A-level results yet again…

Again, the A-levels were, frankly, a little disappointing yet incredible.

Danyal got an A in A-level Mathematics (I was expecting an A*), so he’s now got 2 As in his A-levels. Maryam got a B (I was expecting an A) and so she’s now got 2As and 1B.

Incredible, because they’re now done, aged 11 and 13 respectively, and they self-taught their mathematics (for which I get a lot of slack from Isabelle for as she thinks they could have done better with my help).

So what now from here? Is it worth Danyal doing another A-level to make it 3? I don’t see the point.

Here’s how we see it playing out. They’re doing their coding, learning their languages, and learning basic business skills – right now they’re on a project selling 7,000 T-shirts that I’ve managed to end up owning – it’s a long story – but they’re learning a ton about marketing – and soon they’ll go on to other business projects. And they’re enjoying their lives and spending time with friends – something they didn’t do much of for the last few months.

They’re basically spending all day doing what they want, and the great thing is most of it is productive.

If they can make a success of business over the next few years, and they enjoy it, that’s what they’ll probably end up pursuing in their teens and twenties. They’re loving the freedom they already have and I don’t think they’ll ever want anything else.

But if they don’t get anywhere in business then I reckon they’ll spend a year doing their A-levels again, aged 18, and then go to university. Universities don’t accept A-level results that are more than 3 years old and I don’t want them to go to university early – I reckon fitting in is a key part of the university experience.

Author: Asim Qureshi

Passionate about tech startups, home schooling, barefoot running and squash.

10 thoughts on “A-level results yet again…”

  1. I think your optimism is infectious.i love your reverse engineering approach to parenting. Set the goal and see how it can be achieved most effectively.Theres tonnes of resources on the net.Howd you manage to cut the excess and zero on only a particular site/ resource? Also are kids allowed regular net use otherwise for entertainment.What you’ve done is radical.im gobsmacked.

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  2. Love your blog.
    Btw, since your children speak French, maybe you could enroll them at Université Paris 8. They offer online degrees (both bachelor and masters degree) in different fields including computer science.
    It costs around 700 euros a year and it would allow them to pursue their startup projects at the same time – they could still learn programming online, through the university or through any moocs, and gain qualification. That way if they do wish to pursue higher education in the future, in a real-life campus, they they won’t have to retake their A-levels, and they would be able to pursue a masters degree directly (signifiant money saving), not to mention it will avoid the awkwardness of not fitting in but still won’t take away their college experience.

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  3. Homeschooling is the only way one can learn. Children soak up the emotional tone in their environment. So if you send them to a school, they will get trapped in that environment. And it’s usually bad, because they are children. Some are mean, some are violent, some are rude, etc. It’s exhausting being around people and trying to adjust.

    Homeschooling is the ONLY way to go. No magic. No geniuses. Just a safe environment to relax the limbic system, which increases the frontal cortex ability. A higher emotional state leads to a higher cognitive ability.

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