Opinions on weak A levels but headstart in everything else.

Hi everyone,

I'm going to go over my background here for some context and and I'm looking for some opinions/guidance.

I’ll be starting at a bottom-tier target this autumn studying a very relevant subject back in first year again (think: Durham, Warwick, UCL), transferring in after finishing my first year at a non target uni with a First Class.

The issue is my A-levels, which I didn’t take seriously or study for the whole 2 years due to poor mindset & no real direction. Ended up with:

ABC + A in AS Maths (didn't sit the full A level though).

Everyone I've interacted with on the course has at the bare minimum AAB with most having several As and A*s. (This course is a course you'd insure if you firmed LSE.)

My GCSEs were the same story but I was luckily smart enough to get decent grades without any extra work outside of class (mostly 7s, few 8s, few 6s at a below average state school).

Since then I've decided to take things seriously at uni and I’ve turned things around:

Led a team at my uni’s student investment fund, where we won an internal stock pitch competition.

Built a full DCF model for the pitch. (Pulled statements from yahoo finance, made a WACC calculation table, built the model and then made a self updating sensitivity table under different growth rate + WACC assumptions).

Recently got accepted into a selective scholarship (worth 5 figures) + internship programme (only 5 people picked) at a major UK retail bank similar to something like Lloyds. I’ll be working there in treasury or corporate finance for 8 weeks between my 1st & 2nd year in the summer. (This is quite the standout compared to most people at this stage).

Currently half way through a modelling course think: (TTS/WSP/Financial edge)

Also part of SEO and upReach for social mobility.

My long-term goal is to break into investment banking, mostly leaning towards M&A. I'll be applying to spring weeks this cycle, but I'm aware most firms will screen me based on my A levels.

Would it be worth retaking A-Levels or sitting some new ones (maybe resit econ then sit business/maths) as a private candidate in 2026 to try and hit AAA+ before the summer cycle?

Based on my past grades it may seem like I wouldn't be academically good enough to attempt this but I cannot stress how poor my effort was in sixthform (near 0 homework done, 80% attendance, 0 revision, probably around 5-6 hours sleep most school nights & just playing video games and going to the gym everyday).

Appreciate any insight and opinions. I'm also curious about which firms I'd be least and most likely to get something at.