"Straight As but no university place"

Idiophreak

I don't get it, when I was doing A levels (10 years ago now, crikey!) it was barely enough to do 3 A levels, the best candidates were doing 3.5 or 4. I thought since then the restructuring (AS/A2) meant that a lot of people were doing 4 A2s, maybe even 5...If a single subject he's done is written off as "too soft", he's left with 2 As, which going up against anyone with 4 or 5 As (as he's likely to be applying to the selection he's targeted), he just doesn't stand a chance...I think he was stupid not to target some "easier" universities this time around...

poet123

My kids all did 5, but a lot of their friends were "persuaded" to drop one/two and concentrate on getting A's in the others. I talked my sons out of doing that and they all got good uni places, even though they didnt get all A's.

Oldernotwiser

Pont wrote: »

Nowhere in the above quote does it suggest combined is frowned upon.

Hi (wavy smiley!)

Not frowned upon, just not preferred.

SuziQ

Any of my DD's friends who did Drama did the GCSE in 1 year, AS the second with their remaining GCSE'S and so did the A'level a year early-plus they all took 5 subjects so that the Drama was an 'extra'. I dissuaded my DD from doing it, as she needed 3 grade A's for her English and Spanish law degree and was forced to take General studies at her 6th form-despite the fact NONE of the Uni's she applied to gave any credence to that subject at all. She ended up with 4 grade A's but only ever says she has 3 lol, as even she doesn't count general studies. She did Psychology AS as well, and I persuaded her to drop that, as it wasn't relevant to what she wanted to do-her tutor was pretty miffed as she got 100% in parts of it and got an A in that as well. It was more important that she get the 3 A's than she get 4 0r 5 A'levels of a lower grade.I think kids really need to take advice about subjects, in my experience the 6th forms are often more interested in statistics and how their exam results look, than making sure that the exams the kids are taking are relevant and valuable in getting then into whatever course/Uni they want.