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Original poster

Correlation between GCSE grade and subsequent A level grade

32 replies

INeverSeeYou · 28/05/2025 11:26

Someone helpfully posted the above data for Maths, but does this exist for other subjects?

Particularly interested in Art and Physics for DC.

OP posts:
Rhayader · 28/05/2025 16:59

Foxesandsquirrels · 28/05/2025 16:52

Honestly I'm not at all surprised, the jump from GCSE to A Level has always been huge, even before the reform and a lot of kids who get 7s and 8s start them with quite a cocky attitude and get humbled quick. @noblegiraffe is on here every year warning people to not do Maths A Level with a 7.
If you compare a Stem GCSE and A Level past paper it's like looking at two different subjects. I strongly believe if you had to work for the 7 in the STEM subject, it'll be a hard slog.

Saying that, I think A Levels are unnecessarily difficult.

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I think maybe my mind is a bit warped because of grade inflation. If a 7 is an A, getting an A at gcse was not going to mean that you would do badly at A Level when I was at school even in stem subjects

Foxesandsquirrels · 28/05/2025 16:52

Rhayader · 28/05/2025 16:43

I’m actually quite surprised because that’s students who take gcse physics — not double science. For double science only 6% of 7s go on to get A/A* in A level!

Show quote history

Honestly I'm not at all surprised, the jump from GCSE to A Level has always been huge, even before the reform and a lot of kids who get 7s and 8s start them with quite a cocky attitude and get humbled quick. @noblegiraffe is on here every year warning people to not do Maths A Level with a 7.
If you compare a Stem GCSE and A Level past paper it's like looking at two different subjects. I strongly believe if you had to work for the 7 in the STEM subject, it'll be a hard slog.

Saying that, I think A Levels are unnecessarily difficult.

Rhayader · 28/05/2025 16:43

Foxesandsquirrels · 28/05/2025 16:28

That would make sense to me tbh. Art is really difficult to get a 7-9 in at GCSE, the work load is huge and the analysis is advanced at that level, but that knowledge feeds well into A Level Art. It's a very natural continuation, you're not necessarily doing anything massively new, you're just doing more the GCSE stuff and are expected to do a lot more alone. If someone needed a lot of hand holding and reminding to get their 7 in Art, they could easily struggle at A Level. That's very different to Science A Levels where the jump in actual difficulty and amount of content is massive. I can see how someone who got a 7 at GCSE through hard work, could easily struggle at A Level. Biology A level is famously content heavy and very different to GCSE. A Level Physics includes a whole new level of maths. Because science is so vast, in some ways you're learning a whole new subject.

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I’m actually quite surprised because that’s students who take gcse physics — not double science. For double science only 6% of 7s go on to get A/A* in A level!

Foxesandsquirrels · 28/05/2025 16:28

Rhayader · 28/05/2025 13:45

So… only 13% of grade 7s get an A/A* at A level for physics but art is 47%

That would make sense to me tbh. Art is really difficult to get a 7-9 in at GCSE, the work load is huge and the analysis is advanced at that level, but that knowledge feeds well into A Level Art. It's a very natural continuation, you're not necessarily doing anything massively new, you're just doing more the GCSE stuff and are expected to do a lot more alone. If someone needed a lot of hand holding and reminding to get their 7 in Art, they could easily struggle at A Level. That's very different to Science A Levels where the jump in actual difficulty and amount of content is massive. I can see how someone who got a 7 at GCSE through hard work, could easily struggle at A Level. Biology A level is famously content heavy and very different to GCSE. A Level Physics includes a whole new level of maths. Because science is so vast, in some ways you're learning a whole new subject.

Original poster
INeverSeeYou · 28/05/2025 16:16

Thanks so much for this @Rhayader , and for highlighting those figures in particular.

OP posts:
Rhayader · 28/05/2025 13:45

So… only 13% of grade 7s get an A/A* at A level for physics but art is 47%