Results disappointing

[yoyo123]

my daughter had an interview for UCL (History), but not for her other choices.

[tokyonambu]

It is also a chance for a university that suspects they may be a "second choice" for an Oxbridge candidate to make a favourable impression

Or, more generally, for universities to pitch themselves against their opposition. It works especially well if your campus is more attractive than your postcode might imply --- Birmingham does a lot of interviews for this reason.

[daughter]

DD although not interviewed for her "firm" is/was known to at least one of the depts of her applied for double honours. At a post offer open day as soon as they realised who she was a member of staff, (tutor/lecturer not sure who) called over another member of the dept as they remembered her from her personal statement. We were both surprised and I have to say pretty impressed/flattered. She is predicted A*, A*, A for an AAA course but offered BBB. Her school said they have never heard of an offer that low at that Uni for that course. I suspect they offered it hoping for her to put it as insurance after Oxbridge ... but she was rejected from Oxbridge so now it is her firm. Hence her insurance is AAB. Although it is unlikely it is not impossible that she could get a C in her "outside" subject in which case they would have to use their discretion as to whether or not they accepted her. Fingers, toes and everything crossed. I think it goes to show along with other examples people have given that our DC are not just a set of grades - people really do look at their personal statement, references etc.

[Looking for help]

I think the system works fine as it is. Any sixth former doing modular A levels knows pretty much what grades they will get.

I have to say that is not entirely correct, and someone who has done exceptionally well in y12 might not do nearly as well in y13, therefore their grades may fall despite being predicted highly for their UCAS application. It can be the opposite as well, that someone who hasn't done as well in y12 as they might have hoped for can turn it all around in y13, but it might be too late by then. In these cases, applying with results in hand is a much better idea.

[yoyo123]

applying with results in hand is a much better idea.

as a mature student (29) I was offered an unconditional place because of my record at work ( ONC results on their own were not good enough for uni) it was so much easier..if only there was a way to do that with A levels it would be less trumatic

(PS also got full grant PLUS a mature student grant - them were the days!)

[tokyonambu]

applying with results in hand is a much better idea.

as a mature student (29) I was offered an unconditional place because of my record at work ( ONC results on their own were not good enough for uni) it was so much easier..if only there was a way to do that with A levels it would be less traumatic

Indeed. I'm inclined to think that if my children decide they want to take a gap year (I didn't, because few did in 1983, but I can see the appeal) then it might be easier all around to just not bother applying and then do so with the A Levels in hand as soon as booking opens. I didn't apply to Oxbridge, but my wife did, and recalls thinking that the people doing seventh term entry (in the days of separate Oxbridge exams: something which is, sadly, making something of a reappearance in the shape of the various medicine, maths, history etc tests for various universities) seemed to have it a lot easier, as well as having a further year prior to taking the exam.

[Looking for help]

applying with results in hand is a much better idea.

as a mature student (29) I was offered an unconditional place because of my record at work ( ONC results on their own were not good enough for uni) it was so much easier..if only there was a way to do that with A levels it would be less trumatic

(PS also got full grant PLUS a mature student grant - them were the days!)

Great days altogether, I got a full grant , and was happy as a sandman, nowadays, I have my son ringing me, saying " Erm, I'm a bit short". I think he's been employing a cleaner, actually i hope he has

[magwich2]

I think some of the fault lies with schools who do not make it clear enough to year 12s that they need to really put the work in from the beginning as the marks for each a level module are averaged over the 2 YEARS to give the final A level grade. Given that the AS modules are easier it does not require a great deal of sense to realise that this might be a plan!
Mind you I suppose we should be glad that many year 12s do not realise this - has made life much easier for DD!
For example if she does a good paper in today's maths exam she does not (in theory!!) even have to turn up for monday's maths module to get her A. To get an A* she has to get less than 30%.
So I still believe that most able sixth formers (ie the ones applying to good universities) know or ought to know roughly what they will get in their final A level exams under the current system.

[daughter]

In reply to Magwich I both agree and disagree. Yes AS are very important (50% of final mark) as you say and I don't think this is understood properly by all - including many parents. In terms of modular -it depends on what subjects you are doing. I beleieve it is the case for sciences - not for languages (don't know about other arts subjects). For example a language student will at this point (mid A2's) know her AS mark but her A2's all rest on the oral (a few weeks ago and no mark) and exams in the next few days. I also understand that more on-the-ball schools are better at emphasising the AS message and particularly importantly A2 predictions (giving optimistic but realistic grades). I believe the poorer performing state schools are not so good at either of these added to the fact they don't always encourage their students to "aim high" e.g. Russell Group-I think their pupils are perhaps at a disadvantage - which is I believe at least part of the reasoning for "adjustment" applications.

[magwich2]

I do know what you mean Daughter but I still think that ANY sixth former worthy of a place at a good university should be able to work all this out for themselves almost within the first day of sixth form.
If they cannot see it then they clearly are not of the right calibre for a good uni.