wanted to push a little bit of a positive approach if that would help 🫶
but, are there any other sixth forms nearby that you could look into? it might be worth doing that, if you're still not confident in that school.


there is another sixth form that had 6 out of 35 students get A* last year in english lit.

i will definetely put the work in but idk the nature of english lit, and if lessons will have a huge impact on my grade. im confident that the sciences and maths can all be self taught (only need to see teachers at lunch for hard topics) so lessons dont rlly matter as much.

im sure there are plenty of resources out there online too, i just hope its enough to get that A*

Reply 7

Original post by ismaelishere
there is another sixth form that had 6 out of 35 students get A* last year in english lit.
i will definetely put the work in but idk the nature of english lit, and if lessons will have a huge impact on my grade. im confident that the sciences and maths can all be self taught (only need to see teachers at lunch for hard topics) so lessons dont rlly matter as much.
im sure there are plenty of resources out there online too, i just hope its enough to get that A*


ofc a lot of it is exam technique which comes from essay practice. i should be good on that front since small class sizes mean essays can be marked quicker. its basically down to me doing the essays and listening to feedback.

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