'I'm disappointed and left hanging on'

The pupil

TWO DAYS after receiving his A-level results, Lewis Forrest still did not know whether he had done well or not.

Lewis's judgement of his own self-worth will rely solely on whether tutors at Southampton University decide his lesser grades will still gain him a place to read law. He will find out on Monday.

"If I get in it will be a huge relief. Then I will look at my results and think I did well. If I don't get in, I will look at that B, B, C in a very different light," he said.

If he succeeds, Lewis, 18, will be the first member of his immediate family to go to university. He set his sights high and focused single- mindedly on the two As and a B required by Southampton, without seriously considering other universities.

In the end, he collected a respectable 22 points - above the 18.1 average for pupils at Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh, Hampshire. "I went to the school gym to collect my results on Thursday. For some reason I seemed to be in the longest queue. I was just hoping beyond hope that I had got the grades I needed."

For 15 minutes he held the unopened envelope. "I was disappointed, not sure what to think. I had mixed reactions. Around me some people had got Ds and Es so I was quite pleased with Bs and Cs but I had not got the grades I wanted. It has just left me hanging on."

His Mother

LEWIS FORREST'S mother was a bigger bag of nerves than her son when he went to collect his results.

She spent the two-hour wait for news from her son in a distracted state, unable to entertain her lunch guest.

Having lived through the tension of the exams Gina Forrest, 46, felt the intensity of the results as acutely as her son. "I was frantic. He didn't get back until 1pm," she explained.

The moment Lewis walked through the door of their home in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, his mother asked whether he had passed all his A-levels. His positive response was greeted with a hug before she realised all was not well - he had not achieved the grades he needed for Southampton University.

"He had set his sights very high and not quite made it," she explained, adding: "This is the most worrying time. Had they [Southampton] refused straight away we could get on and plan something else. But they are still saying there is a chance. We will know on Monday."

Mrs Forrest, who works as a learning support worker in a school, realises that she can only sit out the wait with her son.

Whatever the outcome, Mrs Forrest is very proud of Lewis. "We tell him all you can do is your best. There is life after A-levels."

His Teacher

GRAHAM Deans, Lewis Forrest's senior tutor, finds it hardest hearing about pupils who have narrowly missed their target.

"I think especially in Lewis's case he possibly missed out very closely," he said. "You can get situations where students get 58 per cent in three subjects where as 61 per cent would have made all the difference."

On Thursday, Mr Deans, who advised 150 students, arrived early and went through their results, making a mental note of those who would need counselling. Lewis was one of 20 students who sought him out for advice.

"A lot of students get two "C"s and a "D" and they think they have failed when they have done well," he added. "I advise them on alternatives."

He believes Lewis's determination to go to Southampton may be in part due to a very modern pressure on today's students. "He may have been hoping to stay at home because of the financial implications," he said.

As he helps his past pupils, he must also focus on the future. On Monday, Mr Deans will begin preparations for enrolling another batch of young A-level hopefuls.