GCSE and A Levels are they age standardised?

[Taf90]

Hi everyone! Hope you all are doing well. This is my first post in the group. I wanted to find out if GCSE and A Levels exam scores are age standardised like the 11+ exams? Thanks in advance!xx

No, they aren't.

No.

No they are related to courses. So you can take them early.

Most GCSE's are taken in year 11 so when the child is 15/16 and A Levels at 17/18.

But can be taken early. My eldest is in year 10 and her school do English Lit GCSE in year 10. And she is doing A Level Eng Lit now so will take it next year in Year 11 along with her other GCSE's.

I don’t believe so.

DD’s school take their first in year 8.

Dear God - GCSEs in year 8 and A levels in year 11. What utter shit for the kids. Poorer results than if they'd taken them at the normal time for what, to make the school look good

What utter shit for the kids. Poorer results than if they'd taken them at the normal time for what, to make the school look good

The kids pretty much seem to think it’s great They go into their GCSE year with 3 already behind them, those that might need extra support or to spend more time on core subjects do so, those that want to take the full cohort at Year 11 do so.

OP. There is a Secondary Education board if you have children of that age which is packed full of helpful info.

The kids pretty much seem to think it’s great

Yeah cos 13 year olds are in a great position to be able to assess the life consequences of such a decision aren't they?

Be wary of doing early GCSEs - in some circumstances they need to be taken all in one sitting.

Yeah cos 13 year olds are in a great position to be able to assess the life consequences of such a decision aren't they?

“Life consequences” its a GCSE....it isn’t compulsory (although for the last two years they’ve had 100% take up of the offer).

For some kids it works out really well, as they can concentrate on the remaining subjects, as you said.

But I have run into teenagers realising a couple of years down the line that they want to apply for a subject at a university that prioritises applicants who took all their GCSEs in the same sitting.

I think that might increasingly be the case. And schools shouldn’t be entering any pupil early unless they know they’re confident they’re going to get the top grades.

There’s not really any advantage at all to pupils in doing them in year 8. Especially if it is going to be a subject they want to do at A level. There are plenty of disadvantages though.

Thanks guys for all the responses. Xx

I think that might increasingly be the case. And schools shouldn’t be entering any pupil early unless they know they’re confident they’re going to get the top grades.

I once saw a thread from a panicking teenager in year 11 who'd discovered that some medical school or other wanted 9 grade A/A*s in one sitting. Problem for her was that she'd taken her strongest subjects in year 9. She'd got top grades back then, as an academic highflyer, but that left her with 8 subjects in year 11, and they were her weakest subjects.

Poor girl was absolutely catastrophising. I don't expect the situation was as wholly catastrophic as she thought it was (admissions team do exercise personal judgment from time to time), but she was right that it was far from ideal.

I thought it was absolutely horrific that a teenage girl who'd applied herself to things that hard should end up terrified that she could never achieve her dreams through overachievement.

I did a GCSE two years early, so during year 9. I enjoyed the work and it was good practise.
But in general I felt unchallenged at school and was very bored most of the time.

We live in France, but one of my daughters is in a English school, having been in the French system for 12 years. She took her GCSE French a year early, as she is pretty much bilingual. She’s been told there is no point taking the A level early as the Universities won’t count it!

“Life consequences” grin its a GCSE....it isn’t compulsory (although for the last two years they’ve had 100% take up of the offer).

See previous posts - grades are what counts, getting B or C grades in year 8 when you could have got Astar grades in year 11 is failing kids and can lead to fewer options further down the line, e.g. university.

If you get a C grade in year 8 in a subject you want to take at A level you may not be able to whereas if you'd taken the same subject in year 11 and got an A grade that possibility would be open.

So yes, life opportunities can be restricted by taking GCSEs early - and year 8 is stupidly early.

That's rather odd. You're so good at the subject you can take the exam a year or more earlier than everyone else, and then universities refuse to count it. Why on Earth not? Surely it proves that you are a high achiever in that subject which is presumably what the universities are looking for. Totally daft IMO.

So yes, life opportunities can be restricted by taking GCSEs early - and year 8 is stupidly early

So probably for the best you don’t send your kids to a school that does.

The school have given us all the information prior to entry and we’re perfectly happy with the situation.

Informed choice for the win

“That's rather odd. You're so good at the subject you can take the exam a year or more earlier than everyone else, and then universities refuse to count it”
Because if you only do a couple of GCSEs a year it’s easy to rack up a lot of top grades...

Year 8 seems ridiculous. Most students just haven’t developed the maturity and depth of analysis for essay writing subjects and I’d be amazed if they’ve done enough content for things like sciences.

There was a series on the bbc about poor but clever kids (Gifted and talented?) and the challenges they faced though the education system. Most of them were doing GCSEs early and it seemed like it limited them as an extra year or two could have made the difference with grades. I remeber posting on here that they had been failed by their schools.

Year 8 seems ridiculous. Most students just haven’t developed the maturity and depth of analysis for essay writing subjects and I’d be amazed if they’ve done enough content for things like sciences

They still take the usual 10 subjects at Year 11. They have the 6 core subjects plus 4 choices then.

They still take the usual 10 subjects at Year 11. They have the 6 core subjects plus 4 choices then.

There's absolutely no point - the kids don't benefit. The school does - bragging rights, which is why it tells you what it wants you to hear.

The school have given us all the information prior to entry and we’re perfectly happy with the situation

There probably aren't many parents with a good all round knowledge of higher levels of education, or the plethora of research against early entry, that are able to make a balanced judgement.

Fortunately fro my kids I do have that knowledge - as apparently did their school, and the DfE who took steps a couple of years ago to stop this practice.

JacquesHammer Out of interest what subject is it in year 8? It doesn’t seem so bad if they’re doing the usual 10 at the normal time.

Nope.

Not all 11+ exams are age standardised either.