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Secondary education

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Original poster

Are 5/6 GCSE grades more suited to A levels or BTECS?

94 replies

NoToMisogyny · 18/08/2020 20:57

Getting close to the 11th hour now - my daughter is waiting for her grades on Thursday and then (if she gets the minimum grades for both) has to decide between A Levels (media studies, drama, psychology) at her current school or BTECs (she’s keen on one subject - performing arts - but is finding it very hard to muster up any interest in any others) at a college where she has been offered a place.

She’s still totally unsure what she should do if she gets (as expected) a clutch of 5s and 6s. That would meet the minimum requirement for A Levels, but is that really good enough for A level study? Both of us worry about her being out of her depth if everyone else has 7-9s.

But before school closed she really upped her game and was getting 7s in her essays, particularly in English Lit. She’s leaning towards sixth form being her preference (and ultimately it will be her choice) but I really don’t want her to end up struggling.

Does anyone have any advice please? We don’t personally know anyone who is expecting similar grades - all her friends are super academic!

OP posts:
Comefromaway · 18/08/2020 23:13

The college Ds will be going to for music is still recruiting as is the local 6th form college. However we do live in an area without school 6th forms.

Railingsohno · 18/08/2020 23:42

@Ginfordinner thank you! Flowers He’s now off to university to study history! He loves it.

Railingsohno · 18/08/2020 23:44

@NoToMisogyny thank you and good luck with your decision. Smile

Piggywaspushed · 19/08/2020 07:47

She'll be fine with A Levels. Your borough has high requirements!

Most state schools set a standard of 4s in maths and English and then 4s/5s in the subject being pursued where applicable or above to proceed with A Levels (with some subjects perennially allowed to be outliers). Personally, I think 4 is too low, but 5 should be fine. In the (3!) subjects I teach the 5s have merged in perfectly : I can't always tell them apart form the ones with higher entry. People mature at different rates and/or manage better when doing fewer subjects/subjects they like. I am not suggesting someone with a clutch of 5s is the ideal A Level students : it may be a struggle at times.

BTecs are just very different : it's a misconception they are more suited and designed for the less able. They assess in different ways, teach in different ways. To really excel in a BTec you need a good work ethic and need to be very organised around deadlines and so on.

Just as a separate warning : the new A Level media , after Gove's famous reforms, became very dry and quite theory led so make sure she managed her expectations around it being shiny and fun! Quite a few schools swapped to A Level film.

HasaDigaEebowai · 19/08/2020 07:51

DCs school requires the equivalent of a B to do A level. Is a 6 a B?

PineappleUpsideDownCake · 19/08/2020 08:01

Wow grading really has changed.

Google says a 6 is a "high B". When I taught that would definiteky be A level teritory (but often an A needed for maths.)

If a 5 is a C/B surely a mix of 5s and 6s would be A level material?

Im a bit worried they've made it hard for pupils to feel they've succeeded. An A used ti be a cause for celebration, not an expectation!

Piggywaspushed · 19/08/2020 08:01

Why are they still expressing it as equivalent of a B? That's not helpful...

Cherryonthetop2019 · 19/08/2020 08:01

DD is a mix of 5 and 6’s and will be doing A level maths and a Btech in Graphics. She is absolutely buzzing at the thought of never having to do a long written exam again! Previous students have achieved A* star and distinction/distinction which would be achievable with hard work and will give her fab options at the end of year 13.

Cherryonthetop2019 · 19/08/2020 08:03

Sorry!! A level ART not MATHS!! Not sure what happened there!!!

Newgirls · 19/08/2020 08:04

It’s quite normal at our college to do 2 A levels or start 3 and drop one. Not great for uni but certainly ok for some further Ed courses.

Ilovecandlez · 19/08/2020 08:06

If she was doing the sciences then you seem to see a massive drop off in terms of grade (D, E often U) if the student has a 6 or below. With arts subjects I believe they have a little more success. Certainly look at BTec. If it gets them into uni (if that’s what they want to do), follow the path of least resistance

Piggywaspushed · 19/08/2020 08:06

I have moved on from even thinking about the old letters now (but I am teacher so we get used to this stuff quickly). At one point,they introduced 'standard pass' as a 4 and something else (strong?) as a 5 , but that was mainly for league tables as they wanted to measure schools on numbers of 5s achieved, even though a 4 is ample for progression (sneaky!) to employment, FE and HE. It has made people think of a 5 as not very good and 4 as not good enough (including some employers). The unis seems to have got this, though, and state 4s in Eng and Maths as their minimum entrance requirement for entering any course (in practice, of course, most students have more) but many sixth forms are setting the bar higher than unis, which always seems a bit odd.

If we do need to talk 'old money' a 4 is a low C , a 5 is a high C (although some say low B) , a 6 is a solid B.

itsgettingweird · 19/08/2020 08:07

I got a B in maths and statistics at school.

I did AS level psychology at college aged 25 as wanted to do it before starting my degree via the OU juts to get back into the routine of learning.

I got an A!

Piggywaspushed · 19/08/2020 08:07

newgirls that would cause huge funding issues for that college! It wouldn't meet Guided Learning Hours for funding.

HasaDigaEebowai · 19/08/2020 08:09

Why are they still expressing it as equivalent of a B? That's not helpful...

Actually in any event DS1 has just corrected me.

They have to get at least 5 GCSEs at A/7 with at least an A/7 in their chosen A level subjects if they have studied them at GCSE.

They are still expressing them as letters because some are still graded that way I think. They do a mixture of GCSEs and iGCSEs . Probably also so that parents understand more readily.

Piggywaspushed · 19/08/2020 08:28

I assume that's a selective school!

Newgirls · 19/08/2020 08:37

Piggy - no it’s our local state school college. Very normal there to do 2. I only know that one though so might be very different elsewhere.

PineappleUpsideDownCake · 19/08/2020 08:43

Wow thats so much pressure if you need As to be good enough to do A level.

And "solid Bs" arent enough.

What are we doing to our kids?!

HasaDigaEebowai · 19/08/2020 08:57

I assume that's a selective school!

It is. TBH I only discovered this yesterday. DS1 is about to go into year 11 but it won't be an issue at all for him since he's predicted all 8s and 9s. DS2 on the other hand is a different kettle of fish and whilst he's only in year 9 (plus he has a learning disability and so he gets adjustments) its making us question whether its the right school for him. We had both assumed As or Bs would be fine to do A Levels (so 6-9) Clearly not Cs - even in my day 30 years ago at a really crappy comp you couldn't do A levels if you only got a C.

Original poster
NoToMisogyny · 19/08/2020 08:57

Thanks so much for all replies. Looks like so much will hinge on how many 6s my DD gets!

Am very surprised at needing 7s at a non-selective state school! Around here I only know Tiffin which asks for anything like that.

OP posts:
Darbs76 · 19/08/2020 09:08

It was 25yrs ago but I got 2 x B’s, 6 d C, 1 x D and 1 x E in GCSE but got an A in AS, and B&C in A level, and a 2:1 at uni. I did up my game and worked hard. But all A levels need a lot of work.
Also I did A level psychology and got a D in maths and didn’t struggle - unless it’s changed it wasn’t heavily maths based

Piggywaspushed · 19/08/2020 09:13

newgirls my selective school comment was in response to another poster.

That school offering two A levels must be filling up those students' time because Guided Learning Hours are very strict for funding. Besides which, it's bad advice (from the the school) : there is very very little you can usefully do with 2 A levels nowadays!
Selective schools have such high entrance requirements (and some non selectives) to protect their A*-B figures at A Level, not necessarily because they think that is the requirement to 'manage' as it were.

Piggywaspushed · 19/08/2020 09:15

Believe it or not in many non crappy comps in 2020 you can still do A Levels with a 'C' . It's inclusion!

Comefromaway · 19/08/2020 09:15

Ds’s school is one of the very few here with 6th forms. They require 5 GCSE at Grade 5 & 3 at Grade 6 with a 6 in the subject you are taking (or a 6 in English for essay subjects ). Science & maths require a Grade 7.

MrsTumbletap · 19/08/2020 09:16

Only do psychology with a 6/7 in maths. It's hard. Do they offer criminology? Sociology?

5s are Cs so BTEC would probably be better, remember you CAN go to uni with BTECs, not Oxford or Cambridge no, but with 5/6s they wouldn't be going to an Oxbridge anyway.

BTEC is an easier way to uni for lots of students.