Do universities not like it when you sit exams early

[sliverofsilver]

As in gcse or a levels? Are you expected to sit them all 'at the same time' ie in the same year.

One or two early - fine. Home schooled or any other alternative form of education meaning early or piecemeal exams - fine. Taking three in year 9, three in year 10 and three in year 11 whilst at school - not fine.

Three A levels should be sat at the same time. Unless aiming for a non selective uni - they may not be too bothered.

It is why homeschooling kids often end up with higher grades as they only do a few at a time which is far easier!

@titchy why is it ok for homeschooled dc to take a few at a time? Thanks

Often it's a matter of finance - they have to pay the exam entry fees, and often admin fees to the schools that take them as external candidates, and some families just need to spread the cost. It might also be easier for siblings to work on a subject together and take the exam in the same year - similarly, if they're in a home ed group and sharing teaching expertise, it might be that a group of mixed ages work together.

In terms of comparability, those who have been home-educated are always going to be more difficult to compare directly with others.

It isn’t a good idea. It’s clearly easier to spread them out

DD2's school did split GCSEs, so she took:
Y10 – triple science, maths, PE, short-course RE and some sort of IT qualification
Y11 – Eng Lang, Eng Lit, MFL, humanity, further maths, statistics
We were given dire warnings about what universities would think of this, but in the event it turned out that university admissions are sensible enough to realise that 14-16-year-olds don't get any say in how their school operates its approach to exams.

So in our experience, universities may well prefer to see GCSEs taken at the same time, but they don't penalise students if they do not.

Perhaps the other issue for universities is that, if students take their A'levels when they are 18, they get to university when they are legally adults. Any earlier and the university takes on a student who is not an adult and therefore there is a greater duty of care, greater need for the university to provide pastoral services.

They aren't set up to look after children.

My daughter school also did GCSEs spread across different years. Actually helped she was the first year to have exams cancelled due to covid, but she already had a few so I siting for the results of the last few weren’t so much of an issue.

She did do all her A levels together, and has just moved for University. She got accepted by every university she applied to and went to her first choice. Didnt really impact her

It also depends on the course. Medicine, for example, can be quite funny about it

Do Scottish universities take 17 year olds? Just wondering as in NSW (can be starting at 17 and a half) do?

Scottish universities regularly take 17 year olds. Due to the way our education system works they do Highers in a year, rather than the 2 years it takes to do A’levels. No such thing as having to be 18 to go to university in the U.K.

Way back in the 1980s some schools had a top stream who took O Levels a year early and then had a 3 year VI form.

Yup. It used to be that people who had sat (relevant) A levels could go straight into the 2nd year of uni in Scotland.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/933682/EarlyEntryyAdHocNovv2020.pdf

I think it demonstrates a workload issue, that you can handle that amount of work. One or two GCSEs taken in year 10 is quite normal but then the school have to think about what you will be doing in that timetable slot for year 11. That is why my DC's school don't do it. I do think they would prefer 3 A levels sat at the same time even if an extra one is taken in year 12. I think this is the important workload one.

Uk universities take 27 year olds. My Scottish DN is at Manchester only just 17

Obviously I meant they take 17 year olds!

They take 27 year olds too

Home Ed kids generally can't be compared academically to schooled kids, so allowances can be made for that. They're still expected to be the same academic level and to be able to cope with the same intensity of workload, but can be asked to demonstrate that in other ways.