Were your results a disappointment? Having spent all summer looking forward to starting in the 6th form whether at school or college, it can be quite a shock when the grade staring back at you isn’t the one you expected.
The first step? Don’t panic. Pick yourself up, dust yourself down and let’s look at all the study options open to you.
1. Speak to a teacher.
On the results day itself, and in fact until the start of term, there will always be a teacher in school who you can go and speak to. Don’t be shy! They are used to situations like this and will be only too willing to give you the best advice.
If you planned to stay on in the 6th form, or go on to college to do a course or A levels and think your place might be in jeopardy, again speak to someone. The head of 6th form is the person to find first. Students who were expected to achieve a C grade or above can often continue onto their A level courses whilst resitting the particular subject. Find out what your options are.
2. Take resits.
You spent two years studying that subject, only to have seemingly fallen at the final hurdle. Well, you know what? The track is still there. You can go back to the final straight rather than at the starting gun.
It might be possible to resit your exam in November, or January. With changes in how exams are now sat at the end of a year, you’ll need to ask your teachers for the latest advice on this.
There is usually a resit fee, and you’ll need to study alongside your A level courses. So it will take some discipline! As many students who come to us for extra tuition find, there’s less pressure second time round. With just one exam to sit, you can focus on it without worrying about a host of other exams at the same time.
Getting specialist one-to-one tuition might really help you with this. As many students I tutored last year found, studying to retake English Language exams was much easier than sitting the summer exam. Not only did they know what to focus on, they had a fab tutor to help them nail their exam techniques.
3. Change direction
Who knows… It may well be that this crossroads gives you the opportunity to look at another pathway open to you. Perhaps there is a vocational or training course at college you could take, or on-the-job training through an apprenticeship. Look at all options – don’t discount anything.
Check out some options here:
If you want study guidance from one of our specialist tutors, just get in touch with us. Always happy to help.
