GCSE resits - do universities know or care?

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I jiust wondered if universities know or care if a student re-sat GCSEs.

Some students are sitting many GCSEs early and the re-sits on these exams has shot up. Does it matter or have an impact on future applications?

I bet it will have! When I was going through the mill of GCEs and A levels 30 odd years ago, the stipulation was that all the relevant exams had to be taken during the same exam period to prevent what's happened now where it's impossible to differentiate between the DC with 10 A*s who got them all in one hit and the one who took 4 years and 20 resits to get there.

It is looked at and re-sits need to be listed on university applications. It will almost certainly be of greater importance if a child is from a high performing school. It usually isn't the student's choice so for applications where improving access is a consideration, it will be less important. A senior staff member at a high performing school told me that in order to get children into the most selective universities, they are finding that pupils have to be 'exactly what they want'.

I do believe though that in general, universities' understanding of the secondary school exam system and its myriad anomalies, inconsistencies and frequent downright incompetencies is imperfect.

Then that is not fair to the student who would have done perfectly well if allowed to sit when ready.

Indeed it's not.

Our comp, luckily doesn't buy into that taking of GCSEs 'a year (or 2!) early' to 'get them out of the way' and to 'allow time for multiple resits'.

They do do Statistics (Y10) but only the most able even go on that course, so they get 100% A-A*, and 'Business and Communication (?) in Y10.

It is a real dis-service to children, especially since education in its real sense is put on hold for the weeks preceding exams, where it is alll about teaching pupils to pass exams. If this is done in year 10 and again in year eleven, there is much time wasted which could be spent learning.

The marking of exams is so shocking and there is limited opportunity for appeal once a re-mark is back. The awarding bodies (exam boards) need disbanding. They hold far too much power. They are too often a disgrace and there is not enough fuss about it. The English GCSE has made the headlines recently as English affects everyone and schools are judged on English scores but this kind of thing happens in other subjects too. And how can OFQUAL conduct an investigation into itself?

On their UCAS form, if they are planning a resit, they don't put down their original results - they can say the results are "pending".

But they are not highly likely still to be sitting GCSEs by the beginning of year 13 when they are filling in UCAS forms - and if they are they are not going to be in a very strong position. If you are referring to AS Levels, they now have to be declared.

GCSE results are only a small element of application for most universtities and courses. Unless you are applying of the very competitive courses (such as medicine) then resits won't make a huge difference. The main issue is that they have achieved the appropriate level of qualification.

You can always mention in a personal statement that the exams were taken early, or foundation level was taken then higher tier (which is quite common) if you are worried about it.

Creamtea, I think you are correct and I am being a little alarmist, but I assumed Wordfactory might have in mind very competitive courses at very selective universities. Sorry if I am wrong.