Can you do a levels if you fail gcse?

[Maythelordopen1]

As the question states? Posting here for traffic...unless there is a better board??
Friend is moving to the uk and her DS is going into GCSE year ( he is bright but obvs not in the know of the exact GCSE curriculum so to speak) so if he fails them can he just move on and go ahead with a levels?? Thanks.

..in fact the junior cert doesn’t really count for much!! 🤣😬 You can’t say that out loud😂😂 especially in front of a third year. I find the uk system so complicated, they don’t all even sit the same exam they’re all different. My friend tried to explain it all and lost me at a’s and a*’s and triple science.

Kids choose from 8 to 11 GCSEs normally (11 or 12 usually means they are doing a second language which might be their mother tongue). This is a broad enough range: English (usually language and literature), math, either two or three sciences, history and/or geography. These are the core that the majority do, then add on: language, computer science, DT, art, music, drama, PE, food technology and so on until they get to the required number. Not all schools offer all subjects. Our school adds on an additional subject that may or may not be a GCSE (art award, business etc).
If a child is ill during exam time then there is a make up date, though some will miss it and have to wait a year.
A pass in math and English is required to progress to any further education - children have to stay in some sort of approved education until they are 18 now, though this can be a vocational programme.
There are crammers - which might work in this case. These school offer accelerated GCSE (and A level) courses in a year for people who either want to improve their grades or who are coming from a different school system. You will be expected to achieve at least a grade 5 or 6 to do a particular subject at A level, some schools will require a 7 or 8. There are subjects you can do at A level that are not offered at GCSE but say if you want to do psychology then they recommend a 7 in English and biology for example.
Three or four A levels are the norm, though some schools now offer the International Baccalaureate, where you take one BTEC and four or five other courses. This is more rounded but less in depth in the individual subjects.
There are services that will, for a fee, help you navigate the system if coming from abroad (or if the school system just seems overwhelming). Might be worth looking into.

School leaving age is 16 (15 for summer birthdays) but they now have to be in education, training or work related activities until 18, so reality is most are attending school or college until then.

It's not just about moving onto A Levels - a lot of jobs/degrees will also require GCSE in Maths and English no matter your highest qualifications (as a teacher who obviously has a degree I still had to prove my GCSE Maths and English in order to be accepted into PGCE and when applying for a new job)

Unlikely because if you can’t pass GCSEs I highly doubt you’ll come anywhere near to passing an A Level
Rubbish - I had personal issues going on, failed everything in sight at GCSE.
I went on to an FE college to do a 2 year BTEC certificate, with options to do related GCSE and A levels. I did two tutored GCSE's in the first year, self study for one A level, a further two A levels (tutored) in the second year, All A and B grades, and a distinction for the BTEC.

FE Colleges may be more flexible on A level entry - although if starting now, that gives three months max to cover a two year syllabus; while that can be contracted, as I did, joining year ten might be a better option is the child is moving to a new home, country, you don't state if English is first language. that's a lot to cope with - at any age, let alone fifteen.

I think most education/exam systems sound complicated to anyone who hasn't been brought up in that system. Surely it's not that surprising that a child who rocks up to any different country in time to take a set of qualifications for which he hasn't done the syllabus is going to be incapable of doing the exams?

In England you start secondary at 11, do 3 years of all the subjects, then only really drop a few when you choose your GCSEs. You still have to do maths, English, science etc. Then you can do A Levels or a variety of more vocational courses. If you're unable to cope with A Levels or equivalent level courses at age 16-18, why would you be capable of university?

A levels are way harder than GCSE.
The step from GCSE to a level is harder than a level to degree level by a country mile!
So if he can’t pass GCSEs, I wouldn’t bother doing a levels

But @titchy what % is a grade 4??
I got a B in my junior cert English (ordinary level) and I then went on to get a B in my english leaving very paper at higher level
I got a C in science at junior cert level and an A at leaving cert biology
I got a C in geography in my junior cert and an A in my leaving cert
As you can see my junior cert had no bearing whatsoever in my leaving cert grades!!

In fact in thinking about it I’m finding it very sad that the uk system can “write off” a child’s capabilities at such a young age!!

Heck one of my cousins outright failed junior cert maths and then got an B in his leaving cert...he’s now an engineer!!

I’m finding it very sad that the uk system can “write off” a child’s capabilities at such a young age
How is any ones child being 'written off'? If a 16 yo can't get the bare minimum GCSE passes then their is no way they can do A-Levels. They are very hard.

If they fail them they can either resit the GCSE's or go to college and sit alternative qualifications, its pretty straight forward and works pretty well for the majority.

It's a weird system. I did my GCSE and A-level equivalents abroad. Then to do a teaching degree they asked me for my GCSEs, which in my country count for nothing at all.
Even if he fails (although if he works hard he may do better than many students in the system already) some colleges offer courses that do not require high or any grades and he can redo GCSEs later on in life, he can even do the GCSEs in college too.

I did English, History, German and Philosophy at A level, and a Law degree so yes employers want to know my maths GCSE. He's better either staying in the system he's in until he's 16 and moving for A levels, or going into year ten and doing the full GCSE course.

The % needed for a grade 4 pass will vary from subject to subject and cohort to cohort - exams here are norm referenced rather than criterion referenced (google it!). On average 70% of kids get a grade 4 in a given subject.

Kids aren't really written off - they are required to keep doing maths and English till 18 (apprenticeship training will include this) if they don't get a grade 4. And there are plenty of colleges where kids can do GCSE equivalent courses post 16.

While nationally we (England...) do specialise a year or two earlier than most other countries, those that are seriously disengaged, or particularly weak academically are able to focus on vocational qualifications which might suit them better.

NB Scotland Wales and NI have different systems - welcome to devolution...

I have also heard of A level students having to go back and do GCSEs in order to get on uni courses, so get her to check university requirements too before deciding to go ahead without GCSEs.

If he’s already got his junior cert he should be able to move straight to A levels. A leaving cert in Ireland is, i think, the equivalent qualification to A levels, though it’s different. It’s the one used for admission to universities.

A brief description of secondary education in England (and Wales?)

Children go to secondary school in the September of the academic year they will turn 12. So, most children are 11.
DD had three years of a broad education, then chose her GCSE options in year 9 (aged 13)
When she took her GCSEs 10 subjects were the norm in her school. The compulsory options in her school were: Maths, English language, English literature, Citizenship, Science (biology, chemistry and physics)
She then chose art, geography and history as her extra options (because she took triple science)

Her school does the GCSE syllabus over two years, so she started her GCSEs in year 10 at age 14 . Students take their GCSEs at the end of year 11 (May/June) – most of them are 16. Only the students with summer birthdays are still 15.

GCSEs are graded 1 to 9, with 9 being the highest pass. A low pass at GCSE is a 4. To do A levels at DD’s school the students required a 6 or higher to take a particular subject at A level. Most employers want maths and English GCSEs as a minimum which is why students are encouraged to retake them until they pass.

Most students take 3 subjects at A level. A levels are linear so they have to remember two years’ worth of work to do well. Only the most able of students take 4 subjects. The students at DD’s school who achieved low passes at GCSE didn’t do very well at A level.

Due to the enormous content of GCSE courses your friend’s son needs to learn the syllabus over two years.

I hope this helps