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Original poster

Is it normal to do 4 GCSE's in Y10?

19 replies

HarrySnotter · 31/12/2018 13:26

They do at DS's school and have mocks coming up soon. It feels like such a lot in Y10, but I know the thinking is that it takes the pressure off Y11 exams.

Is this usual in your DC's school?

OP posts:
Panicmode1 · 31/12/2018 13:34

No. DS is at a superselective grammar and is taking maths early as he's in the top set, but that's only c.30 childen out of 150. I think that children who are fluent in a second language are taking their French or German GCSEs early, but no other subjects are being done early, due to the change in syllabus requirements. In maths, the top set have had to do 3 modules to every 1 that the lower sets are doing in order to cover everything in a year. I can't see that it 's possible to do other subjects in a year now that they are so much more dense in content.

Piggywaspushed · 31/12/2018 13:37

Not since Ofsted started to become critical of this approach a few years ago it isn't. It has fallen very out of favour. What is the school's rationale?

Original poster
HarrySnotter · 31/12/2018 13:43

The school are a very high achieving (in terms of results) and suggest that taking them early takes the pressure off in Y11. I just feel it's too much for him.

It would mean 4 GCSE's in May in Y10 and 7 in Y11.

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TheFirstOHN · 31/12/2018 13:47

Quite a few schools used to do this. It was a way of "banking" some C grades to improve their % of A* - C for league tables. It was arguably detrimental to individual pupils, who would probably have got higher grades if they'd taken the exams in Y11.

Most schools now prefer their pupils to do all their GCSEs in one sitting.

I have heard anecdotally that the admissions departments of competitive universities prefer to see GCSEs taken in one sitting, but I don't know how accurate that is.

noblegiraffe · 31/12/2018 13:50

No, this approach was generally abandoned when the DfE declared that only the first attempt at a GCSE would count for league table purposes. They did this because evidence showed that early entry led to students getting lower grades than they would have done if the exams were taken in Y11.

GrammarTeacher · 31/12/2018 13:51

No. Superselective here. No exams are sat early.

TheFirstOHN · 31/12/2018 13:52

DS2 sat 10 GCSEs (and L2 F.Maths) in the summer of Y11 . It wouldn't have benefitted him to take any of them in Y10. He possibly could have taken Maths GCSE in Y10, but might have got a 7 or 8 rather than a 9.

MorningsEleven · 31/12/2018 13:55

It's so the bright and hardworking pupils take more GCSEs to skew figures in the league tables. Not a good practice.

TeenTimesTwo · 31/12/2018 13:55

Our school still does (I think - options evening coming up) a half RE in y10. The rationale being to give the pupils some 'real' experience before the big year 11.

4 in y10 sounds crazy to me. Are these core subjects like maths or option subjects or what?

Cherries101 · 31/12/2018 13:58

Some selective and private schools do this with those pupils who are stronger in some subjects than others so they have more time to study those subjects in which they are weakest. Never seen it applied to students born and brought up in the UK though — it was usually for kids who came here from overseas.

ReflectentMonatomism · 31/12/2018 14:44

I have heard anecdotally that the admissions departments of competitive universities prefer to see GCSEs taken in one sitting,

Anecdotal is the word. It is however occasionally an issue for a very small number of universities for A Levels (medicine at Edinburgh). But even then it's a real edge case.

LtJudyHopps · 31/12/2018 16:34

I sat my GCSE’s 9 years ago (Shock) English language, Maths and Geography in year 10. I then sat 7 in year 11 a year later.

Stickerrocks · 31/12/2018 16:47

DD took her GCSEs earlier this year, so she was in the first group to face the new style exams without any coursework across all subjects. She took 11 subjects with 25 papers, which was hard going, but with the benefit of hindsight she is pleased that she took them all at the end of year 11 because she was able to spend two years working through the whole syllabus properly for each. The pressure didn't seem to have any impact on their results, with most pupils in the top sets getting strings of grade 7s, 8s and 9s.

Meanwhile my DN took her science GCSEs early (under the old system) and got grade Cs despite being deemed to be a high flyer. She wasn't allowed to resit them and that limited her options for her next steps. She didn't really appreciate their significance in year 10, whereas year 11s seem to take their exams a bit more seriously as everything is geared towards them.

ReflectentMonatomism · 31/12/2018 16:52

English language, Maths and Geography in year 10. I then sat 7 in year 11 a year later

Nine years ago that was regarded as acceptable, although it was still suffused with the scent of gaming. It was only done by some schools, for a wide range of reasons, some well-intentioned, some less so. More recently, most of the reasons were bad rasons, which was why Ofsted put an end to the incentives for doing it (which were almost never in the interests of the child).

It was acceptable to put children who were going to get A* at GCSE, and only that grade, through maths in Year 10 and then do FSMQ in year 11.

Any child who did anything in Year 10 and got less than an A* would have been better waiting. If you go back and look at MN threads on GCSEs five or ten years ago they are full of nonsense about "she got a B in Year 10 which is like an A in Year 11". No, it isn't: it's a B. The end.

Panicmode1 · 31/12/2018 17:05

DS will only be allowed to sit the maths this summer (Y10) if they think they will definitely get a 9. If not, they will wait until Y11. However if they do take it in Y10, they then do Further Maths next year. I wasn't very keen, but the school are confident that they know what they are doing, and so far they have been right about him, so I will trust their judgement. Interestingly, I spoke to the Head of Maths at the local super outstanding brilliant comp, and they said that they don't let able students take maths early because when it comes to Further maths or A levels, they haven't got enough in depth knowledge of the subject because they will have to race to get to the end of the modules in time to take it early. We will see what happens after his mock in March.

Oblomov18 · 31/12/2018 17:17

Blimey. ShockNone done in Year 10 here!

Stickerrocks · 31/12/2018 17:30

DD's school focused on maths GCSE and this paid off with a lot of 8s and 9s in the top sets. Around a dozen of them took FSMQ by studying it for an hour each week after school and only a couple of them passed. I don't think it helped that it was their final exam and most of them took the weekend off before it with their friends!

TheFirstOHN · 31/12/2018 22:04

DS2's Further Maths papers were a week after the rest of the GCSEs. It is tough to keep studying when a lot of your friends have finished and are relaxing.

Unescorted · 31/12/2018 22:15

DD was asked to do her art in y10. She had enough to get a 9. Art is her vocation and she didn't want to get a half arsed grade just to take the pressure off...

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