AS results? Confused.

mae

Hi
My son got his AS Level results today. He got 2 x C and 2 x U. He is dropping one of the subjects that he got a U in.

He tells me it doesn't matter about the U's coz its his AS level results, however I am worried it will matter for his Uni choice. If the AS levels are not important then why would they take exams in the first year?

Can/should he resit the exams do you think? What effect will these results have on applying for his Uni choice?

Oh and by the way he hardly revised so he only has himself to blame for the bad results and says he will definately revise next year, although he is probably saying that as its the right thing to say to his mum!

Thanks
Mae

tinkerbel

Hey, I hope I can maybe be a tiny bit helpful!

I think he is saying that the U at AS doesn't matter because he is not continuing the subject because it won't influence an eventual A Level grade.
How AS and A2 grades work is that there are generally 3 AS units and 3 A2 units. The eventual grade is made up of the raw marks and the 3AS marks make 50% and the A2 ones make 50%
Getting a bad grade at AS on a subject you were planning to continue therefore is bad because it means you have little chance of "pulling" the grade up at A2 (where the modules tend to be a bit harder than the AS ones) but if you are not planning to continue it, I dont think that unis can see the result you got, so it doesn't matter. [some unis like cambridge do send their own form and want to know your exact marks for all your AS modules]

It would also look better on his cv and everything if he did re-sit this U and i think if he is getting a points based offer then an actual grade at AS can get you some points.

The other U though, he should deffo resit because otherwise, as shown in the example ill put below, he wont be able to do much with it, especailly as the A2 modules are generally the harder ones. I resat a few of mine last year (i resat them at xmas when I had less exams on and therefore less pressure) I pulled one module up more than 30% and another by around 20% I think. I really worked hard for them and i even did the fiirst time I just screwed up! - if he didnt work this time, is it worth him doing them again if he is unmotivated and not going to work. Maybe if revision and evams aren't his thing he would be better changing and doing a more practical course, or something where youre grades/results arent dependant on revision and memory.

For example, maths
AS units and results
C1 75/100
C2 3/100
S1 60/100 Average - 46% or 23% of the A2
for someone aiming for a highgrade at A2 would have to do really well as the max (without resitting) that they could get would be 73% (thats if they get 100% in all of the A2 modules)

I really hope that this has helped and I'm sorry if I got a bit rabmley or missed the question! I'm really sorry!

pandora205

I'd say it is better to continue with two and do well than try to do repeats. My daughter ended up repeating quite a lot of modules (5 in total) which affected the time she spent on the A2s for all the subjects. She'd have done better to concentrate on just two A levels and keep up with the work on those.

hm71_2

well my son & heir got an E & 3 U's. Have spent a lovely day discussing with him where he feels his future lies!!!
Thank you tinkerbel for your explanation it does make it clearer to me but I won't tell my son as I want him to knuckle down and pull his finger out! he is full of "I don't know wot I wanna do" it's like a conversation with Kevin & Perry!

pandora205

I think !!! are often a shock as the step up from GCSEs is huge. My daughter did well at GCSE without doing much work and ended up with 10 A-Cs with two As... Fast forward a year and she had a real mixed bag of !!! (she was doing 5 subjects which is stupid!) and it was a shock to get Es and have to repeat some.

PS It won't let me write A S in the plural!

titley

Unfortunately they do count - the C's will be OK for next year, but the U grade (the one he is not dropping) will hinder his final grade. It's been a year or so since I was at sixth form - so definately don't quote me on the following numbers - but it's the same system....

Say the whole A level is out of 600 points, making the AS out of 300, and to get an A on the whole A level is 480 points, but you get a U at AS (60 points (just an example!)) then that gives you 60 points from AS. Say you then went on to get a top A at A level, giving you 200 points (again a wild points guess!) - this would give you 260, which may scrape you a C....

So resitting the some modules from the U grade is not a bad idea...

mae

Thanks everyone and thanks Tinkerbell for your detailed reply, I really needed that because at my sons age they easily blind you with nonsense and you start to believe it lol. He drives me mad he just plods on and thinks it will 'be ok' its not a problem etc etc.

I'm going to talk to to him again and see if if your explanation can throw a new light on our discussions :rolleyes: I'll let you know if I get more out of him than 'mmm, yes I see what you are saying BUT....' or 'you don't know what you are talking about' or just no reply :eek:

Thanks
Mae

Helix

The school/college might not let him continue the subjects he got U in to A-Level anyway. I know at mine you couldn't you had to drop them.

hm71_2

mae wrote: »

I'll let you know if I get more out of him than 'mmm, yes I see what you are saying BUT....' or 'you don't know what you are talking about' or just no reply :eek:

Thanks
Mae

this is exactly the conversation with my son, "oh you don't understand- you left school ages ago! what do you know?" I have pointed out to him that I only finished at UNI 3 years ago so have been through the system recently. But to be quite honest he could make the pope swear!!!

mizzy2

I got a U in General studies in AS, but when I went to uni they didnt even look at it or ask me anything about it. I think it only matters if its one of the subjects required for the desired uni course.

HC_2

It does matter because his predicted A2 grades will be based on his AS results.

Universities base their offers on predicted A2 grades.

I'm in a similar position to you, mae. An underperforming teenager. What can you do with them?!