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Higher education

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Original poster

What GCSE grades did your dc achieved to get A* in 2 or more a-levels?

61 replies

em2322 · 26/08/2023 10:03

I'm assuming the majority of dc who achieve A* at a-level got mainly 9's at GCSE in all subjects but is it possible to achieve it with grades lower than 8/9?

OP posts:
KittyMcKitty · 27/08/2023 08:19

My dd got A* in Biology and Psychology and A in Chemistry this year. She has 3 x 9’s, 6 x 8’s and a 7 in French.

blametheparents · 27/08/2023 08:43

I’m sure I’ve read somewhere on a Mumsnet thread that the correlation between a grade 9 at GCSE maths and achieving an A* in maths at A level is very high - perhaps the highest of all the subjects?

There are Gov documents online that show the stats for conversion from gcse to A level. Of course, lots of students buck that trend, but stats don’t highlight that.

Chickydoo · 27/08/2023 08:48

My child
GCSE - 8 x grade 9
2x grade 8

A'level. 2x A star
1x. A

Notcontent · 27/08/2023 09:01

It makes sense that while there are some exceptions, there would be quite a lot of correlation. As someone else said, for something like maths in particular, it’s such a huge step up in terms of difficulty that you need to be pretty good at maths (and enjoy it) to be able to do well.

AlwaysOften · 27/08/2023 09:24

Both kids got all 9s and then A stars at A Level. One worked hard and one didn’t. Academic work comes relatively easy to them.

But it is a huge jump from GCSE to A Level. Maths in particular seems to change a lot.

I recommend students choosing subjects they really like and are interested in. Otherwise it could be really hard to get good grades.

lorisparkle · 27/08/2023 10:14

My DS1 is predicted As and A*s in his 4 A levels however he is dyslexic, dyspraxic and autistic. He got a range of GCSEs from a 4 in English to a 9 in Maths. In fact his 4th choice A level is the one he is now excelling at and looking to do as a degree. He is definitely a 'slow burner'. At primary school he was not in the top group for maths but has just got an A in his Further Maths AS level. We are hoping that his 'mixed' GCSE results don't negatively impact his university offers.

Xenia · 27/08/2023 11:56

It has been a complicated period with teacher assessed grades (2 years of pupils with no proper GCSEs at all). None of my 5 chilren got any A stars, but that is partly because the older 3 were in the days when A was the highest grade. However for a lot of children they do not like certain subjects - French and/or German seemed to be the hated one for my 5 so although they did fine in all their GCSEs there might be a random like that with a B grade . Mine all did GCSEs when it was A, B etc not 1s and 2s. Then you get to the sixth form do the 3 or 4 subjects you love and do much better. It is one rason I was glad my 5 all days AS level exams in lower sixth. the twins got AAAA in those and that was on their UCAS form and probably helped with university offers.

opoponax · 27/08/2023 13:36

My DD has got high A stars in all her A-levels - Biology, Chemistry and Maths and full marks in her EPQ this year. She managed this alongside applying for Medicine which has taken significant time and energy over the past year. She has excellent GCSEs but there are others in her school who have got significantly lower A-level grades with excellent GCSEs. Maybe part of this is that the GCSEs were CAGs, although her school was very tough marking them. I think it is more a question of whether DC have the latent ability, commitment and interest to make the quite significant leap to the next level. Also there are some DC who are not all rounders and maybe don't get excellent GCSEs but can still score very highly in the A-levels they choose that play to their strengths.

dizzydizzydizzy · 27/08/2023 18:45

DD1 got 4 x A* for A Level and 10x GCSE all 8 and 9.

She is very bright, works very hard and
had good teachers. I think she also benefited from a very short journey to school, very small 6th form classes and she read loads and loads of books, watched loads of documentaries and loved visiting museums.

mumonthehill · 27/08/2023 18:56

12A* at gcse. Failed first year of ALevel in one subject so resat year 12 came out with AAB and has just got a 2:1 at uni. Only one person got a first on his course. Step up to ALevels really caught him out. He had poor a level teaching but no excuses he stopped trying.

ciakace · 27/08/2023 18:58

My DHS cousin, failed maths wirh a 3, got 3 4s and 2 6s and went on to get AAA* hard work makes a difference

JessieMontgomery · 27/08/2023 19:26

2xAstar1xA A Level. 10 x 9 1x8 (TAGs) GCSE. But I don’t know if there’s always a correlation.

noblegiraffe · 27/08/2023 19:27

Here you go, if you got a 9 at GCSE maths, your most likely A-level maths outcome is an A*.

What GCSE grades did your dc achieved to get A* in 2 or more a-levels?
gogomoto · 27/08/2023 19:30

My dd got 3 9's 3 8's 2 6's and a 4.

Her a levels (4) however were all stem which she got 9's and an 8, her 4 was in french!

Jackydaytona · 27/08/2023 19:34

Dc did history, geography and politics at a level.

Got A* at gcse in history and geography, didn't study politics at gcse.

IWantOutDoI · 27/08/2023 19:39

If your child completed their GCSEs on 2020, 2021 or 2022, their grades cannot be used to predict A level performance.

trickortrickier · 27/08/2023 20:34

IWantOutDoI · 27/08/2023 19:39

If your child completed their GCSEs on 2020, 2021 or 2022, their grades cannot be used to predict A level performance.

True to some extent although CAGs and TAGs were based on some evidence. I do accept that the majority were 'uplifted' but who and by how much will never be known. So everyone moves on. Throughout all this upheaval most kids have been resilient, managed the things they can control , studied for their next actual exams and moved to Uni or planned their gap year.

ofteninaspin · 27/08/2023 20:59

DD got 10 x A star/9 and 1 x A at GCSE and 3 x A star in Biology, psychology and Eng Lit. She studied Psychology from scratch at A Level and found it very dull. A memory test (like GCSEs) rather than an application of knowledge. In hindsight she would have chosen Chemistry or Maths instead.

DS also got 10 x A star/9 and 1 x A at GCSE and achieved 3 x A star in Maths, Economics and Politics. He studied Politics from scratch for A Level and really enjoyed it.

FancyFanny · 27/08/2023 23:08

My dd did better in her GCSEs because we were in lockdown for most of the time and she studied really hard because she wasn't distracted by her social life. Come year 12 when lockdown was over she was definitely making up for lost time on the social front and her grades fell. She pulled it back towards the end of year 13 and did work hard then but just couldn't quite make up for lost time in y12 and the first half of y13 where she spent most of her weekends in the local nightclub and most of Sunday recovering. She got all 7/8/9s in GCSEs and A*AB in her A-levels so I guess comparable

reluctantbrit · 27/08/2023 23:34

DD's 6th form expects an overall score of 5.8 over 8 GCSEs but has a minimum of grade 6 in each of the chosen subjects.

DD's grades for her A-Level subjects are 8, 7 and 6. She loves these ones and definitely worked harder than for the ones she knew she only needed a decent grade (she got 5s and 6s).

Also, some people are just better at STEM and others are better in MFL, English or humanities.

In addition lots depends on how children learnt work ethics and have parental support. Some also won't learn that A-levels may mean sacrafices in social life. DD changed two hobbies where she was expected to sit exams and moved to just recreational level as she didn't want more stress and time taken away from school.

ErrolTheDragon · 28/08/2023 00:26

Also, some people are just better at STEM and others are better in MFL, English or humanities.

Yes, it's a bit of a weird idea that kids who get top grades in their chosen A level subjects would necessarily have done likewise at gcse.

Piggywaspushed · 28/08/2023 08:00

This is so true. So much pressure is exerted on very able GCSE students these days to be top-notch at everything. It seems no one (most of all the students themselves, but also top universities/parents) seems to want to accept that some students can be brilliant at some types of subjects and terrible at others. In some circles, nothing less than a full suite of 9s will do.

ErrolTheDragon · 28/08/2023 09:01

In some circles, nothing less than a full suite of 9s will do.

Those circles don't include many unis. Most 'top universities' do 'accept that some students can be brilliant at some types of subjects and terrible at others'.

EwwSprouts · 28/08/2023 10:39

GCSEs 7x9, 1x8, 2x6
A levels 2xA*, 1xA

BiancaBlank · 28/08/2023 11:49

Twin DDs both got three A*s in A-levels last year (one sciences, one humanities). Both got all 8s/9s at GCSE but obviously that was TAGs, so not sure how much one can read into that.

Interestingly, however, their school actually had better A-level results in 2022 than in the previous two years, so it seems to have been a strong cohort (results this year much lower, close to 2019 levels, like most places).