Lost GCSE certificates

[elliejjtiny]

I am locking myself about this but ds1 is doing his university application and I can't find his GCSE certificates. We were homeless when he got them with all our stuff in storage so I put them in a safe place but I've forgotten where. Can I get new ones at a non extortionate price? Do I actually need the certificate or can I ask the school for the names of the exam boards. And not that it's any of their business but PIL have found out and now I'm getting it in the neck from them about how I'm ruining ds1's life with my irresponsibility so I would like to get this sorted in the easiest and quickest way. So I'm hoping there is a quicker solution than having to search through all the boxes in the attic or to go through all the dc memory boxes that are under my bed and I have to remove the mattress and slats underneath to get at them.

A letter from the school. Or direct to the exam boards for a replacement (but that will cost).

You can usually get a letter from the school confirming them which should do the job for uni applications or you can request duplicates it cost around £50 when dd. lost hers.

Hi OP! We had this problem too and a letter from the school was enough. Hope they help you out

Mine were ruined in a flood along with my A level certificates, uni accepted a letter from the schoo and college as there wasn't time to apply for new ones before the deadline.

I lost mine as an adult who probably should know to take better care. My degree cert replacement cost £35. My A levels cost £40 for the search and then £30 per letter confirming the qualification. My GCSEs were the same. I spent £150 then stopped for a bit. Then six months later I found all my originals! They are now in a very safe place.

If you are older it costs more because some of the examining boards don't exist any more. Also they won't give replacement certificates just a covering letter confirming qualifications.

He won't need physical certificates until he matriculates ? School should be able to direct you to get copies.

I lost my GCE certificates and also my passport.
Replacing the passport was easier.
I'd ask for a letter of confirmation from his school. That's what I did in the end. Never did get replacement certificates.

You go to the government website and follow the instructions, exam boards no longer do replacement certificates. You get a certified statement of results which is their equal instead.

You will need to pay separately for each exam board too.

We had to do this for dd2... And found them a week after we got the new ones.

UCAS doesn’t require GCSE certificates. You just input the subject, board and grade.

just ask the school for the exam board for each subject. No need for his application to be delayed.

hunt for the certificates afterwards. They aren’t replaceable. Exam board will issue copies but not another original.

Even when my ds enrolled in uni they didn’t require the GCSE certificates. UCAS gets A level results and gives them to the uni directly so you don’t need certificates for them either.

We were homeless when he got them with all our stuff in storage so I put them in a safe place but I've forgotten where.
If you were friendly with the PIL at that time I would have thought they were the obvious choice. Failing that a good friend of yours or of DS. Or would the school office have kept them back for you knowing your circumstances?

Don't the results get emailed out to the candidates? Mine got paper and email.

There's a central record that the United States can access. That can also tell them which awarding body if you do need to get copies.

If you know the exam board, you can do a Subject Access Request. It's free and takes 28 days. They send you a print out of your results.
No need to pay.

Is his application linked to his school or college? If it is then when he submits it it doesn’t go straight to ucas, it goes to the ucas lead at the school who can check the GCSE grades he has entered against the school records and tick a ‘qualifications checked’ button on his application so the universities won’t require further proof. If the application is not linked to his school then he can put in his unique learner number on his application (ask the school for this) and the uni can check his gcse’s directly themselves if they want to (I am a ucas lead, this is the advice we give to our students)

This is what I did too.

Thank you. Glad it's not just me who has lost certificates. I spoke to ds and he said the school didn't email the results. I managed to dig out his memory box but they weren't in there either (although on the plus side I found a load of socks under my bed that match nearly all the socks in my odd sock bucket) so I have emailed the school in the hope that they can help.