I've got my heart set on going to Newcastle uni to study English literature: for this I need AAB. I recently got my AS results back and I got ACDD. I've had trouble concentrating for the past year: my mum died 2 years ago and I've still been grieving for her and feeling depressed, plus my dad is ill with cancer so I've had extra work to do round the house.

I recently had a chat with my form tutor and she said that she's going to let my teachers know so that all this extra stress can be taken into consideration. I'm kind of worried that people will think I'm using this as an excuse; I would really love to just be successful in my own right.

When looking at applications, will universities automatically knock you back for not getting decent enough AS level grades? It seems doubtful to me that they would take any 'excuses' for not meeting their standards, and this is really worrying me.

if i were u i wouldnt be so hard on yourself.... nobody knows what it's like until they've been through it..
i got into the university i wanted this september and i missed the required grades by 4 grades!!!! if you work hard to get a good personal statement on your ucas form and get some good references from teachers YOU WILL BE FINE. i promise....i needed CCC and only got CEE. my a/s levels i got: BDDE and i still got to do exactly what i wanted which is theology...
keep it real my friend, it'll be okay...

Wow, cheers for that! So there may be hope after all, thanks for the encouragement.

I wouldn't worry about it too much - I think students' situations are often taken into account on the referance, where your teacher can explain why your grades might not have been as good as they could be.

I don't know how much AS results are taken into account, but predicted grades are also important as well - if your teachers are aware of your circumstances I'm sure they'll take it into account and give you higher predicted grades.

Also if you're really worried there's the possibility of retaking your AS's to improve them or taking an extra year of A-levels if you miss the grades. Having said that your grades arn't far off the ones you need, so if you work hard you'll probably do fine.

Good luck.

Thank you very much loftx. I didn't realise that predicted grades were taken into account, so that's very reassuring.

I am going to retake a few of my AS modules to see if I can improve upon my grades. Hopefully I'll be successful!

You seem to have extenuating circumstances, which will probably be written in your tutor's reference and will be taken into account. It's not uncommon for offers to be given which are lower than the typical offer (in this case, probably AAB). Just work really hard (consider resisting some modules) and spend a lot of time writing your PS.