Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

So, who still has their GCSE certificates?

205 replies

Borisjohnsonshairbrush · 20/08/2021 14:01

So, I'm 36, I've been working 20 years and my new employer wants to see my GCSE certificates. So yes kids, they are important Grin

Admin/receptionist job.

Lost them years ago during a house move and its going to cost me several forms of I.D and £45.00 to get them from AQA.

Who else still has theirs 15+ years later?

OP posts:
Ghostlyglow · 21/08/2021 17:56

Don't know where they are now but when I changed jobs in my late 30s and went to work for the NHS they insisted that they had to be brought to my interview.

Abraxan · 21/08/2021 18:01

@Borisjohnsonshairbrush

Id happily do all my GCSE exams again.

I've decided I'm absolutely going to re-do maths and aim for the A of course which basically an 8 now? My maths is fine now, at 16 maybe I just wasn't interested?

An A is now a 7.

There are 3 anchor points between the old and new system:
1 = G
4 = C (or standard pass)
7 = A

The others fit around them.

CrazyCatStory · 21/08/2021 18:05

I was in the first year they introduced GCSEs, so I’ll be 50 this year, and yes, I’ve still got my certificate.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General education
Kizzycardy · 21/08/2021 18:07

I have been to uni and had numerous jobs with different employers, and not once have I ever been asked for my GCSE certificates. It was almost a waste of time sitting them as I basically could have just made my results up.

smmanf12 · 21/08/2021 18:09

Same age as you OP, got all mine in my Record of Achievement Grin

BananaMilkshakeWithCream · 21/08/2021 18:47

Me and they’re in my Record of Achievement folder (the red one) I remember at the time the teachers telling us how important those documents were and not to lose them. Even though 22 years have passed and I have a degree now, I still occasionally get asked for the originals 😂

TeenMinusTests · 21/08/2021 19:31

I had to show my O level, A level and degree certificates when we adopted. Not that you need a degree to adopt, but to prove I was being honest about my achievements.

ExtremelyDisorganised · 21/08/2021 19:37

What are these Record of Achievement folders? I've never heard of them before.

smmanf12 · 21/08/2021 20:01

@ExtremelyDisorganised

What are these Record of Achievement folders? I've never heard of them before.
A maroon, steak-coloured marbled A4-ish sized plastic file with gilt writing that we got handed in Y10 or 11 to store our certificates in. Teachers informed us it was the key to a gleaming future of glamorous well-paid jobs, possibly involving riding to work in a helicopter, getting paid millions a year.

In reality the plastic folders inside welded themselves to the certificates, no one ever asked to see them, and they serve no purpose to us now other than to crop up on Twitter with the obligatory ‘who remembers these?’ caption

orangejuicer · 21/08/2021 20:02

What age bracket are you in Extremely? No need to answer! I think they were from a specific time/gov initiative. Late 90s? I got mine in 1998.

stayingaliveisawayoflife · 21/08/2021 20:03

I have mine. I thought I had lost them and I started to replace them. It costs a lot to search and then buy the replacement certificate. Luckily I found mine after I had spent £180!

Dippydinosaurus · 21/08/2021 20:05

I retrained as a teacher and needed the original certificates - copies and statement of results were not accepted. So I was panicking and luckily my mum found them in my record of achievement Smile. To the op who requested replacement certificates - the exam boards only give you a copy/statement of results now not a proper certificate

frerecoler · 21/08/2021 20:32

I have my record of achievement. They are important, why would you not keep evidence of your achievements?

ohyesIknowwhatyoumean · 21/08/2021 20:37

@Borisjohnsonshairbrush

So, I'm 36, I've been working 20 years and my new employer wants to see my GCSE certificates. So yes kids, they are important Grin

Admin/receptionist job.

Lost them years ago during a house move and its going to cost me several forms of I.D and £45.00 to get them from AQA.

Who else still has theirs 15+ years later?

I have all mine - O levels, A levels, degrees from 1972 onwards 😇
smmanf12 · 21/08/2021 20:38

@frerecoler

I have my record of achievement. They are important, why would you not keep evidence of your achievements?
I do keep evidence of them, in that folder. My point was that the teachers (at our school anyway) really did seem to be under the impression that without the RoA we may as well prepare for a lifetime of failure and despair. I’ve never had to show my GCSE certificates to anyone.
frerecoler · 21/08/2021 20:58

@smmanf12 interesting.

I don't remember any of my teachers saying such a thing, but I do remember the teachers saying we wouldn't be walking around with a calculator in our pocket... Grin

I recently had to prove that I had the A* in English language and English literature from 1995 stated in my CV as I did not study these in further education.
Luckily, I had this RoA and could prove it. Before this, I never had to show it.

autumnboys · 21/08/2021 20:59

I’m 46 and I had to provide them recently for a school job. We had to ransack the attic but we found them.

ExtremelyDisorganised · 21/08/2021 21:12

@orangejuicer

What age bracket are you in Extremely? No need to answer! I think they were from a specific time/gov initiative. Late 90s? I got mine in 1998.
Well, put it this way, I have O levels instead of GCSEs. And we called it 4th year and 5th year not year 10/11 in my day Grin
jay55 · 21/08/2021 22:51

I was asked for my alevel certs this year for the first time ever.
I told them (truthfully) they were lost in flooding decades ago. The exam boards don't exist any more so I've no idea how I'd have got replacements if they'd insisted.

I never even picked up my gcse certificates.

Bouledeneige · 21/08/2021 22:56

I don't have them I don't think but employers can use an agency to check all claimed qualifications. I just filled in a form for a checking company used by headhunters recently.

GreenWhiteViolet · 21/08/2021 23:01

I have mine, thanks to my dad. I left school after taking them and for some reason never got the certificates, only the list of results. About 6 years later my dad went to the school and asked for them, and weirdly they still had them stored somewhere. I'm very grateful for it now - I'd have lost out on a lot of opportunities if I hadn't been able to prove I'd passed English and Maths!

He took CSEs and never bothered to get results or certificates because he presumed he'd failed them all Sad but he did get some qualifications later on. I keep everything in a folder now and have scanned copies for backup.

GreyhoundG1rl · 21/08/2021 23:05

@Bouledeneige

I don't have them I don't think but employers can use an agency to check all claimed qualifications. I just filled in a form for a checking company used by headhunters recently.
Oh, that's interesting.
Bbq1 · 21/08/2021 23:16

I have all my certifcates safely stored away. They are for:

GCSEs
A-Levels
B-Tec in Nursery Nursing
Degree

Can't remember the last time anyone asked to see them. In fact I doubt some of them have ever been seen. Nice to have though.

EBearhug · 22/08/2021 00:31

What are these Record of Achievement folders? I've never heard of them before.

I think they were introduced around the time of the National Curriculum, which was early '90s. My results predate that, and the certificates are still in the original manila envelope with a cardboard backing that they came in.

User7458 · 22/08/2021 08:48

There are some of the folders on eBay for about £15, I looked because I had no idea what they were, I was too old for one and DS didn't get one as he would have been a bit too young

Swipe left for the next trending thread