If you find yourself in August faced with grades below those you expected to win the place on the course or at the university you’ve set your hopes on, there are ways to ensure you get to your ultimate destination and secure a place on the road to the degree of your dreams.
Getting results can be a joyful experience, but what if they’re not the ones you needed?
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There are some key things you’ll want to take into consideration when approaching A-Level resits that can make all the difference between your success and further disappointment.
The Right Course for the Right Course
There are many reasons for disappointing results at A-Level, whether it’s lack of application, poor teaching or personal circumstances getting in the way of learning, but one that should always be considered is choice of subject. Either due to the expectations of others or of ourselves, we can often choose subjects that fit what we would like to think we’re good at rather than actually play to our strengths. When it comes to sitting exams, it’s a much better bet getting good grades in a subject that comes relatively easily to us than one that we believe is the right thing to do.
A wise person once said that setbacks are like firing an arrow. You have to go backwards to put the power behind sending it in the right direction. Receiving less than satisfactory results can sometimes be an opportunity to refocus and take aim at another target rather than continue to fire on low power at one that isn’t attainable. Choosing new subjects can sometimes set you up in the best position for future success.
Learning with others
One of the best ways to facilitate a good learning experience is to do so with other like-minded people. When re-taking A-Levels, you can often find yourself with a group of first-time takers who lack some of the experience, ambition and dedication of those who are taking the exams for the second time around.
Working in small groups with people who are equally focused on getting the best possible results on a second sitting can really help to stimulate and motivate students to get the most out of their A level resits. Those who are slightly older also benefit from sharing their experience with those who are seasoned in the process rather than throwing in their lot with those going through the course for the first time.
Focus on Results
While all good teaching aims to get a good result for students to the best of their ability, not all teaching is quite so keenly focused on passing examinations. Arguably this is a good thing and promotes a more holistic approach to teaching and learning but for those who need support to get the best outcome possible, exam-focused teaching can help get students where they need to be in terms of results.
Tuition on exam technique, regular use of exam questions and performance of tasks under exam-room conditions can prepare students for the task of getting the grades they need. While the knowledge and understanding is vitally important, sitting exams is also a specific skill that also needs to be learned alongside the subject matter that is being tested.
Conclusion
Getting the exam results you need at resit is a very different process to the initial A-Level study to learn a subject. More focused and intensive, resits are best supported by a like-minded group of peers and exam-orientated preparation after a careful assessment of the subjects chosen to ensure the best chance of success.
Taking an intensive resit course aimed at people who wish to pass with the best possible grades in a year from commencement can offer the support and focus students need to get the results they need to pursue the course they want.
Author Bio:
An article by Natalie who suggests viewing this useful YouTube channel, which provides lots of information for A level students.
Image Credits: Tulane Public Relations and Nina J. G.
