Gaining the right grades to get into the university of their choice is a worry for many teenagers. Raisingkids.co.uk's guest expert Frank McGinty offers advice about how to help a teenager who's convinced the necessary grades are beyond them.

Raisingkids member's problem
My daughter is convinced that she won't do well enough in her A-levels to get the grades she needs to go to her first-choice uni. I think that she has a real cause for worry about this, rather than just pre-exam jitters. Is there anything I can do to help her, and what will we do if she doesn't make the grades? Should she do re-sits or should she go to a university with a lower entrance requirement?

Frank McGinty's advice
I wonder why your daughter is convinced she wont get the grades she needs. Try to determine whether its a case of ability or confidence. If after genuine consideration of all the factors involved you both feel she has the ability but it hasnt flourished this year, then she may benefit from re-sits.

Often the performance of people with ability does not live up to expectations due to factors such as ill health, emotional upsets or even practical issues. Once these things have been sorted out, improvement can be rapid.

Although re-sits work for some people, there is a lot of evidence to show that many more are not so fortunate, and often a lack of confidence is at the root of this. If your daughter comes into this category, then going over old ground that intimidated her in the first place is unlikely to produce any better results. If it is a confidence issue, there are many books, tapes and courses that could help.

You can help by listening in a supportive and nonjudgmental fashion. Deep down your daughter knows the reason she feels likely to fail, but she may need help in putting this into words. She will know whether she really wants to continue aiming for her first choice university, or whether she may even be relieved to aim for something less intellectually demanding. Perhaps shes done the best of which shes capable right now, so she will deserve credit even if the final grades are not up to first choice standards.

And dont lets make the mistake (as many do) of thinking that all the universities with lower entry requirements are necessarily inferior! Often the levels of support and dedication from staff are first class, and I personally know of many students who graduated from such universities and went on to take up very high-status and financially-rewarding positions. It could be that your daughter will flourish in an environment that she feels is less stridently competitive than some others.

The most important factors, Im sure youll agree, are that she is content and comfortable, is working to the best of her ability and is receiving a good education that will assist her in gaining entry to a worthwhile career of her choice.