How much notice do universities take of GCSE grades?

[katieloves]

DS is part of this year’s GCSE cohort which is pretty stressful. In normal times he was set to achieve well, however everything feels so uncertain now and I’m not sure what he’ll get. I’m pretty sure he’ll definitely achieve good grades in maths and English. School are due to start assessments/ exams in one week though and I just don’t think he’s got time to fully prepare for them. He did work well during lockdown 1 and 2 and completed all the work but hasn’t really started to revise yet. He’s pretty relaxed about it all but I’m pretty stressed but trying not to show it! The subjects he wants to do at A’levels are his really strong subjects so he’s the potential to do really well then. Obviously teachers don’t want to discuss grades etc. Sorry this is so jumbled.

It depends on the course and the university - some will have specific requirements for subjects and grades, some will look at GCSE grades to distinguish between people on very competitive courses (I.e. where everyone is predicted 3 A*s at A Level), some won’t pay them much attention at all.

Some don't, depends on the course. For nursing I had to have 5 at C or above, including maths and English. I had to go back and get a 5th as I only had 4. But most courses don't require them.

Thanks for the replies. The degree he wants to do is a very academic STEM subject where he needs As and A*s at A’levels. He’s definitely on track to pass all his GCSEs well, but I’m just not sure what he’ll get. The uncertainty is difficult.

I did half a joint degree in a subject I didn’t even take at A’level so it can vastly depend on the university and the course itself.

From one mum to another, try not to stress and take action yourself/push him to - it’s his responsibility and life and if he’s completed work, feels strong in his preferred subjects, having a parent flapping about in a panic won’t help anyone.

My DS & I had a chat about taking responsibility for our own actions and futures - which he later parroted back to me after a major incident in my life and once I got over the and I took my own recycled advice

Sometimes stress gets displaced, from the person who should be feeling it and being motivated by it to take action, to those surrounding them wanting to protect them.

The problem then is that it loses its connection to action (you can’t do his exams for him, you can force him to study) so the stress bounces around inside you with no proper outlet.

Trust your DS, and that exams are never the end of the world especially the younger you are because you can always take another one.

Not much notice at all, apart from English and maths

@Sacreblue thank you for that. He came back from school last week with the news of all these assessments starting imminently and I think I panicked. At least with the actual GCSEs he would have known exactly when they were and he could have planned accordingly but obviously I do need to get a grip! I think I needed your to hear advice and I’ll definitely try to act on it.

I have a daughter in year 11 who is in a very similar state. I think the honest answer is no one knows what attitude universities will take to this year's GCSEs. They must know that they are not going to be terribly reliable and I would think most will focus on personal statements and A levels. They have always been most important for university admissions in any case.

We're mainly focusing on making sure Maths and English are ok, plus her intended A level subjects. I suspect some of her lithe grades will bear no relation to what she's capable of but there will be many others in the same position and life will go on.

Have you/he looked at some admissions pages for the kinds of degree he is looking at to see what they ask for?

This, for example, is the requirements for BSC Mathematics at LSE (as an example of a competitive degree in that field)

In exactly the same situation here. The good thing is that DS seems mentally strong and healthy. He was supposed to do brilliantly but lockdown and home school didn't suit him at all, I think now its more about damage limitation and trying not to think 'if only'.

I provide a lot of healthy food and count to ten a lot.

In a similar situation in that DS's GCSE grades (last year) were definitely lower than he would have got in an actual exam (he was improving through Year 11, but not fast enough for teacher assessment to show this). Other than maths and English passes, it seemed that most universities weren't that interested in GCSE results if A Level/Level 3 results were good.