Westminster Tutors Independent Sixth Form College

Many congratulations to all the students at Westminster Tutors and around the country who completed their A level exams this summer. It is undoubtedly a nervous time right now while students await their exams results. Some will inevitably feel unsure and start to ask whether they can retake their A levels and how to do this.

Retaking A levels at our private sixth form college is a popular choice and we have an impressive success rate: on average our resit students improve by 1.6 A level grades, and over half of our students go on to the top universities in the country. We have therefore written this article to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about A level resits.

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The summer of 2023 was the second year of A level exams following their cancellations in 2020 and 2021. For many students, this was the first time they had taken public exams, so it has been an anxious and stressful time for everyone. We are very proud of all our students for their hard work and determination to succeed during this challenging period and we know many students across the country have worked just as hard.

Hopefully everyone has been enjoying a very well-deserved summer break as they wait for A level results day 2023, which is on Thursday 17 August. The purpose of this article is to advise A level students about what happens on A level results day and what options are available to them depending on their results.

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Three cheers for three of our students who are starting at Cambridge University in a month’s time, we are massively proud of them and their considerable talents. We are also rather proud of ourselves as each of them obtained A*A*A* in their A levels and we like to think our teaching and guidance may have helped them fulfil their potential!

Sam is going on to read Philosophy at Hughes Hall, Cambridge

Caitlin is going on to read Linguistics at Murray Edwards, Cambridge

Marina is going on to read HSPS at Trinity Hall, Cambridge

Sam says:

“Before I came to WT I was totally lost in school, my attendance was well below average and I was really struggling. However thanks to their amazing, inspiring tutors and method of understanding my needs, I have been able to find what I want to do and get into my dream university. I have had an incredible 5 years in and around the college and I know I would be nowhere near where I am today without everyone here!”

It is unusual for us to get three students into Cambridge (or Oxford) in one year, not only because competition is so fierce, but also because we have a very small cohort of 20-25 students applying to university each year. In terms of a successful Oxbridge application, there is no doubt that along with our exceptional guidance, the students themselves need to demonstrate exceptional academic ability as well as to stay on track throughout the gruelling application process.

This year an astounding 15% of our university applicants have taken up places at Cambridge, which makes this a special year, but in general our university destinations are second to none, even though we are not an academically selective sixth form. This year 52% of our students have placed at the UK’s top Russell Group universities and 67% have gone to their first choice university, other highlights of which we are equally proud include:

• International Relations & History at LSE
• Medicine at Newcastle
• Engineering at Nottingham, Loughborough and City
• French & Film at Bristol
• Filmmaking at Nottingham Trent
• And a host of other fantastic courses…

Well done to all our A level students receiving their A level grades today! It has been a particularly challenging few years, so everyone should be very proud of their achievements. At Westminster Tutors, initial data shows that 35% of all A level grades in 2022 are A*-A and 67% are A*-B. Meanwhile, our average A level retake improvement over the last few years is 1.6 grades.
Many of our students are also confirming their university places today: currently 52% of applicants have placed at Russell Group universities and 67% are going to their first choice.

We wish all our departing students the very best for the future!

This year is a year like no other and 2021 has presented huge challenges for the A level students getting their A level results on 10 August. Their entire sixth form experience has been disrupted by the covid pandemic and these uncertainties have demanded supreme amounts of resilience and flexibility as they tried to continue their A level studies in the face of adversity.

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