Do GCSE results matter when applying for a medical degree? Do ‘A’ Levels trump them?

[Flyingkitten]

Just as above really - if anyone on here works in admissions for top tier university can you answer? My daughter wants to study medicine- both myself and father did not go to uni. All her GCSE grades were 7 and above. She got an 8 in maths, chemistry and biology. Currently studying A levels in chemistry, maths, biology and further maths. I was talking with her yesterday and asked why she was insisting on doing a fourth A Level- she believes that her GCSE results will work against her if applying for medicine at uni. I don’t know the system - is this correct? Thank you in advance.

Further maths does make sense for medicine but 7 and above are accepts ke

medicine is competitive though

is she struggling with the workload

All 7 and above should be fine, as I understand it that's the metric (ie no uni asks for all 9s).

Her subjects are good for med but maths and FM with an 8 at GCSE is a challenge. Was it an easy 8 or hard-won? How is she finding the workload?

Be aware that work exp in.med is really important - lots of helpful threads here.

@Flyingkitten yes, some score them and use as a tool (usually with UCAT) to select for interview. Some just need a certain number eg 7 7s, although must be in maths, eng lang & 2 sciences.

@Flyingkitten sorry, should add, her GCSEs will not hamper her at all. And no one cares about a 4th A level (except QUL). There are no 'top tier' Unis for medicine. They all end with you becoming a doctor when no one cares where you qualified.

She needs to focus on getting 3 As and then smashing the UCAT next summer. Then pop back on here (there is usually a v lovely medicine thread) and we can help her strategically apply.

And work exp is not important. Unis fully understand it's v hard to get. What they do like is volunteering in some kind of care setting (care home, kids club) and paid customer facing work (cafe, supermarket).

Brighton and Kings offer fantastic on line work experience that is valued. But majority of Unis will never even look at her PS. It's all down grades and the pesky UCAT !

It depends on the university. Some have a scoring system, some distinguish between 8s and 9s, some don’t. Most universities will have treatment of GCSEs somewhere on their website.

You don’t need 4 A levels. My daughter did AS level (Language) but that was neither here nor there.

There are no top tier or ‘better’ universities when it comes to Medicine. Some are obviously more difficult than others to get interviews. But a medicine degree is a medicine degree.

Fourth a level not usually important.

My DC dropped further maths when he realised that in year 12.

The admissions tests are the important ones.

Obviously you need good predicted level grades.

bsmsoutreach.thinkific.com/courses/VWE

I like this one too

medicmentor.org/university-hospitals-birmingham-trust-virtual-work-experience/

This should help her get started. And reassure her she's got great GCSE

www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine/how-to-apply-to-medical-school-in-the-uk/entry-requirements?type=standard-entry-medicine

Some med schools score GCSEs. Some don’t. So she can see if her grades hinder and chose to apply to the ones that don’t. (Most don’t). Fourth A level doesn’t help much (except Belfast as mentioned above). Some might argue that it adds glitter for Oxbridge but it doesn’t feature in their scoring algorithms. Acing UCAT is key

Not Belfast (they do score GCSEs). Queens London.

@Flyingkitten sorry, one more thing. As you and her dad didn't go to Uni she will be eligible for Sutton Trust summer schools & other ones for widening participation students. She may also be eligible for contextual UCAT and offers - all Uni dependent but as a first generation student she will get some help 😊

Further Maths is completely useless for Medicine and will be really hard with an 8 for GCSE.

I remember nothing of my Further Maths as I've not used it since the day of the exam. Does her course involve Statistics? Because there is loads of that in Medicine and I remember really regretting doing Further Maths as it meant no Stats and so basically I was behind everyone who had done a sensible Maths A Level.

summerschools.suttontrust.com/eligibility/

Applications will open soon for 2025

Might also be of interest. UKWPMED is an awesome initiative

www.hyms.ac.uk/medicine/applying/ukwpmed

tbf voluneering in a care setting was kind of what I meant by work exp.

I agree with others that the fourth A level adds nothing to her application for most unis (meant to say that) so it might be worth considering whether it is helping, as if not, it is clearly droppable (I am talking about FM here obvs)

If she is a genuine mathematician M/FM will be less work than, say, two humanities A levels. Hellish if she is not, and not having a 9 at GCSE suggests either her teaching is not great or she is not as gifted as some others, so might struggle to get a top grade. Her GCSE grades are good enough so she can play it by ear and drop one if she needs to. In general taking FM will probably increase the likelihood of getting a top grade in Maths, as you will have been working beyond the Maths syllabus.

It depends on what sort of medical career she wants. Having FM is useful if she is interested in certain sorts of academic medicine, Lots of maths in tracking epidemics, or in medical engineering (AI, Imaging etc). She won't know yet, but it may provide options further down the road.

Just joining as a parent whose DS did the exact A levels and is now 2nd year medicine. As so many say, 4th A level generally brings no benefit in terms of med school Uni application. What it can bring, especially FM if not a gifted mathematician, is a shed load of revision and study that could detract from the other 3 A levels and lead to missing the grades needed. My DS was stubborn and pushed on with FM but he could have given himself a much easier journey doing 3. He got a grade 9 for GCSE just for context.
If she does decide to continue just keep regularly checking in with them as to how they are coping etc. We did have regular conversations about risks and potential consequences
It's a tough one though, as we can sometimes only guide but they have to make their own decisions.
I hope it works out well for your daughter whatever she decides.

Thank you all - this information is greatly appreciated. We have a lot to look at. She is naturally academic, much more so than us her parents! I will start investigating.

Be careful not to fall into the "minimum trap". Some will state minimum GCSE requirements that are imposed by their parent universities, but will also score GCSEs and use them (often combined with UCAT scores) to rank applicants for interview. Many people meeting the minimum requirements will therefore have zero chance of getting an interview. It's important to read the details of how applicants are selected for interview on the medical schools' web sites.

@NoNotHimeTheOtherOne sorry but that's total rubbish.

Let's look at Sheffield. You need 7 7s. After that they never look at your GCSEs again.

Please please don't give advice that is wrong, it's not fair.

@NoNotHimeTheOtherOne sorry, may have been a bit harsh ! I get a bit annoyed with incorrect info.

Definitely agree that minimum is misleading, but for many that is enough. It's a strategic process !

sorry but that's total rubbish.

Let's look at Sheffield. You need 7 7s. After that they never look at your GCSEs again.

Let's look at Leicester. You need 6s in English language, maths and two sciences. You have absolutely no chance of getting an interview with these grades because they score eight GCSEs and combine the score 50:50 with a score for UCAT to rank for interview.

@NoNotHimeTheOtherOne every Uni does it differently. Most don't score GCSEs so minimum is fine. Some do score GCSEs so it's not. This might help - it's how select for interview that is key.

Agree with comments about FM: not needed for medicine and with an 8 she may struggle. My dd took the same A levels (achieved 4 a stars) and is a talented mathematician, but she had to work pretty hard at FM and it was very time consuming.