aimee.s

Hi there,

We are planning/hoping to take our son back to the UK after 11 years in Australia to start A levels and then uni in the UK. There are no formal exams until end of year 12 here, so he won't have GCSE equivalents for 6th form college entry( and uni entry)- this seems to be an issue for 6th form colleges and also I have noticed that UCAS need these, so how can you apply to uni? The transition is going to be hard as he is very settled in Sydney, but this is the only window we have to settle him back so that he makes friends. If we don't go now, he won't move back to the UK and we don't want to have the separation.
I spoke to his old private school who will take him based on reports/exam/interview but the main issue is the UCAS application and whether he would prefer a 6th form as all new kids and so less stress in terms of trying to fit into existing friendship groups
He is keen to do Medicine at uni. Has anyone been through this? His peers will be doing GCSE this summer. There is not an option of dropping back a year for him, as this will further compound his disapproval in the move....A level choices- Maths, Chem, Bio ( if that helps!)
Thanks

mikelincs

Welcome to BE

Please note this really only a place for general introductions and you best place to get answers to your specific questions is the moving back to the UK forum https://britishexpats.com/forum/moving-back-uk-61/

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christmasoompa

Hi, welcome to BE.

I’ve moved your thread to the MMTTUK forum for you.

If he wants to do medicine then he’ll need top A level grades, plus work experience. He could look at doing a 4th A Level and/or an EPQ to make his application a bit more competitive? It might be worth getting him some A Level revision guides from Amazon so he can have a look and see how it compares to what he’s doing now.

Worth noting too that if he goes straight to uni after A Levels he wouldn’t have been in the UK for the 3 years required to qualify for local tuition rates, so it will cost a heck of a lot more. It might therefore be worth him taking a gap year before applying.

My daughter is doing A Levels now, including Biology & Chemistry, so any specific questions about those subjects let me know and I can ask her.

Good luck with the move back.

aimee.s

Thanks for this…yes, he will have a gap year but my concern is that his application doesn’t have any board exams to submit for assessment by the universities and so he will miss out on bring considered at all. How old was your daughter when you moved back to the U.K.? Was she also without GCSEs? It seems there are at least English and Maths GCSE level and probably science, though not looked in depth at this, for application to university, which we can’t fulfil. Re work experience, presumably he can also do this in the U.K.? I will see if I can get him in somewhere in Sydney but he’s only 15 until June, so they don’t always take the younger kids. They cancelled his year 10 work experience as we were in lockdown for 4 months when it was due to happen.
I think I will contact some universities as well and see what they suggest or if any flexibility for expats. I don’t think he will cope with the massive change and to try to sit maths and English GCSE along side A levels. Missed the boat with this it feels!

Tirytory

We’re 95% settled on a move back to the UK with our Grade 11 student (he’s 16) this summer. I’ve spoken to the local sixth form who will accept him to start A-levels in September. He will also do GCSE Math and English to achieve the Welsh Baccalaureate. As far as I could see when looking at uni’s, they want to know Math/English GCSE, and A-level results. I think the lack of other examinations will be explainable plus I think the real world experience our son will have will stand him in good stead; ie he’s a lifeguard here, coaches in our local swim team, swims competitively at a high level, and holds down a job which his peers in the UK don’t seem to do.

aimee.s

So is he dropping back to start year 11 in September? Our trouble is that our son will already be doing an extra year to here ( as about to start year 11) let alone doing 3 years. He knows the kids as it’s the same school he went to in 2019 and reception for a term between Sydney

mikelincs

From your first post I get the impression that your son is not happy to being moved back to the UK as you mention he already disapproves. Could he not stury at an Oz uni for medicine. Lots of Australien doctors do come to the UK post qualification to continue their career.

christmasoompa

My daughter has been in the UK for all of her secondary education, so it's much easier for her. But she's got 2 friends who are doing A Levels alongside her, they have moved from abroad and don't have GCSE's, they're both planning on applying for medicine, so UK universities must be able to take other education systems in to account. Have you looked at a service like WES or similar to see if they would do it?

Yes, he can do his work experience in the UK, I'm not sure what he'll need (my daughter is looking at vet med, so different requirements), but his sixth form college should help him sort out whatever he needs. I would strongly suggest he doesn't sit GCSE's alongside A Levels, it would just be too confusing as I think for medicine he'd ideally need a fourth A Level or an EPQ as the competition will be fierce and most others will have more than 3 A Levels. So I'd get him to concentrate on that personally.

Tirytory

My son is a late August baby so will be a year behind his UK peers, but in reality will be in the right age group, so starting his A-Levels from the beginning. He also wants to move home and is happy with the compromise of dropping back a year.

aimee.s

Definitely helps if they’re keen to go back- how long have you lived in Australia? I’m glad he’s excited as it makes a huge difference to the process!