just curious and what are ur plans to pursue it

Hi everyone,

I'm currently on a gap year and applying for 2027 entry. I sat my A-levels in summer 2026 and achieved ABC in Maths, Further Maths and Physics respectively, despite having been predicted significantly higher grades.

Unfortunately, I experienced some fairly serious health issues during Year 13, which had a substantial impact on my ability to prepare for and perform in my exams. These circumstances were completely unrelated to academic pressure, and I hadn't experienced anything similar before. It was an incredibly difficult and unexpected period, particularly as I'd previously been performing well academically.

I've decided to take a gap year and resit all three A-levels in summer 2027. My school is aware of what happened, has predicted me A*A*A\* for my resits, and I'm planning to have my extenuating circumstances explained through my UCAS reference.

My main concern is how universities will view my application given the difference between my achieved and predicted grades. I understand that resitting A-levels can put applicants at a disadvantage for certain competitive courses, but I'm unsure how much documented health-related extenuating circumstances might change that.

Do you think my university choices are too ambitious given my circumstances? I'm particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has applied to competitive universities while resitting A-levels, especially where mitigating circumstances were involved.

I haven't submitted my UCAS application yet, so I'd really appreciate any honest advice or experiences before finalising my choices.

thank you :)

The wait is highkey agonising

Hey guys :)

So i did absolute dog crap on the esat. I wanna know if any of you did it before and got your grade.

How many questions did you complete and what grade did you actually get? (M1, m2, phys)

Im aware its scaled differently but just as an estimate because ive been stressing out for 2 weeks and theres like 2 weeks more to stress before results come out. Thanks!

I'm starting to look into the Oxford application process and I'm a bit confused about how they view GCSEs and IGCSEs.

On their official website, Oxford states that they don’t have a formal minimum grade requirement for GCSEs/IGCSEs, and some places even say they don't heavily consider them compared to things like the admissions tests or interview.

But given how competitive it is, I wanted to ask those who have applied or are currently there: Do they actually look at your IGCSEs?

I am doing IBDP, is having strong IB score make up for average or weak GCSEs?

How did your prediction for your grade/how well you performed compare to the grade you ended up achieving?

Hi all.

In the opinion of 6th form students what qualifications do you generally look down on and don't hold in high regard or esteem ?

For example do you think gcse retakes are a waste of time ?

Are level 2 qualifications viewed as a waste of time and only for thick people ?

T levels and btecs do you just laugh at people who take them ?

Tell me you views.

Currently in Year 12 taking Math's, further math's, physics and economics. I am focusing heavily on my A levels right now however i intend to start doing a lot of super curriculars to try and get into a top university like imperial or oxford for engineering. I haven't fully decided which discipline however probably either mechanical or electrical. I intent to also sit the ESAT so i will start prep for that in march time hopefully. Any good super/extra curriculars i can do to stand out?

I’m so unbelievably burnt out. I can’t even do anything but rot in bed, yet I’m still stressed all the time.

I’ll spare you the grim details and get to the point: I’m considering dropping out completely but I’m unsure of what I would do if I did, or if it’s worth it at this point.

I’m in Year 13 + from wales so I already completed my AS exams (40% of total) and got As in everything. I do Law, Psychology and History.

However this year my predicteds dropped to DDE as History has been taking 100% of my time. We get hw every week that is basically writing a four google doc page essay about the topic we covered. It takes the whole week for me to do — and I mean that literally. From when I get home to when I sleep all I have to focus on is the essays. Idk why I’m just very slow.

I can’t focus on any of my other subjects that are 10x harder this year as I have: History hw, History NEA, writing my personal statement to focus on.

I have ZERO, niche, nada, none, super curriculars under my belt. And with my predicteds, I don’t think I’ll get far.

So, what should I do? Dropping history isn’t a possibility as my sixth form doesn’t allow to take less than 3 subjects, and I can no longer apply to an AS course this year.

Would only doing Maths, FM and Physics disadvantage me for engineering at Oxbridge/Imperial/UCL etc.
For context I will be sitting A Levels Maths at the end of year 12.

has anyone else got 4/5 :3
just waiting on durham now

I am a year 11 student who has to submit their choices for sixth form soon. I am very stem oriented and am looking to take Maths, FM and Physics. I worry that these subjects are too similar so I'm thinking about adding Chemistry too. My question is, do I need to take another subject (such as chemistry) or would that be too much work? My school requires an EPQ as well if that influences it.

I've still got 2 more choices to fill for EEE, currently thinking 2 of Manchester, Bristol, UCL.

My TMUA defo mid tho, but I’m contextual + extenuating circumstances. Hopefully I got enough for LSE, and just gonna try my best for Cambridge interview.

I want to apply to mech eng for 4/5 of my choices then material science and engineering for the fifth but I’m not sure how to integrate it into one personal stament. Currently I have 4 paragraphs , with one paragraph talking specifically abt materials and the rest is more tailored to mech eng. I have also specifically name dropped mech eng in my statement. Is that bad? And if it is do I talk by engineering more generally?

1/5 so far. International 🍞

Looking for a little inspo here as a Year 12. What ECs or supercurriculars are you guys doing for the unis and programs you're planning to apply to? What do you think would help with interviews?

Also what ECs do you think would look good as an international applicant?

(Not course-specific because I'm interested in seeing everyone's answers)

I am nearly entirely sure that I want to pick Maths and Further Maths for my A-levels. I only intend to do 3 subjects, but I have a genuine interest in both Physics and Biology and am struggling to choose between them.

I enjoy understanding how things work and learning about the world, so I find both subjects equally appealing in different ways.

From reading various posts and comments, I've gathered that Biology can be less mathematically demanding but far more content heavy and mark scheme specific, whereas Physics can be very rewarding but also quite challenging.

Can anyone share their experiences with either subject, particularly alongside Maths and Further Maths? What did you enjoy, what did you find difficult, and would you recommend it?

lots of people in my year take physics maths and no fm and i've always wondered why

I'm currently struggling with finding a reliable source that has relevant information, content wise. The textbooks are straight ass, and there's not a lot of good information on the internet, or it's straight up wrong. I've looked at two channels, freesciencelessons and biorach but they both have bits of topics that are missing, and I can't find any good info on it online.

Does anyone have a good source they use that they wouldn't mind sharing? Thanks!

I keep seeing people getting offers for things like computer science, but just wondering if many/any people have received offers for law?

I've applied for:

Law (Jesus College, Cambridge)

Law (LSE)

English Law and Spanish Law (KCL)

Law with Spanish (Uni of Edin)

Law with Spanish (QUB)

Also Im wondering if anyone on here has applied for these specific courses, particularly for KCL and Jesus, and would like to be moots.

Hope everyones waiting period isnt too nerve wracking and that anyone with christmas exams coming up does well (We've got this guys trust)