3 CSEs - any good?

[CheckTrousersBlanco]

I was born in 1969 - hence I didn’t do GCSEs. I did all CSEs - no O Levels.

My mum said I did better than my brother a year younger who got no qualifications at all.

So mumsnetters - be honest - do you see 3 CSEs as good ?

@Ankleblistersnon of my o levels included coursework.

GCSE,s in their original format certainly did ,they made a big deal of the fact you were not just tested on the day ,I think in some subjects course work accounted for 40% of the marks.

I am born in the same year
I took & passed these exams at 16

9 x O Level

3 x GCSE

I went on to 6th form to do ALevels, then a degree

I have had to provide my original certificates when I have applied for various jobs. Therefore my qualifications are definitely relevant today.

Op what subjects are your CSEs in ?

None of my O Levels or CSE exams included course work

English lang
geography
history

* auto correct

The above should say

9 x O Levels

3 x CSE

I guess the question is, has the lack of many qualifications ever stopped you getting a job you wanted? If it hasn’t, there’s no problem. If it has, then your 3 CSE qualifications weren’t any good.

What you look like and how often you get asked for ID when buying alcohol or pulling in a nightclub aren’t impacted by any CSEs. HTH.

O Level

English Language
English Literature
Maths
French
Latin
Biology
Chemistry
Sociology
Art

CSE
Maths
Social Studies
Art

I should have taken a music exam as well, but I stopped taking lessons

Original GCSEs all had coursework, none of mine (in 1991 so 3 years after they started I think?)were 100% exam, that was seen as one of the improvements over O levels. O levels were seen as just a test of memory and ability to perform under pressure, you just had to memorise loads of facts and regurgitate them.

Now GCSEs have become that. My DD has one subject with 50% coursework, all the rest are 100% exam. I don't believe it's an improvement. Lots of kids are bright but aren't good at memorising, lots struggle under pressure, you can have an off day or a bad cold or a bad period and underperform after 2 years of hard work.

@CheckTrousersBlanco I left school in 1983 with - O levels grade C,D and E and a mixture of crap CSEs. My favoured older sister got 10 O Levels at A and B.
I now have gained more qualifications in the last 20 years, these being-
10 @ level 2 ( equivalent to A-C/5-9 GCSE)
3 @ Level 3 ( equivalent to A level)
1 @ Level 5 ( equivalent to a foundation degree)
I have consistently earned a higher salary than my 'Much more intelligent ' sister.
What I gained at school is immaterial.

I’m from this era, born in 1966. I think three CSEs would be classed as a pretty bad set of results at my school (Catholic Comp). You surely must know you didn’t do that well at school OP. But you still looked young for your age in 2009, so I guess that’s the main thing.

True and congratulations on your achievements 🙌

Well yes - not to mention getting down below 8 stone - every woman’s holy grail ??! 💪 😄

I've been asked about my O levels and Highers in a job interview precisely once - for my last salaried role, with a competitor who'd headhunted me pretty aggressively. Fresh-out-of-uni HR bloke asked me (I was mid 30s) what grades I'd got and honestly, I could barely remember what subjects I'd taken. They also asked me for my original degree certificates and I had to phone home and ask my parents to dig them out of the loft. 😂I haven't included my O levels and Highers on my cv for at least a couple of decades.

This is a really weird 'I'm not clever but everyone fancies me and I look young and am skinny' steal boast thread so I'm going to be hiding it now.

Pretty poor where I'm from.

I did a mixture of 4 O levels and 4 CSEs in 1974, I think most at my school did a mixture, I also did typing and shorthand exams as I was considered likely to get an Office job at 16. Bog standard girls secondary school

I was asked for my school exam certificates for a job interview about 10 years ago, 40 years after I left school.

Original GCSEs all had coursework

I was the first year and don't remember coursework for maths or chemistry, although it could be I just don't remember. Art was 100% coursework.

Being 8 stone and attracting men seem to be more important to you so (genuinely) interested in why you started this thread?

What grade?

I was going to say exactly the same thing.

It's not great. Have you done anything further academically since then?
I'm not sure of the relevance of being ID'd for alcohol in 2009 or whenever really. I even less see the relevance of now being below 8 stone.
I hope you're having a happy life.

Same age here. You already know the answer to your question is ‘no’, I’d guess.

CSEs were for the students who were unlikely to get O Levels. All students knew this. The average attainment back in those dark ages (as lots of people on here seem to think!) was 5 O Levels: with 5 O Levels (or CSE equivalents ) many schools would let you carry on to 6th form for A Levels.

it was fairer for students back then. Lots of vocational / technical courses were open to those with CSEs and those courses could get entry to Polytechnics. Young people with talent whe were not necessarily traditionally academic could go on to get a degree. Nowadays, our children are led to believe that if they don’t get 10 GCSEs, A Levels and go to uni, their life is over. So sad and just not true.

You know 3 CSE’s isn’t an objectively successful measure. I’m sure you also know that a lot of time has passed and there are lots of other ways to measure success. But you definitely did better than your brother.