| OLDWIVESTALE | Two A-levels I'd failed? A fanciful story |
| LONGDIVISION | Solving no.1, I'd failed...it's tricky to work out (4,8) |
| CONCEIT | Conservative leader in thrall to anti-European magnetism? A fanciful notion! (7) |
| REDO | What a merciful teacher may offer a student who failed a test |
| FLUTE | Aerophone played by Frederick II; a groove in a column or cloth; a frill in a frock; a tall piece of stemware for champagne; or, a type of baguette (5) |
| LEADIN | "A-one, a-two, a-one two three four", e.g. (6) |
| SPED | Failed a driving test, maybe |
| YARN | Ryan spun fanciful story (4) |
| OYSTERCATCHER | Shore bird's fanciful story teacher originally created (13) |
| URBANLEGEND | Fanciful story Pope, say, penned in advance |
| OYSTER | Mollusc primarily encountered in fanciful story |
| RENEGADE | Wastrel failed a degree around noon (8) |
| LITTLE | Trivial times left in fanciful story (6) |
| DOUBLE | From "two", a quantity twice as much; two of a sort together; or, a duplicate, exact counterpart or twin (6) |
| DUAL | From Greek for "two", a word for a pair of units treated as one, such as a bivalent atom, couple of people, duo of notes or product of two vectors (4) |
| SNAP | Be it the sound of an elastic band breaking when too tight, a ginger nut breaking into two, a Rice Krispie before the crackle and pop or a card player's slam on the pile with all their might, it's a s |
| HOTCROSSBUN | "One a penny, two a penny" pastry in a nursery rhyme |
| VALLEY | "A levels a myth" spread around area of South East England (6,6) |
| THAMES | "A levels a myth" spread around area of South East England (6,6) |
| LIED | Failed a polygraph, presumably |
