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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

What GCSE grades

57 replies

gogogoji · 15/05/2023 22:57

Did your dc get and what uni did they get into?
I guess I wanting to know what sort of GCSE's did people get that got into good universities.

Was it all 8&9 for good Uni's?

OP posts:
Couchpotato3 · 15/05/2023 23:02

You'll get a whole variety of answers to this one! Some kids don't do so well at GCSE for a variety of reasons, do better at A level and then go to good unis. Even Oxbridge recognise that some kids are late developers. A levels are far more important. Good GCSEs are helpful, of course, and a good springboard for A level, but all is not lost if they aren't stellar.

clary · 16/05/2023 00:14

All 8s and 9s are not needed for any uni (except maybe Oxford, and probs not even there).

Mate of Ds's who is an amazing mathematician is at Cambridge and got a 6 in Eng lang. DS had offers from RG unis (tho he is actually at Lboro) which he achieved and he had GCSEs from 6 to 9. Shock

It's an utter MN myth that the majority or even any significant number of DCs get all 9s. About 700 pupils in 2019 got all grade 9s. Oxford accepts more than 3,000 students each year, so I am sure you can do the math.

Original poster
gogogoji · 16/05/2023 07:39

I frequently read that GCSEs are not looked at by universities but the vast vast majority of offers are made before a level results are out then surely universities look at GCSEs as much as predicted a-level grades as they are only predictions.
I think pp is right though. So many people apparently getting straight 9s yet the official stats don't bear this out

OP posts:
IsletsOfLangerhans · 16/05/2023 07:42

My daughter’s GCSE grades ranged from 5-8 and she has two offers from RG universities.

Cazelet · 16/05/2023 07:45

Dd2 had 666777889

Offers from 4 rg unis

Cazelet · 16/05/2023 07:47

But there's a significant number of posters who claim their dcs went to a 'bog standard comp despite being able to afford private school' who then 'flew' and got '9s across the board' so hopefully they'll be along soon.

Original poster
gogogoji · 16/05/2023 07:48

clary · 16/05/2023 00:14

All 8s and 9s are not needed for any uni (except maybe Oxford, and probs not even there).

Mate of Ds's who is an amazing mathematician is at Cambridge and got a 6 in Eng lang. DS had offers from RG unis (tho he is actually at Lboro) which he achieved and he had GCSEs from 6 to 9. Shock

It's an utter MN myth that the majority or even any significant number of DCs get all 9s. About 700 pupils in 2019 got all grade 9s. Oxford accepts more than 3,000 students each year, so I am sure you can do the math.

It's actually just over 2000 that get straight 9s. The 700 figure is for those taking 9 GCSEs. The 2100ish figure is for all students getting straight 9s regardless if if they too 1 or more than 12 GCSEs.
But I get your point. It's clearly not most people.

What GCSE grades
OP posts:
Original poster
gogogoji · 16/05/2023 07:51

Cazelet · 16/05/2023 07:45

Dd2 had 666777889

Offers from 4 rg unis

Thank you. Exactly the sort of info I wanted 🙏🏼
I'm actually but that stressed even though I properly sound it.
My older dc who are now adults went through this whole thing at a time where universities had such strict quotas and limits on numbers that it was harder to get offers. It was a strange and fraud period about 10 years ago before the government opened up numbers a bit. So I wanted to know the lay if the land now. It does seem a little more balanced now

OP posts:
Original poster
gogogoji · 16/05/2023 07:56

I also wondered if 9s although higher in achievement than an old school A * Star upped the anti with people feeling like only a 9 would do just as they felt only an A* star would do back in the day

Jeez typing the A* has bolder it all 😂

OP posts:
Highlyflavouredgravy · 16/05/2023 08:00

Ds2 got 667788889
Got offers from 5 rg unis including warwick. Now in 2nd year at Newcastle
Ds1 got AAABBBBBB
Now doing an M.A at KCL after getting a 1st in his undergraduate degree st a non R.G uni.

troppibambini6 · 16/05/2023 08:03

My daughter got a mix of 7,8 and 3 9's at gcse.
She is predicted 3 a star at alevels.

She had offers from 5 RG unis to do law. She had firmed Leeds for law. We were told for every place offered 21 people applied. The tutor I spoke to at offer day said they have so many with incredibly high grades they look for other stuff that makes them stand out.
Dd had 3 sets of work experience one being a mini pupilidge (sp?) with a really well regarded criminal barrister. Maybe it was that? Who knows though.

Cazelet · 16/05/2023 08:37

gogogoji · 16/05/2023 07:51

Thank you. Exactly the sort of info I wanted 🙏🏼
I'm actually but that stressed even though I properly sound it.
My older dc who are now adults went through this whole thing at a time where universities had such strict quotas and limits on numbers that it was harder to get offers. It was a strange and fraud period about 10 years ago before the government opened up numbers a bit. So I wanted to know the lay if the land now. It does seem a little more balanced now

Show quote history

She ended up with AAA at a level. Dd3 has 4 (French- don't ask), 6677778 (so only 8 gcses) and is applying to Bath, Exeter, Lboro and two others not decided. School (very switched on) thinks her aspirations are absolutely fine.

Cazelet · 16/05/2023 08:40

gogogoji · 16/05/2023 07:56

I also wondered if 9s although higher in achievement than an old school A * Star upped the anti with people feeling like only a 9 would do just as they felt only an A* star would do back in the day

Jeez typing the A* has bolder it all 😂

Kids at dcs school obsessed with 9s

Dd1 got CCCCBBBBAA and just about to graduate with a masters from Birmingham

You'd think all mine would be abject failures if you believe some of the guff on here

titchy · 16/05/2023 10:15

gogogoji · 16/05/2023 07:39

I frequently read that GCSEs are not looked at by universities but the vast vast majority of offers are made before a level results are out then surely universities look at GCSEs as much as predicted a-level grades as they are only predictions.
I think pp is right though. So many people apparently getting straight 9s yet the official stats don't bear this out

They generally only look at A level grades. In fact many make offers to all who apply. Don't forget students are admitted on the basis of actual achieved grades, not predicted ones.

lastdayatschool · 16/05/2023 10:56

It's worth drilling down into the exact admissions criteria/entry criteria for individual courses @gogogoji - there's often information there regarding GCSEs or A'Level subjects is significant.

For example, for the A&F my DS applied to at Bristol, this page - http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/media/undergraduate/admissions-statements/2023/accounting.pdf - highlights that they do take GCSE results into consideration alongside A Level results.

And my DS has 2 friends who were straight rejected from Edinburgh as they are doing P.E. for an A Level - Edinburgh's main pages make no mention of it not being an eligible A Level (e.g. like General Studies) - however, there were PDFs hidden away for their individual courses (Economics and Law) which did not list it in their Eligible subjects.

GMsAWinner · 16/05/2023 10:59

DD got 777777888. 8 in music ended up being Grade B at A level. 7s in geography and RE ended up being A* and B at A level.

She got into Edinburgh - didn't have much choice as only four unis did the course she was interested in (and she ruled out Outer Hebrides Uni as it too far - ended up 330 miles away at Edinburgh mind you).

Likely to get a high 2.1 but she's worked her socks off the last few months and feels her recent work is the best, so almost hoped to scrape a 1. Not sure what's happening with marking now due to strike and if that work will ever be marked!

You just can't tell though. A boy in her class got 8s and 9s, he scraped a 2.2 by one mark.

clary · 16/05/2023 12:03

@gogogoji just to say, I quoted the 2019 "all 9s" stats on purpose; more students achieved all 9s in TAG years or probably last year (which i think is the figure you quoted) tbh, due to concessions. I am keen not to devalue that achievement, which is excellent, but the stats are different pre Covid.

Ds2 btw got 6667778889 - very similar to a pp - and had 3 x RG offers as I say and one from RG+ as we apparently term lboro

UrsulaBelle · 16/05/2023 12:27

My DS3 got 977776B555 for GCSE, with the 9 in maths. He got A*AA for his A levels and is in University of Manchester taking maths.

My DS1 got 4xA star 6xA BC for GCSE, and 3xA star for A level and went to Warwick to do maths.

You don't need all 9s for anywhere, even Oxbridge.

EmpressMoo · 16/05/2023 13:28

You can probably find the information in the university's annual admissions report or, if not, in old freedom of information requests. Someone is bound to have asked the question at some point.

Eldest got 7 A*s, 3 As, 2 Cs. Offers from Imperial, UCL and Kings. Rejected by their "back up" non RG university. Graduated with a first.

Middle child scraped 5 GCSEs, A-C and didn't do A-levels. Currently in their second year at Cambridge after doing an Access to HE course at 19. That probably isn't very helpful information for you but maybe helps someone else reading the thread. GCSE grades aren't the be all and end all.

ShanghaiDiva · 16/05/2023 14:02

Ds had 7 xA*, one A and one B and two AS levels at grade A when he applied, ASs taken with the GCSEs. He got offers from all five universities and went to Warwick.
Post GCSE he switched to the IB and achieved 43 points.

Africa2go · 16/05/2023 14:49

Its relevant depending on how your DC's school approach predicted A level grades. We were (2 different schools) initially provided with "Projected Grades" which is based on an algorithm of their GCSE achieved grades. Then at the end of Yr 12, we got "Predicted Grades" that were used for uni applications. We were told those were more personalised, i.e. what their current level fo achievement was, but with a nod back to Projected Grades. Obviously if you don't have the Predicted Grades for the course you're applying for (irrespective of whether they look in detail at the GCSEs, you're unlikely to get an offer - depending on how popular the course it). So they do matter, in the round.

Also, it does depend on what course you're applying for. I have 1 who has applied for medicine and GCSE grades for some unis did make a big difference - i.e. scoring 8/9s rather than 7s would have been the difference between an interview or not.

mimbleandlittlemy · 16/05/2023 15:07

DS got A, B (taken year before number gradings came in) then 5,6,6,7,7,7,8,8,9 and got five offers from RG unis and is at Birmingham.

PhotoDad · 16/05/2023 18:46

DD got 7788888899.
She's now at art-school doing a specialised design course, well respected in its own little field, at a uni which most MN posters would sneer at.
Horses for courses! "Good uni" can depend very much on what they want to do.

Original poster
gogogoji · 16/05/2023 19:08

@EmpressMoo Middle child scraped 5 GCSEs, A-C and didn't do A-levels. Currently in their second year at Cambridge after doing an Access to HE course at 19. That probably isn't very helpful information for you but maybe helps someone else reading the thread. GCSE grades aren't the be all and end all.
That's fantastic. There is a bigger story in here that I'd love to hear!

OP posts:
Askil · 16/05/2023 19:30

Cazelet · 16/05/2023 07:47

But there's a significant number of posters who claim their dcs went to a 'bog standard comp despite being able to afford private school' who then 'flew' and got '9s across the board' so hopefully they'll be along soon.

Grin Grin. 'flew', 'aced it', 'smashed it'... It's never boring on Mn.