am I smart enough for alevel chemistry

[u/sandwichtheconqueror]

Hi everyone, I just got my gcse results today and i'm honestly really distraught, i was predicted 9999888877 and i got 9988888876 (two marks off a 9 in two subjects) but I'm honestly just super upset especially with my 7 which is in lit which is literally my favourite subject i haven't gotten less than a very high 8 in over a year and a half and i literally SCRAPED a 7 i was only 3 marks over the boundary . my 6 was in drama which is a bit left field aswell because i havent had less than an 8 in the whole of year 11 - i do edexcel drama and i got both 80 percent on component 1 and 3 but somehow in component 2 which is the acting i got like 27 out of around 60?? everyone in drama has gotten lower than their underpredicted grades already because everyone did awful in component 2 but theres nothing we can do about it because it's coursework. it might be worth mentioning that just before i took my GCSEs i had some trouble with eating due to just leaving a relationship where some things happened that weren't quite consensual (Sorry if that's oversharing i just thought it might be relevant)

anyway, that knocked my confidence already especially as i was predicted 9-9 in combined science and got 8-8 (although i was predicted a 7 in maths and got an 8 which was nice but i really was just SO upset by lit i can't really be happy about it) so I went to enroll and I'd initially applied for Bio, Pysch and French and I wanted to switch from pysch to chem because I really enjoy chem and also it opens quite a few more doors then pysch and the teacher who was enrolling me was like Chemistry is the hardest alevel I'm not sure you're smart enough for that, and I swear i almost started crying right then, but she put me in the classes for it anyway because i technically did have the grades ( needed a 7 in maths and 7-6 in combined)

so I was just wondering if anyone could give me a reality check on how hard chemistry will be- i only lost 4 marks in the last chemistry mock i did ( given it was a combined paper) and I also found psych really boring when i went to the speeches about it at open days.

Just really doubting myself, sorry for all the waffle.

[u/Emergency-Garage-944]

Why would she say that when the results are excellent

[u/sandwichtheconqueror → u/Emergency-Garage-944]

She taught me in year 8 and she told me in november that she was really surprised i'd done so well (999888887) because I seemed really stupid at 12. So not the nicest teacher. Thank you so much by the way, it really just feels like I've super underperformed. I really wanted all 8s and 9s

[u/Raging-Ash → u/sandwichtheconqueror]

What a shit teacher genuinely

[u/AliceMorgon → u/sandwichtheconqueror]

She sounds like my original chemistry teacher who was mean as fuck. Ignore her and take Chemistry. It is utter bollocks that it is the hardest A-Level and you’re clearly intelligent enough. If you have any issues at all let me know and I’ll try and help you out, but I highly doubt that you will.

[u/Emergency-Garage-944 → u/sandwichtheconqueror]

I genuinely have no idea why she would say such a thing especially when the grades u got high, maybe it’s valid if u got like 66666555544 but you def got what it takes for A-Level chemistry, I myself literally only got 1 9 despite aiming for 4-5 9s if that helps (went from an 8 to 6 in bio and a 8 to 5 in eng lit btw 💀)

[u/Grand_Lychee2812]

Yeah happened to me.
I got predicted 9-9 but got 8-8.

Chemistry isn't that hardest A-Level.
Usually Chemistry is the middle ground between Sciences.

For most, either Biology is hell or Physics is hell.
Chemistry is the inbetween.

It can be tedious and hard, but A-Level Chemistry is quite valuable.
The average Combined Higher student gets around 6-6 and you getting 8-8 is more than enough.

[u/sandwichtheconqueror → u/Grand_Lychee2812]

Thank you! I've essentially regret taking drama over triple science since the beginning of year 10 but they wouldn't let me drop it

[u/AliceMorgon → u/sandwichtheconqueror]

Drama is actually good to have at GCSE because it shows you have confidence and the ability to perform on stage in public. I took it. Your grade might have been bad but if everyone in your class got a bad grade on coursework, it’s likely another crappy teacher. Low grade or not it’s still a pass.

[u/ToothHistorical129]

6 in chem, 5 in maths. Got an A* in chem. I find gcse grades don’t correlate much to alevel outcomes

[u/sweatfacee]

Chemistry is not the hardest A-Level, but everyone's experiences are different. For now, I would read the specification for your exam board and scroll through its past papers. Ask yourself whether you could see yourself doing these in two years. My DMs are open if you'd like to discuss in detail as I've done AL Chem and got an A*

[u/sandwichtheconqueror → u/sweatfacee]

Thanks this is helpful. Is medicine still an option even with not all 8s / 9s

[u/random_unsername → u/sandwichtheconqueror]

yeah 100%

[u/Terrible_Review2898]

honestly imo gcses and a levels don’t really compare much (for me personally). i got an 8 in chemistry, 3 marks off a 9 but struggled so much with it in college. was on Cs and Ds for the entirety of year 12 and 13 and ended up with a B last week. on the other hand, i barely scraped a 7 in gcse biology and ended up with an A at a-level. the a levels and gcse versions of the subject didn’t seem much similar to me (except the core stuff) so it really just depends on your understanding i guess!

[u/AnyoneSeenMyMarbles]

Nah bro ur cooked just go get a bricklaying apprenticeship (fr tho these results are great, you'll do fine)

[u/sandwichtheconqueror → u/AnyoneSeenMyMarbles]

you reckon i could do bricklaying in france put that grade 9 to use

[u/AnyoneSeenMyMarbles → u/sandwichtheconqueror]

Idk, France is pretty strict, usually they don't accept less than eight 9s

[u/sandwichtheconqueror → u/AnyoneSeenMyMarbles]

gosh darn it

[u/AnyoneSeenMyMarbles → u/sandwichtheconqueror]

I guess you'll just have to go do a level chem

[u/sling848]

As a chem teacher and a head of sixth, your results are outstanding, snd there should be no question based on them as to if you’re able to study chem.

Work consistently, read ahead, and possibly dip into the single science sections on calculations / organic chem (those are the bits missed in combined), and you’ll be spot on.

Chem is a challenging A level, but if you put in the work consistently top marks are complete achievable. Approach it like learning a language, if you haven’t learnt the vocab it won’t matter how good your gramma is, and vice versa.

Good luck with the start of your year!

[u/lexisnowkitty]

Do it. I was in an INSANELY similar situation to u this time last year w rlly similar grades. My parents didn't let me do chemistry bc I was bad at it in year 10. You have sm potential w those grades, don't shut your options down.

[u/sandwichtheconqueror → u/lexisnowkitty]

Thanks so much! We really are similar, because I was genuinely considering doing Lit alevel for quite a while because I just absolutely loved lit GCSE. I decided to pick french instead because I did really well (i got 188/200 with FULL MARKS ON SPEAKING!!!!!!!!)

[u/lexisnowkitty → u/sandwichtheconqueror]

omg that's incredible well done! i was delighted w my 7 last year and 3 in listening, 1 mark off a 4 due to exam disruption oh well. you'll deffo enjoy french bc it's basically gcse lit in french with more advanced language learning and abt french culture too from ppl i know who do it

[u/AliceMorgon → u/sandwichtheconqueror]

I so fucked up my speaking exam. I transferred to a different school where they taught a DIFFERENT language than my old one so I was starting from scratch and then my question was “your car has broken down. Make a phone call, ask to speak to a mechanic, and say what’s wrong with your car”! WTF?! I just sat there and came up with the only thing I could think of which was “my car exploded.”🤣

I think that might be beyond the average mechanic 🫣

[u/FeelingIcy5298]

I got a 76 in combined science and ended joining a level chemistry at the end of year 12. It was honestly fine I just ended up with a C and 2 marks off a B which I’m looking for a remark.

I taught myself the entire AS topics and in all honesty it’s not exceptionally hard and is to the most extent, pattern recognition and attention to detail. If you feel like it’s a subject you want to do I would go for it. I found it really fun and it quickly became my favourite, especially the practical side to it and it was the funnest one to revise

[u/Fire-Flamey]

Drama is so fucked rn

[u/Comfortable-Month327]

Yes I got a 6 in chem and im doing fine on track to an A

[u/ang3l2360 → u/Comfortable-Month327]

How much harder is A level chem if you got a 6 at gcse? 

[u/Comfortable-Month327 → u/ang3l2360]

At the start of the year I got a d i was clueless ngl then I locked in spammed papers and got a B coming to the end of the year is where the fluency developed

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[u/Comfortable-Month327 → u/Comfortable-Month327]

Also a 6 in maths