As A-level results day approaches, many students face the anxiety of not achieving their expected grades. For some, the disappointment can be overwhelming, but as these three individuals demonstrate, it is not the end of the road.
Jonaid Khan, now 34, received lower-than-expected grades in accounting, business studies and computing at Josiah Mason sixth-form college in Birmingham. He was disqualified from one exam due to arriving late and forgetting to leave his mobile phone at the front desk. 'I was gutted,' he recalls. 'I knew I had blown my chance of going to university and felt like I’d let my family down.' After a period of depression, he pursued an NVQ professional qualification in accounting, eventually earning a first-class honours degree from the University of Bradford and now studying for an MBA.
Kevin Bediouhoune, 19, achieved an E in biology and D in English literature, with Cs in chemistry and English language AS-levels at St Mary’s Menston Catholic sixth form in West Yorkshire. His grandmother's death during exams affected his performance. 'I didn’t feel failure – I hadn’t quit, I made it to the end,' he says. Despite missing his first-choice course at Liverpool John Moores University, he used clearing to secure a place on the same biomedical science course at Hull.
Leah Jacobs, 31, received a C in geography, E in maths and U in physics at JFS school in Harrow. 'Results day was the hardest day of my life,' she says. She later discovered she had undiagnosed dyslexia. After a gap year working at a civil engineering firm, she found a university that suited her needs. 'I’ve realised that I am smart, but the A-level system was never going to reflect my true ability,' she reflects.
