A level. Way worse result than expected. What to do?

[darks]

Hi,
i got C in chem
C in bio
B in physics.
expected A/A* in physics and B in bio.
My AS result was A in Physics, B in bio.
The drop shocked me as i never expected it. Can i retake A2 only? i really think i should go for a recheck but people tell me its not worth it and grades always stay the same. Guys i'm really sad for what has happened what should i do? My chances in gov. med school in Pakistan has decreased tremendously because of this.

 

[linkinpark]

Hi,
i got C in chem
C in bio
B in physics.
expected A/A* in physics and B in bio.
My AS result was A in Physics, B in bio.
The drop shocked me as i never expected it. Can i retake A2 only? i really think i should go for a recheck but people tell me its not worth it and grades always stay the same. Guys i'm really sad for what has happened what should i do? My chances in gov. med school in Pakistan has decreased tremendously because of this.

I am really sorry to hear about your result. I kind of had the same shock back in 2014 when I got my A level result.
Yes usually the chances of getting a better grade in recheck are slim but that doesn't mean it's not worth it. If you are totally confident then you should apply for a recheck to avoid being regretful in future. Plus if your grade is improved, you'll get a refund.
That's also true that your chances are quite low in govt school due to extremely high merit. If you can not afford a private school and have to study medical then I would suggest you to maybe retake A level in October but if you can afford a private med school then there won't be any need to. The decision is yours.

 

[darks]

I am really sorry to hear about your result. I kind of had the same shock back in 2014 when I got my A level result.
Yes usually the chances of getting a better grade in recheck are slim but that doesn't mean it's not worth it. If you are totally confident then you should apply for a recheck to avoid being regretful in future. Plus if your grade is improved, you'll get a refund.
That's also true that your chances are quite low in govt school due to extremely high merit. If you can not afford a private school and have to study medical then I would suggest you to maybe retake A level in October but if you can afford a private med school then there won't be any need to. The decision is yours.

I can not afford private institutions Can A2 retake be given? or we have to do entire A level again?
My O'level grades were 6A* 2As which give me a 915/1100 final f.sc equivalence. Some people suggested me to take gap year and get 970+ in MCAT to secure a seat and spend the time to prepare entry test rather than Retake. What would you have done if you were in a similar situation?
Thanks a lot for helping

 

[bakhita]

Is it possible to convert Cs in AS to As in A2?
If so, how hard is it?

 

[linkinpark]

I can not afford private institutions Can A2 retake be given? or we have to do entire A level again?
My O'level grades were 6A* 2As which give me a 915/1100 final f.sc equivalence. Some people suggested me to take gap year and get 970+ in MCAT to secure a seat and spend the time to prepare entry test rather than Retake. What would you have done if you were in a similar situation?
Thanks a lot for helping

No problem, darks (that's a weird name )
No you'll have to retake both AS and A2 as in write 5+5+5 papers in one sitting.
These are awesome grades and an equally good equivalence. Well you see there's a lot of risk in that. There's no guarantee at all that you would score 970+ marks in MCAT and also remember that merit varies every year. You can do that if you want to but that's like putting all your eggs in one basket. If you don't score well in MCAT, you might waste another year. I'd suggest you to retake A level and work equally hard for MCAT this way you would be safe on both sides because if you get like AAB or ABB then you wouldn't have to rely solely on scoring high in MCAT.
But if you think you can do well in MCAT and get a 970+ then sure, it's your choice after all but in either case, you have to be totally confident.

 

[linkinpark]

Sorry about the earlier mistake, yes you can obviously retake A2 or AS separately. I just saw that you had A in AS physics so you would not need to retake it. Simply retake A2 physics that includes p4 and p5 (if I remember correctly). About Biology, it's upto you to whether retake AS or not since you had a B.

 

[linkinpark]

Is it possible to convert Cs in AS to As in A2?
If so, how hard is it?

No it's not possible. It's quite hard to convert an AS B to an overall A with A2 so C is extremely hard. To convert an AS C to A, you would have to do like a somewhat perfect A2 otherwise the chances are extremely low.

 

[darks]

No problem, darks (that's a weird name )
No you'll have to retake both AS and A2 as in write 5+5+5 papers in one sitting.
These are awesome grades and an equally good equivalence. Well you see there's a lot of risk in that. There's no guarantee at all that you would score 970+ marks in MCAT and also remember that merit varies every year. You can do that if you want to but that's like putting all your eggs in one basket. If you don't score well in MCAT, you might waste another year. I'd suggest you to retake A level and work equally hard for MCAT this way you would be safe on both sides because if you get like AAB or ABB then you wouldn't have to rely solely on scoring high in MCAT.
But if you think you can do well in MCAT and get a 970+ then sure, it's your choice after all but in either case, you have to be totally confident.

hi, So thank you for helping me this much.
for my AS grades i improved my chemistry to B.
so as u say if i can retake A2 only, i have ABB to start with. If i retake A2 and maintain these grades my equivalence gets 945/1100 which is pretty good. My friends though tell me that i can't retake A2 "only". I'll try to contact British council

 

[darks]

Sorry about the earlier mistake, yes you can obviously retake A2 or AS separately. I just saw that you had A in AS physics so you would not need to retake it. Simply retake A2 physics that includes p4 and p5 (if I remember correctly). About Biology, it's upto you to whether retake AS or not since you had a B.

While i go to registration form, it says A2 can be given by people who have taken AS in oct/now 15 or m/j 16.

 

[linkinpark]

While i go to registration form, it says A2 can be given by people who have taken AS in oct/now 15 or m/j 16.

Well then sorry about my bad memory because it's been two years since I gave A level myself. So I was accidentally right the first time
Yes unluckily, you'll have to give AS+A2 again. :/

 

[linkinpark]

hi, So thank you for helping me this much.
for my AS grades i improved my chemistry to B.
so as u say if i can retake A2 only, i have ABB to start with. If i retake A2 and maintain these grades my equivalence gets 945/1100 which is pretty good. My friends though tell me that i can't retake A2 "only". I'll try to contact British council

No problem.
Yes I already replied to that. Apologies for it again.

So what have you decided to do so far?

 

[Aly Emran]

Hi,
i got C in chem
C in bio
B in physics.
expected A/A* in physics and B in bio.
My AS result was A in Physics, B in bio.
The drop shocked me as i never expected it. Can i retake A2 only? i really think i should go for a recheck but people tell me its not worth it and grades always stay the same. Guys i'm really sad for what has happened what should i do? My chances in gov. med school in Pakistan has decreased tremendously because of this.

To be honest... Repeating all these three and going through same trauma is something I wont suggest unless you are dead sure that u'll get As and Bs.... You can repeat Bio and Chemistry and try to get A* (A Would make ur chances tough... But still As would do too!)....

Or if you find this too tough I suggest you give A level mathematics... Just pass the course with a B or C, you can get into good engineering/non-engineering univ in Pakistan even if your grades are not upto mark in A levels.... I know this sounds weird because your field is biology... But if you were an average student in math, you can go into fields except medical...

The decision is yours... If you really love medical, give Chem and Bio again and aim for nothing less than an A... Not even a risky A or something... But if you find this tough, think about other fields too or you can take a gap year and apply abroad!

I hope I was helpful to you... And MashAllah your result is good! a B grade in A level is no easy feat either!
Bs and Cs are recognized by majority of univs around the world so dont be stressed.... Best of luck for the future bro!

 

[AnonymousX9]

Guys I know this might seem stupid but I have a doubt that no one has been able to clear until now, so the thing is I gave 4 AS level exams in MJ 2016 - Math, Phy, Chem, Bio and got 4 A's Alhamdulillah. The thresholds were as follows:
Biology (A) - 90/130
Chemistry (A) - 81/130
Physics (A) - 90/130
Maths (A) - 103/125

I am aiming for 4 A*s in A levels. The thing is, I need to know the minimum marks I need in my AS level papers to get an A* in AL. Some people said it should be +10 marks above the A threshold in AS. Idk if it's true or not. And what if my A is low? Is it very hard to convert it into an A*? Please guide me on what to do.

 

[Raja2396]

Back in A levels many of my friends got A in AS and in A levels results were like CCB or CCC. Bro if you really want to get into med school i would suggest to reappear in these exams as in recheck only 10% chance of grade change. Reappear in exams and prepare for MCAT aim 980+ for MCAT and give chem and bio again, atleast aim for BB in these else Cs can give tough time even with good MCAT.

 

[linkinpark]

Guys I know this might seem stupid but I have a doubt that no one has been able to clear until now, so the thing is I gave 4 AS level exams in MJ 2016 - Math, Phy, Chem, Bio and got 4 A's Alhamdulillah. The thresholds were as follows:
Biology (A) - 90/130
Chemistry (A) - 81/130
Physics (A) - 90/130
Maths (A) - 103/125

I am aiming for 4 A*s in A levels. The thing is, I need to know the minimum marks I need in my AS level papers to get an A* in AL. Some people said it should be +10 marks above the A threshold in AS. Idk if it's true or not. And what if my A is low? Is it very hard to convert it into an A*? Please guide me on what to do.

Anon, no one can tell that I am afraid. Thresholds vary every year but you have 4 As (congratulations,btw!) so just make sure that you don't get all relaxed or lazy. You can say that you have like almost achieved the 40% of an A Level A*/A. Just work hard and do not overthink about A*/A. They both are equally good.
In short: No one can answer your question except CIE examiners.

 

[linkinpark]

To be honest... Repeating all these three and going through same trauma is something I wont suggest unless you are dead sure that u'll get As and Bs.... You can repeat Bio and Chemistry and try to get A* (A Would make ur chances tough... But still As would do too!)....

Or if you find this too tough I suggest you give A level mathematics... Just pass the course with a B or C, you can get into good engineering/non-engineering univ in Pakistan even if your grades are not upto mark in A levels.... I know this sounds weird because your field is biology... But if you were an average student in math, you can go into fields except medical...

The decision is yours... If you really love medical, give Chem and Bio again and aim for nothing less than an A... Not even a risky A or something... But if you find this tough, think about other fields too or you can take a gap year and apply abroad!

I hope I was helpful to you... And MashAllah your result is good! a B grade in A level is no easy feat either!
Bs and Cs are recognized by majority of univs around the world so dont be stressed.... Best of luck for the future bro!

darks that is actually good advice Aly gave you! I was also considering to say something similar about going into engineering but you were stressing over Biology and Medical so I thought it must be something you really want to do. If Biology isn't your passion or something then you might as well take Aly's advice into consideration.

 

[AnonymousX9]

Anon, no one can tell that I am afraid. Thresholds vary every year but you have 4 As (congratulations,btw!) so just make sure that you don't get all relaxed or lazy. You can say that you have like almost achieved the 40% of an A Level A*/A. Just work hard and do not overthink about A*/A. They both are equally good.
In short: No one can answer your question except CIE examiners.

Thanks. Yeah, I agree I gotta work hard but the thing is I really need those A*s since getting admission on the basis of merit is really tough and the competition is a lot. So all I wanna know is, if God forbid I get low A's, will I be able to convert them to A*s? Or is it nearly impossible? I'll be doing 4 subjects btw.

 

[darks]

Guys i'm so confused. So this is the situation for me right now. I do not want to do engineering in any way. I cannot afford expensive medical schools.
If we take into consideration 86.7% closing merit (its been lower than this for RMC for past few years. This is where i want to get in)
I have 915/1100 equivalent for Fsc. 799/900 for Matric.
According to my calculations,
If i take into consideration BCC in alevels i need 980+ in MCAT.
If i take into consideration ABB in alevels i need 956+ in MCAT. (if i retake)
isn't this 24 mark margin easier to achieve? (4-5 mcqs of mcat) than giving 2 entire A level subjects again and spending that much time on them?
And again i really appreciate all your responses. You guys have helped me a lot.

 

[linkinpark]

Thanks. Yeah, I agree I gotta work hard but the thing is I really need those A*s since getting admission on the basis of merit is really tough and the competition is a lot. So all I wanna know is, if God forbid I get low A's, will I be able to convert them to A*s? Or is it nearly impossible? I'll be doing 4 subjects btw.

I think it's possible. If I remember correctly final A Level grades are calculated using previous session's AS grades like you have already taken AS and then they are added upto make a final grade. The process for A Level in one sitting and AS+A2 grading is bit different. Since it's the only thing I remember, let me quote two instances.
In Physics (Our school didn't allow AS), my components were CABAB and I still had a B despite having an A in p2 and p4.
My friend from another school had A in AS and A in A2 Chemistry, she still got an overall A. The problem is nobody knows the percentages any longer which I think CIE should start publishing again like they did until 2010, so without that, you can't ever know how farther your A was from the threshold. It could've been just a mark above or 10 marks above etc. It's possible but you can't predict it, that's all.

 

[linkinpark]

Guys i'm so confused. So this is the situation for me right now. I do not want to do engineering in any way. I cannot afford expensive medical schools.
If we take into consideration 86.7% closing merit (its been lower than this for RMC for past few years. This is where i want to get in)
I have 915/1100 equivalent for Fsc. 799/900 for Matric.
According to my calculations,
If i take into consideration BCC in alevels i need 980+ in MCAT.
If i take into consideration ABB in alevels i need 956+ in MCAT. (if i retake)
isn't this 24 mark margin easier to achieve? (4-5 mcqs of mcat) than giving 2 entire A level subjects again and spending that much time on them?
And again i really appreciate all your responses. You guys have helped me a lot.

Thank you for posting the merit information, it's useful. Yes you are right. A margin of 24 marks isn't worthy of retaking A level, spending time and money on it.
It's only my opinion, like i said, you have to decide, I would suggest that you give your all in MCAT. Prepare it extremely well and do not leave anything considering it won't come in the test. I remember last year's MCAT proved troublesome to many people (if I am not wrong) so yes. You're taking a risk and you have to be sure about it.
Best of luck!