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A level retakes

I got TAGs for my a levels in 2021 and then retook them in autumn 2021. I'm still not happy with my grades and want to redo two of them (I lost a parent at the time of a levels so could not mentally focus on exams). I am currently about to start studying pharmacy (going into year 1) but I still want to retake two subjects. how should I go about this? I partially want to retake these subjects so I can maybe apply to do pharmacy at a better uni (I know it doesn't matter for pharmacy) but nothing is certain yet. I feel as though I have mentally recovered and want to fix my grades and I want to go back to working hard as I am not happy with what I have achieved so far due to the setback I faced. also note: I used up my sfe gift year on pharmacology so if I do apply to a different uni, I am aware id have to fund a year or two therefore I am only just researching and weighing options.
(edited 3 months ago)
I got TAGs for my a levels in 2021 and then retook them in autumn 2021. I'm still not happy with my grades and want to redo two of them (I lost a parent at the time of a levels so could not mentally focus on exams). I am currently about to start studying pharmacy (going into year 1) but I still want to retake two subjects. how should I go about this? I partially want to retake these subjects so I can maybe apply to do pharmacy at a better uni (I know it doesn't matter for pharmacy) but nothing is certain yet. I feel as though I have mentally recovered and want to fix my grades and I want to go back to working hard as I am not happy with what I have achieved so far due to the setback I faced. also note: I used up my sfe gift year on pharmacology so if I do apply to a different uni, I am aware id have to fund a year or two therefore I am only just researching and weighing options.

I can tell you how to retake your chemistry exams, but I am not sure what your other A Level subjects are. With chemistry, the practical assessments are either pass or fail so there's little point in retaking these if you already passed them.

I would need to know whether you need to retake your coursework/NEA, what the subjects are in, and which exam boards. If you can provide this, I might be able to narrow things down.

Do note, most of this is just for your self esteem and doesn't make much difference in the grand scheme of things. It's also not cheap.
Reply 2
Original post by MindMax2000
I can tell you how to retake your chemistry exams, but I am not sure what your other A Level subjects are. With chemistry, the practical assessments are either pass or fail so there's little point in retaking these if you already passed them.
I would need to know whether you need to retake your coursework/NEA, what the subjects are in, and which exam boards. If you can provide this, I might be able to narrow things down.
Do note, most of this is just for your self esteem and doesn't make much difference in the grand scheme of things. It's also not cheap.

Thanks for replying. I did chemistry and maths edexcel and biology aqa (not thinking of retaking bio). I passed all the practicals. I agree it is for my self esteem that’s why I’m not going to prioritise it over my current studies right now but I can’t sleep pEacefully at night anymore knowing I could’ve done so much better 😫😫
Thanks for replying. I did chemistry and maths edexcel and biology aqa (not thinking of retaking bio). I passed all the practicals. I agree it is for my self esteem that’s why I’m not going to prioritise it over my current studies right now but I can’t sleep pEacefully at night anymore knowing I could’ve done so much better 😫😫

If it's just Edexcel (chemistry involve practicals which you already passed, so it's just exams; with maths, it's 100% exam based), you would be looking at the following page:
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/support-topics/understanding-our-qualifications/where-can-i-take-edexcel-exams.html
The page would then point you to the following page:
https://www.jcq.org.uk/private-candidates/

Upon finding a suitable exam centre in the right location, you would liaise with the exam officer for the exam centre (you might need to contact 4-5 because many won't respond to you). You then book your exams with the exam officer and pay the relevant admin and exam fees (exam fees are set by the exam board, but the admin fee by the exam centre; the cheapest admin fees are furthest away from city locations). As you have not specified your location, you would need to look at this yourself.

In terms of timing for your bookings, you should start to look to book your exams from November up to February. Anytime after February, you will incur late charges until April when the final cut off date will prevent you from entering any exams for the academic year.

Do note, the A Level exams would likely be close to the dates of your pharmacy exams, so you would need to check.

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