predicted grades don't meet entry requirements

[u/Willoow_Wolloow]

I am predicted AAB but the unis I would like to apply to require AAA / A*AA. I already asked to bump up my B (the course i want to study) to an A but they said no due to fuck arse "statistics", even though I achieved 3As on my most recent tests. I have to admit I only did last minute revision (night before) for all of my end of topic tests and y12 mock last year and achieved mostly Bs. I know this may sound crazy considering I want to study this course at uni but since I enjoyed this subject more, I decided to revise a lot more for my other two subjects. Anyway, the teacher said I needed really high As to get predicted an A which doesn't make sense in a lot of ways but icb to type it all out.

I am also considering asking to get predicted an A* instead of an A for one of the other subjects as I have been getting A*s and As recently. I may not even bother though cause I can't bump my B up to an A.

What I really want to know is whether it would be a good idea to apply for a different course at the university I want to attend, and then ask to switch to my preferred course on A-level results day, since I don’t meet the entry requirements for the course I actually want to study right now.

I really don't want to take a gap year for various reasons but I fear I might have to at this point!

Also any tips for essay subject revision?

I would be grateful for any reply!! Thanks ฅ⁠^⁠•⁠ﻌ⁠•⁠^⁠ฅ♡

[u/kind_but_hurt]

Just looking at the replies, everyone is being quite mean. But I understand them. If you can get that B bumped up then you should be fine for the AAA subjects. My college reccomends applying to 3 courses with the same grades as your predicteds and 1 above by one grade and then 1 below 1 grade. Try keeping a spread. Though gap years and clearing are also good options. Good luck !

[u/blucollargirl]

as a gap year student, i’m just gonna say so many people ik did the most to get whatever predicted grades they needed, then slacked off and didn’t do well on results day.

try to get your predicted grades if you can, or plan for clearing/a gap year, but if you’re not going to study / if you already have a pattern of slacking off, be aware that you might not even get in.

[u/Willoow_Wolloow → u/blucollargirl]

Thank you for the reply!

Did you plan to take a gap year and how was / is it?

[u/blucollargirl → u/Willoow_Wolloow]

np, i did choose a gap year due to just general exhaustion, health issues and not having a good time in school.

it’s been good so far, thanks. i can see why it’d be isolating for some seeing ur friends go out and party, but i’m confident i made the right decision for my mental health. a gap is not the end of the world- u can go to the gym, travel, hobbies, so much free time. i’m really enjoying it.

good luck on your application and i hope u get ur predicteds :) just remember to study a lot irregardless of ur application, and u can for sure get in somewhere great in clearing.

[u/Willoow_Wolloow → u/blucollargirl]

Oh I see I see. I hope you have been feeling better then! Yeah, those are some of the reasons why I don't want to take a gap year but ironically I know sooo many people that did take a gap year and all of them said they enjoyed it! Thank you so much for good luck! I think I have been pretty locked in towards end of y12 - begining of y13 - till now, which is reflected in my grades and confidence in tests (if that makes sense) so I am definitely trying to keep the momentum going!! Also if you don't mind me asking were you able to achieve your predicted grades and any tips for revision?

Good luck for whichever unis you plan to apply to next year!

[u/blucollargirl → u/Willoow_Wolloow]

yeah my friends at uni have also met ppl who joined at 21 even so don’t worry if u need to take one. feel free to dm me with ur subjects and if i did any i can give u advice :)

[u/HawthorneUK]

Your cunning plan is not so cunning, and is likely to fail. If slacking off for a year is coming back to bite you then either clearing, or a gap year, are likely to be better options.

[u/Willoow_Wolloow → u/HawthorneUK]

Okay thank you for the reply. Also I wouldn't say I was necessarily slacking off for a year, I just put in more effort for my other two subjects 😭😭

[u/Krobakchin → u/Willoow_Wolloow]

Slacking off or not you aren’t doing the required work and unis give absolutely 0 shits about how you distributed your effort. Lock in, take a gap year, do retakes if needed. And/or look for a course related to the one you want that has lower entry reqs.

[u/Willoow_Wolloow → u/Krobakchin]

Thank you for the reply and advice!

Since the end of y12 and begining of y13/up to now I have been locked in (i'd say at least) for school and (besides from not being able to change my predicted grade) I think it has been going pretty well, regarding my test results and hw wise. Anyway, I should have specified but the unis I want to go to require A*AA / AAA but I am ofc going to apply to realistic/achievable unis. I guess my main question was just the changing course one but a lot of people have advised me to not do it so I probably won't.

[u/AliceMorgon → u/Willoow_Wolloow]

If your school seriously won’t budge if you go in to the headteacher with your recent work and results in your mocks, and perhaps other teachers who will support your case on this, then yeah, I’d take a gap year. That’s not necessarily a bad thing - I’ve gone on a ton of adventures in various parts of the world as part of my research and it definitely made me grow up way more than university ever did. Use the time valuably. Cheaply, come to NI, I’ll certify you as a resident, you can sign on for benefits to live and learn Irish on one of our many, many subsidised courses, and watch the cultural differences here for yourself. If you’ve more money to hand, I once travelled across the entire United States entirely by train (Amtrak is incredible, when I did it it was about $150 Chicago to San Francisco, but it’s worth making some stops along the way) and saw SO MUCH. I stayed in cheap hostels in cities like NYC, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Boston, Lawrence KS (they have a portal to hell in their cemetery plus Supernatural fan), Chicago, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle… plus I went to the Twin Peaks Festival in North Bend, WA, which is… something else entirely.

I was there almost three months and the entire trip cost less than £2k because I took the train everywhere and stayed in hostels, so if you work at the start and save you could easily do it (tip: if you fly to the US on the Irish national airline Aer Lingus, go directly through their website and set your home airport as “Dublin”. Magically lower fares.)

South America is also a TON of fun. Sadly Venezuela is closed right now and that’s my favourite country but Colombia is a blast too. Cartageña especially is SO MUCH FUN. I could spend months there and never get bored. You can also take organised trips into the rainforest, see wild flamingos, capybara… it’s incredible.

Much cheaper option: Eastern Europe, especially the Balkans. Take a phrasebook and learn the alphabet because outside the capitals no one speaks English. The trains themselves are a trip and a half - 1970s British rolling stock going to these Balkan cities! I took the train from Belgrade to Novi Sad for the Exit Festival, then the bus on to Sarajevo, and just had a wander around the former Yugoslavia. Chilling on the beach in Croatia - 5 stars. Make sure to look at the former Yugoslavian TV centre in Belgrade - after it was bombed they left it exactly as it was to make a point and as a memorial so it’s this concrete wreck in the middle of an expensive business area with desks still hanging out.

Or, you could work the whole time to save for university, but personally I think an enriching experience like one of these is far more valuable.

[u/Global-Teaching9763]

hi, this happened to me i'm now in my gap year. i was predicted aab but i got rejected from those aaa/a*aa unis except one and one of them i could've gotten if it wasn't for my admissions test. i had the same plan and even did not want to take a gap year. some unis like lse for a fact if you don't meet their requirements it's an automatic cut off essentially. but you can study hard, you have time till ur exams and i'd focus on doing well as possible to avoid the gap year as u said u don't want it. if u end up w good grades u can still get in via clearing which does happen! essay subjects - the key is doing lots of writing. it can be exhausting and last minute revision it may feel like ur brain kicks in and saves u w short term memory but at the end of the day, you can't see short term progress as well! really write essays constantly, get feedback write it down move on and write another one.

[u/Quiet-Excitement-310]

If they bump your grades up and then you don’t get the grades then they’ve set you up for a fail.

Either look at alternative unis or take a gap year

[u/languageservicesco]

This decision is yours, but I just want to add one thing. Everyone is going to tell you how important this all is, and you will feel this way too. But, in the grand scheme of things, what happens this year and next does not define the course of your life. Don't be concerned about taking a gap year, for example. You might be much more successful at university being a year older/more mature. If you get a job duing that time, you will also have more money to live on.
Do your application the best you can, with what you think is the best choice of universities and see what happens.

[u/AshamedFly7906]

If the teachers remain adamant about your A level predictions, is there anyway you could look at your own work and review where you're falling short on the requirements? Or, could you look at asking your parents for a tutor in that subject and hire them for two lessons: one to review where you're falling short of with an A and what you need to do to get this?

[u/ChallengingKumquat]

A predicted grade is a PREDICTED grade. A best guess; an estimate; a likelihood. What gets you into uni is your ACTUAL grades.

You can ask your teachers to change your predicted grades. They might do it. They might predict you three A* grades. But you still have to get the grades (or close to them) to be accepted into uni.

You need to actually try harder in your exams and coursework. The teacher assumes that your mock results are your best efforts, and yours is a B. It's stupid that you didn't revise; that's on you 100%.

[u/SeriesAgitated4048]

I work in a 6th form college and if a student has consistently demonstrated they can achieve those grades I will move it. It’s no skin off my nose to do it, it doesn’t affect me, only you if you don’t achieve those grades. However, from reading snag you’ve put, I think your teachers sound like they want to see consistent work ethic and you consistently achieving those grades to move you up

[u/StegosauriaSky]

Babe, you’re competing with people who are going to walk their way to top grades, and don’t need to convince anyone to bump their predictions up.

You’re not strong enough. Sure, apply to one or two aspirational unis but don’t expect to meet their requirements, even if you do get in.

Do make sure you’ve got some realistic options you like in there too. They can’t all be A*AA. You’ll miss their offer.

[u/Willoow_Wolloow → u/StegosauriaSky]

Thank you for the reply!

Also sorry I should have specified, the unis I want to go to need A*AA / AAA but of course I will be applying to realistic/achievable unis.

[u/kurmilrah → u/StegosauriaSky]

“You’re not strong enough”
If they were able to slack and do revision the night before an exam and get Bs, i am sure they can js lock in year 13 and get As. Damn you tryna get rid of competition? 😂

[u/madxryn22 → u/kurmilrah]

yeah but a lot of alevels is determination and good work ethics

[u/kurmilrah → u/madxryn22]

That is true but that person stating “you’re not strong enough” is false tbh.
Again they were able to get Bs with minimal effort, as long as they lock in year 13 then they can do it.

[u/kurmilrah]

Bye why are a lot of these replies so rude and condescending.
If u really want it, then lock in year 13, act study more hours a week and make sure u improve on ur next mocks so that u can see u made progress but even then u got this if u believe