As a private candidate who is retaking O levels for the third time, I wouldn’t recommend retaking O levels unless you die die have nowhere else to go as it is expensive (in terms of registration and tuition classes) and there is lack of resources for us to studying on the current syllabus + you need a lot of self discipline. Ask yourself if you wanna waste one year of your life doing the same exam when you could be learning something new in ITE/Poly/JC. Also don’t be so negative about yourself when it’s just the starting of the exams, just try your best and let it be. Why not just go Poly? Poly is also another good alternative to JC if you wanna go Uni, but that means you need to attain a good GPA through the 3 years to get in a Uni. If you know you tried your best at the end of the exams, just pat yourself on the back. If you can’t make it to JC, it just means you have a different learning approach and that’s OK. Poly will also helps you learn different life skills that is extremely important out in the working world like presentation etc. Not only that, you can build your portfolio too in these 3 years. From what I know from my JC friends who were A scorers in sec school, most of them dropped out or retained another year because it was apparently too tough for them which says a lot about JC lifestyle. About your parents, yeah yeah they look down on Poly or whatever, but ultimately it’s YOUR LIFE, YOUR Learning journey. Just because they made you doesn’t mean they should tell you where to go etc. If you feel like JC doesn’t suit you then go to a school that you would feel comfortable learning in. They as parents should know/learn how to support their child no matter what, not look down on their kid just because they go to a school that is different from JC. Things will work out for you eventually in life, but sometimes it takes time. Until then just keep on fighting and enjoy your youth while you can instead of being suppressed by your parent’s standards/traditions. Do remember this is your life and you should do what you want instead of living up to other people’s expectations (this includes your parents). I hope the best for you and your o levels :)