How important are A* at GCSE level
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How important are A* at GCSE level
Hi there,
We didn't get a place at a grammar for our DS and we are considering all our options. We are looking at an East Sussex school which to be honest gets pretty reasonable results. However it seems that the top students tend to get As and Bs at GCSE and very few A*s. Their A Level results are better with a fair proportion of A*. I am wondering how much value there really is in the A* grades at GCSE (which of course may be something completely different by the time our children reach them) when it comes to looking for University places. Do the A level results simply override the GCSE results and what happened at GCSE is mostly forgotten?
Any insights would be welcomed.
Sally
We didn't get a place at a grammar for our DS and we are considering all our options. We are looking at an East Sussex school which to be honest gets pretty reasonable results. However it seems that the top students tend to get As and Bs at GCSE and very few A*s. Their A Level results are better with a fair proportion of A*. I am wondering how much value there really is in the A* grades at GCSE (which of course may be something completely different by the time our children reach them) when it comes to looking for University places. Do the A level results simply override the GCSE results and what happened at GCSE is mostly forgotten?
Any insights would be welcomed.
Sally
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ourmaminhavana
- Posts: 966
- Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:14 am
Re: How important are A* at GCSE level
Sally, usually when they are applying to uni they won't have their 'A' level results so GCSE results would, I feel, be quite important... I think there are other threads here saying that certain unis want all A* at GCSE, for example to study medicine. It depends to a certain extent on what your DC wants to do next. Good luck with your decision! 
Re: How important are A* at GCSE level
I wonder why that school doesn't get what one might expect in the way of A* at GCSE when you take the A level results into consideration.
It might be worth asking the school in more detail about their results; some analyse their results in great detail and will be able to show you results for a cluster of high achieving pupils moving through the school - maybe show you that the ones entering with 2 or 3 level 5s achieved a certain number of A* at GCSE and went on to do very well at A level too.
This kind of further analysis might set your mind at rest that an able child entering the school is ask likely to end of with a string of A* at GCSE there as elsewhere. Or can you see from the results that the actual number of A* in some subjects is very low year on year ......... in which case if it is truly comprehensive (is it, or do the top lot get snatched away by grammars over the border) and the % A* is not the national average, it might be that the teaching is poor in some subjects?
Sometimes it's hard to see from the total results from a large comprehensive what the able children there have actually done.
It might be worth asking the school in more detail about their results; some analyse their results in great detail and will be able to show you results for a cluster of high achieving pupils moving through the school - maybe show you that the ones entering with 2 or 3 level 5s achieved a certain number of A* at GCSE and went on to do very well at A level too.
This kind of further analysis might set your mind at rest that an able child entering the school is ask likely to end of with a string of A* at GCSE there as elsewhere. Or can you see from the results that the actual number of A* in some subjects is very low year on year ......... in which case if it is truly comprehensive (is it, or do the top lot get snatched away by grammars over the border) and the % A* is not the national average, it might be that the teaching is poor in some subjects?
Sometimes it's hard to see from the total results from a large comprehensive what the able children there have actually done.
