GCSE results

HEfamily · Post by **HEfamily** » Sun May 09, 2010 11:21 am

Hi

I am new to this forum, so hello !

We are a home educating family but one of my children is thinking of GS and I came across this site which is very helpful.

I have a question about GCSE's/IGCSE's...our ds will be sitting a few of these as a private candidate over the next 2 years. I have been reading recently that GCSE grades really matter to Uni's and I was surprised, I had never thought about this before and presumed it was the A levels that counted.

I am wondering if any of you with experience of this could let me know how much the GCSE grades matter to Uni's?

Thanks

Post by **hermanmunster** » Sun May 09, 2010 11:31 am

Initially they will need enough to satisfy the matric requirements of the UNi but then it depends on the course they want to do .... for example B'ham med school want a minimum of 8 A*

sherry_d · Post by **sherry_d** » Sun May 09, 2010 1:29 pm

hermanmunster wrote:.... for example B'ham med school want a minimum of 8 A*

Goodness is that because its easy getting 8 A* or they require VERY clever kids.

Post by **hermanmunster** » Sun May 09, 2010 2:50 pm

think it is a way of shortlisting - they get plenty of applicants with good GCSEs so have to decide somehow....

KenR · Post by **KenR** » Sun May 09, 2010 3:28 pm

think it is a way of shortlisting - they get plenty of applicants with good GCSEs so have to decide somehow....

Not really just simply shortlisting - they interview about 850 candidates each year and make 800 offers (for 400 places). If you get an interview you have about a 90% chance of getting an offer.

Professor Lote (the B/Ham medical School Admissions Tutor) gave a talk at my DDs school (KEHS) last year. The rationale for using the number of A*s at GCSE is simply the fact that they don't like using UKCAT, AS Grades or just A2 predictions. (but you need to be predicted to get 3 As at A2)

magwich2 · Post by **magwich2** » Sun May 09, 2010 5:16 pm

I remember a conversation with DH's D Phil supervisor at Oxford back in about 1990 when he said that Oxford research had found even back then that GCSE grades were a better predictor of final degree class than A level grades. So that could be why universities find a clutch of A*s to be so useful.
If your DC wanted to go to a top university I would only consider doing GCSEs where they have a realistic chance of an A*. I would not do any early because you may jeopardise the possible A* and also because many good universities want them all to have been sat in the same session.

Flamenco · Post by **Flamenco** » Sun May 09, 2010 5:53 pm

Post deleted by Flamenco

Post by **hermanmunster** » Sun May 09, 2010 6:28 pm

Ds's head of sixth form sent all the year 11 a letter which made it VERY clear that GCSEs did matter and he didn't want them coming wingeing to him in 18/12 time because "they hadn't realised they would matter"

chicko-mum · Post by **chicko-mum** » Sun May 09, 2010 7:20 pm

As an aside, GCSE results also influence which A'Levels schools/6th form colleges will allow a student to take (many require minimum grades) which of course then influences the degree courses open to them.

This thread might be useful to read re: 'soft A'Levels':
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... hp?t=14462

T.i.p.s.y · Post by **T.i.p.s.y** » Sun May 09, 2010 8:17 pm

As a previous HE family I did a lot of research into this and universities apply special circumstances to HE children where they look at A'levels over the number of GCSE'S. In fact I know a girl who has gone to Cambridge and sat no GCSE's but just did her A'levels. HE children are highly thought of and, with the right grades, highly sought after at universities .