A-levels are one of the main factors that decide which university you are getting into and also help in getting a good-paying job. Thus you must do your best in it. However, due to various reasons, you may have to miss your A-levels. But what happens if you miss an A-level exam?
Quick Takeaways
- There will be two different things that will happen if you fail the A-level – accept the estimated grades for it or you may have to retake them.
- When you retake A-levels you will have to pay the cost of up to £6000.
- Following are the factors why you may miss an A-level exam-
- Illness
- Weather conditions
- Arriving late
- Leaving early
- Invalid reasons
Further, we have explained both situations in detail for you.
What happens if you miss an A-Level exam?
It is very important to know what can happen if you miss the A-levels and GCSEs. Honestly speaking there are possibly two situations when you miss A-levels or sixth form–
1. Accepting the estimated grades for it
You may have applied for special considerations for your case. If your situation is accepted, you may become eligible for getting an estimated grade. The estimated grade is dependent upon the previous progress you made in the course. Your mock test scores, internal and external coursework, test scores throughout the year, etc are included in calculating your estimated grade of you.
If you are taking it up from a school, then your school will apply on your behalf. However, if you are sitting as a private student, then you will be able to apply online for it. You must remember that you will only get your estimated grade if your situation meets the entry requirement. If you think that the estimated grade is not up to the mark then you can always retake your A-levels. You can also send an email to higher authorities regarding it.
2. Retaking the A-level exam
This means that for all the subjects that you were about to take this year, you would need to take them in the next academic year. However, this option is costlier and may be time-consuming. However, if you think that you can surely get better grades than the estimated one, then you must retake your A-level exam.
However, if you are not eligible for getting the A-levels, then this is the only single option left for you. You must also note that you will need to sit for all the papers and all the subjects in your A-levels. In addition to it, you must also remember that not all the schools will allow you to resit for the exams. Thus you must be in contact with your school regarding all related queries. It can also help you if you initially took a least popular subject and want to switch to a new subject which is a reputable subject.
Are A-level retakes free?
No retaking A-levels are not free and you have to pay two types of fees for it. Even if you have to retake all three A-levels, you will have to repay for it. The first one is the course fees which will cover your tuition fees and the fees for course-related material depending on how and where you are studying for A-levels.
The tuition fees depend upon where and how you are taking up the exam. This means that it depends upon if you are taking the test from the school or online. Retaking the exam may cost you up to £6000. However, you can find tutors online for £20-£100. However, as far as the examination test fee is concerned the minimum cost is about £85, but it may go up to £100.
Why may you miss the A-levels?
There are two different years in the A-levels and you may miss A-levels and not AS level. However, the following are the reasons why you may miss the A-Levels-
1. Illness
One of the most common reasons for missing the A-levels is that you may be sick at that time. Though you must not miss the exam if you are less sick. This is because if you do not have many hard problems related to your health then it may not be considered for getting estimated grades. If this is the case, the first thing to take care of is to get in contact with the school itself. Or you can get in contact with the exam board in which you will be giving the exam. However, if you were unable to sit for them in your first year, you can take them up in a single year.
2. Weather conditions
There are chances that the weather conditions may not allow you to reach the exam center. Thus you must consider checking the weather conditions before the exam date. You must again be in contact with the exam board if you think you might not be able to reach the exam center. This will help you to find out what you can do in the situation. You must try to allocate extra time so that you could have reached the exam center on time.
3. Arriving late
There may be situations when you are not on time and thus are not allowed to sit up for the exam. Thus you must try to come before the exam time. However, if you think you might be late for the exam, you must inform the center. This may help you sit in the exam which will depend upon how late you were.
4. Leaving early
There could be several reasons why you may need to go early from the examination room. You might be sick or you might have a personal problem at home due to which you will need to leave early. The staff and the examiner this must be able to coordinate with you regarding it.
3. Invalid reasons
Different exam boards mark different situations as invalid reasons. This involves if you are outside the state without any serious emergency or minor disturbance in the exam room. Another invalid reason is that you do not read the timetable carefully and thus were not able to come on time for the exam. Thus you must take care while reading the timetable, as these silly mistakes will result in problems for you in getting the right grade in A-levels or you may have to resit in A-levels.
You may not be interested in the subject and not change it on time due to your laziness. Due to this also you may miss the exam.
Conclusion
This is one of the common facts that having good grades in A-levels is most important and thus you must make sure that you are getting the right grades in it. However, due to several reasons like being ill or getting late for the exam, you may have to miss the A-level.
When you resit in the A-levels you may find yourself in two situations – getting an estimated grade based on the previous achievements in the course. Though this is only the case if you are eligible for getting it. If you are not eligible then you will have to resit for the exam. However, you may think of retaking the exam if you think the estimated grade is less than the grade you may get if you give the exam.
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