To want to complete "pointless" GCSEs?

[ChickenSkin]

I'm at university at the moment doing a degree. When I qualify however I want to do an English GCSE just for the hell of it. I know it's pointless and won't mean anything (I already have an English GCSE at a grade C) but I want to do it to prove to myself that I can get an A. Obviously I would be paying for it myself and intend to do it over distance learning as I'll be working.

So it won't effect anyone else. It's just for my own personal ego I think! Am I being ridiculous?

Yip just a wee bit what are you doing at Uni ? I can see you want the challenge and to prove you can get an A but seems a bit of a waste of time imo ,

Well it may be ridiculous but if so then I will certainly join you on the norty step.

I have a burning urge to put myself in for a GCSE in business studies and then see what grade I can get if I restrict myself to just 20 hours of study.

I suppose it's just a personal challenge I want to set myself really. I'm doing Nursing at University, it's obviously quite full on so no chance of doing this until after I qualify.

Maybe I should push myself a bit further and go for an A-level?

Is it really any different to people who go and complete "arts and crafts" courses for their own personal amusement?

I did introductory physics my final term at Uni, just to prove I could do it & because I wanted to. Nothing to do with my degree. So I say yanbu, go ahead, if you'll get satisfaction that's reason enough.

I wouldn't re-do a qualification just to improve my mark, no. A new qualification (Eng Lit or A level) then why the hell not?

AN A level would probably be better for you more of a challenge, no it isnt any different from leisure courses when i think about it , and anything that keeps the old brain cells working is great , I have a few qualifications i will never use because i did courses because i was bored ,

I think you should do it if you want to. Do you want to do language or literature?

I'm learning to play the flute, have done grade 1, and will do more exams. There is no 'point' as such, but I enjoy it.

YANBU! I harbour a secret desire to retake Latin A-Level now that I actually know how to learn things - I could definitely improve and I'm on maternity leave and my brain is bored. GCSE English could be quite fun!

I don't suppose you know any teachers who could get you past papers and mark them for you? Would it be the actual formal grade you'd be interested in? There's a fair bit of reading for English GCSE I think

It's all a bit psychological now. I went to worst secondary school in my city and at the time of my GCSEs was being mildly bullied/ignored by other kids, my stepfather was going out of his way to make my life hell and my mother just "wanted her marriage to work" - so much so that at 16 (weeks after my exams) I was forced to leave. I was actually homeless for 2 weeks and spent those two weeks staying in B&Bs and doing a runner at 5am in the morning as I had no money!! So as you can imagine, at that time, GCSEs were not high on my list of priorities. But I KNEW I could do them in different circumstances. I scraped a C in English (my best subject after art) and it's bothered me ever since that I could have got an A. I guess I just want to prove that now.
All a bit silly really but that's me all over

It's English Language I want to re-take. The thing is, I can see this becoming a bit of an obsession and can already predict after that I'd want to do others

Think I might give maths a miss though, I'm quite prepared to leave that one in the past

Another thing, when I qualify, DS1 will be 15 so just about to embark on his GCSEs.

we could be study buddies

Chicken skin after reading what happened during your exam time , Do it . I think it will be a 2 finger salute to the past iyswim ,

YANBU, I harbour similar desires. That could be because I am a SAHM to 2 dc under 3 though, and I think I am looking at GCSES with rose tinted spectacles as it was a time when I could enjoy such frivolities as sleeping all night, lie ins until 11 8 and going to the loo on my own

MrsJay, I think you've hit the nail on the head there. I think something inside of me wants to say "it wasn't me, it was them!"

I don't think you can do GCSE English through distance learning anymore as the coursework has to be observed. There is another qualification similar but I can't remember the name.

just do it then chicken skin

The course you would have to take is the IGCSE.

YANBU I would love to do English and Maths GCSEs again as well as a degree in photography. There are too many courses and not enough money

It doesn't need to cost you much. You won't necessarily need a distance learning course. It's possible to buy the textbook, study from it, check mark sheets and past papers and then take the exam at a private centre for often only the exam fee (£35 ish).

I home educate my girls and reckon each GCSE has cost us £50 - £70 depending on the textbook costs.

Based on your reasons I'd say go for it! But you might enjoy a-level more!

Yes, you'd need to do IGCSE. But they are counted as one and the same (many private schools do them as they are thought to be more rigorous). DD1 has a mixture of GCSEs and iGCSEs and her sixth form college didn't bat an eyelid, didn't even mention it.

I do want to do A-Level English but I think the whole "gcse" thing is an itch I need to scratch if you see what I mean?

Musicposy - that sounds great! if that is possible I could actually make a start on it now!

Language or Literature, btw?

It's not really any difference. I've done lower level qualifications since doing my degree (a diploma) purely for hobby/interest reasons.

I think you might find a GCSE in English a bit dull though. From what I remember from my GCSE days, essays were only 400 words long.

I'm not sure I could say anything in only 400 words now

Why not look at the OU and see if there's something English related you could do through that - and perhaps get an English diploma... they've got some quite interesting English courses.

If you really watch to scratch that itch though, go for it!

DD1's English Lit IGCSE exam is 2 hours 15 mins long and she has to write 3 essays in that time. I'm not sure 400 words would cut it! All specs are different though, and want different things.

I have the same itch to scratch. (although my teenage circumstances were nowhere near as bad as yours!)

I have a degrees and a pgce. And I just want to redo a level history and GCSE Maths... It's ridiculous and embarrassing at work but I just want to learn something at that level again (eg, Its enough of a challenge to be worth doing, but I'm pretty sure I could get bloody good As this time round...).