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Original poster

Doing additional GCSEs early - anyone here with experience of this?

82 replies

stuckinaGSCEloop · 07/10/2021 14:41

I keep having a recurring argument with DH about DD who is in Y9 and has to choose her GSCE options this year.

Her school has a max limit of 10 GCSEs and she's already looking likely to do one outside of school at the end of Y9 because her school don't offer it as a language and she's already quite fluent.

He thinks she should take another optional subject early because she would probably be able to do it comfortably and because he thinks it'll "stand out on her CV". It's something she could probably do pretty comfortably this year but she doesn't want to do it because it's a subject she really likes and she wants to be part of the GCSE cohort at school.

I'm trying to see it from his perspective but every time we talk about it, it ends in a bit of an argument. He thinks I'm not ambitious enough for DD, that she's overly scared of failure etc And I think he's being pushy and that her reasons for saying no are valid etc. (NB DD doesn't know that DH and I disagree on this, I've tried to be even handed about it when talking about the possibility of doing another one early).

Anyone else have any wisdom to offer? Is it really a big asset having 12 GCSEs? Say she wants to apply to a top uni in years to come, will that extra, early GCSE make her stand out in the way he thinks? Anyone here whose DC have done early GCSEs and how has it worked out for them?

I feel really cross about the whole thing just at the moment but am willing to admit I'm wrong and am genuinely looking for different perspectives rather than people to just tell me I'm right.

Thanks in advance

OP posts:
CraftyGin · 07/10/2021 15:18

@stuckinaGSCEloop

I keep having a recurring argument with DH about DD who is in Y9 and has to choose her GSCE options this year.

Her school has a max limit of 10 GCSEs and she's already looking likely to do one outside of school at the end of Y9 because her school don't offer it as a language and she's already quite fluent.

He thinks she should take another optional subject early because she would probably be able to do it comfortably and because he thinks it'll "stand out on her CV". It's something she could probably do pretty comfortably this year but she doesn't want to do it because it's a subject she really likes and she wants to be part of the GCSE cohort at school.

I'm trying to see it from his perspective but every time we talk about it, it ends in a bit of an argument. He thinks I'm not ambitious enough for DD, that she's overly scared of failure etc And I think he's being pushy and that her reasons for saying no are valid etc. (NB DD doesn't know that DH and I disagree on this, I've tried to be even handed about it when talking about the possibility of doing another one early).

Anyone else have any wisdom to offer? Is it really a big asset having 12 GCSEs? Say she wants to apply to a top uni in years to come, will that extra, early GCSE make her stand out in the way he thinks? Anyone here whose DC have done early GCSEs and how has it worked out for them?

I feel really cross about the whole thing just at the moment but am willing to admit I'm wrong and am genuinely looking for different perspectives rather than people to just tell me I'm right.

Thanks in advance

It used to be quite fashionable 6 or 7 years ago to do a GCSE in Y10, but tbh, an awful lot of students did not reach their potential in the subject (eg getting a B, rather than an A in Y11).

Is her language aptitude because it's a native language? If that's the case, it will likely be overlooked.

If she is self studying for this language, it would probably be easier to do it alongside the language at school. This is because the specs are very similar, so she will know which hoops to jump through by waiting until Y10/11 when her teacher can help her.

No one cares about having more than 9 or 10 GCSEs.

Original poster
stuckinaGSCEloop · 07/10/2021 15:16

Thank you - this is really helpful. I still don't think DH will be convinced but you've helped me to feel a bit less bad about not being ambitious enough for her! He's adamant that she'll regret not seizing the day etc and that we're letting her down by not pushing her to do something she's capable of doing.

@SusannaOwens thanks for sharing your experience. Sounds as if your DD did brilliantly - 13 is a hell of a lot!

OP posts:
PlumeMoth · 07/10/2021 15:16

DD did 9 which was the norm at her school (comp). She got 5 offers from top tiers universities.

SusannaOwens · 07/10/2021 15:10

Oh and some universities prefer candidates to have sat all their GCSEs at one sitting. DD's school has stopped early entry for this reason.

SusannaOwens · 07/10/2021 15:05

DD has 13. Please don't go there, it is spreading things too thin and could be a disadvantage. DD got 7 A, but did less well in the other 6, she was adamant she wanted to sit them all, but now wishes she'd concentrated on 9 or 10 and would have had a better chance at getting A in all of them, she had wanted to apply to Oxford. She was also super stressed and bloody awful to live with!
Quality over quantity.

randomuseragain · 07/10/2021 15:02

It doesn't look great to do too many early, one in a fluent lang is fine but unis need to see they can handle the pressure of the tight GCSE exam period. I would rather 10 GCSEs at A*s and As rather than 13 with lower grades. As long as its above 9 the number isn't significant, the grades they get are the most important. Work to facilitate the realisation of their academic potential, this doesn't always mean pushing to do the ‘maximum.’ More isn't always better.

ChnandlerBong · 07/10/2021 14:59

I don't think that 10 or 11 or 12 will make any difference at all on the CV. No uni will choose a candidate who has 12 or 11 GCSEs in preference to one who has 10?

The key thing is that she does the right range of GCSEs to allow her to do the A levels she wants. AND that she gets good A level grades.

It's quality not quantity that's the key?

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