11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi everyone,

Do all the local grammar schools to the same number of GCSE's?

Many thanks

11 are compulsory for KEFW and, I understand, 10 for KECHB. Not sure about the rest

11 at HGS this year.

I hope they drop down to 10 - seems plenty to me.

I would imagine most schools do either 10 or 11. It’s 10 at KEHS.

Whatever they do now might change any way ....

Guest55 wrote:Whatever they do now might change any way ....

That's right.

The 10 mentioned at KEHS now if memory serves me correctly was 11 or 12 for most girls in 2013.

Sensibly most school have reduced the number as the GCSE reverted to a linear format. When I did O levels 8 was common and a few did 9.

Thanks everyone. I was wondering if volume of GCSE's was something to consider and all league tables only talk about 5 or 8 subjects - Therefore you could technically sit 8 subjects and get a higher ranking than a school that sits 10-11 and slips but one grade.

If it helps - although I have to confess to a categorical distrust of league tables and an opinion that any sensible parent choosing a school should have at least visited on an open day and am someone that does not think a grammar school education is the be all or end all, so take my opinion with all that in mind - universities are only interested in your best 8 GCSEs anyway so anything above that is totally irrelevant. And, to be honest, once you have a degree, apart from usually requiring above an old C grade in Maths and English for some graduate level jobs, most employers don't give a rattus rattus about your GCSE grades.....

So really anything over 8 is not needed.

I agree that more than 8 is unnecessary, it just seems such a shame to restrict a child's education so narrowly at such an early age. By the time you've got two science, two English, maths, one language and one humanity that would only leave one space for all the other subjects - drama, music, art, DT, PE, or an extra science, humanity or language.

It frustrates me that policy makers talk about not narrowing too quickly but then make exams more difficult so you have to narrow down if you're going to do well in them.

No-one has to take a humanity subject ....