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Secondary education

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Original poster

Can DD drop a GCSE and still get into Uni?

33 replies

BoofTheFloof · 18/02/2022 14:43

Dd 16 has ADHD. It was a late diagnosis at the beginning of lockdown and it took a while to get her medication that worked. The ADHD was diagnosed as she was actually seeing a psychiatrist for depression and self harm which appears to have been triggered by her stress at failing in school and feeling "stupid" and getting into trouble for not focusing in class.
Properly medicated she's now happy and has managed to catch up well in most subjects. Predicted grades range from 8/9 (geography) to a 5/6 (maths) with one exception- history.
History has been a catastrophe for her. There's a huge amount of content being delivered by a very dry teacher (in fairness he provides the children with massive amounts of revision materials etc, but just as big walls of text that she struggles to engage with)
She couldn't engage with online history during lockdown and has failed to catch up. She hates it and it's begun to upset her. I've just spent all day trying to help her gather things for revision and practice for paper 2 and it's a disaster. She's got no sense of how it all fits and very little of what she learnt has stuck (memory is an issue with ADHD) For example she worked for days on her coursework essay and got a 6- we've gone back to the time period she wrote about (the Great Depression and Germany) and she's retained nothing. She was fine writing with the materials in front of her but it hasn't stuck.
I anticipate it's going to take hours and hours just to get her to at best a level 4/5. These are hours she needs to focus on other subjects as well.
I'm thinking of suggesting she drops history and just does 8 GCSE. This is likely to improve a few of her grades in the remaining subjects as history takes a disproportionate amount of time. However she would like to go to university. The school is confident she'll do well in the A level subjects she's picked but would only having 8 GCSEs rule out the better universities? Do they have minimum GCSE requirements?

OP posts:
Comefromaway · 18/02/2022 14:45

You only need 8 and many universities will take you with less depending on what you are going to study.

My ds passed 5 and will be going off to study music in September.

DelphiniumBlue · 18/02/2022 14:49

I've never come across a university asking for more than 8. They look at A levels, and if they are going on predicted grades, they look at what her A level teachers predict.
She'll do better with 8 decent grades than 9 not so great ones.

IsolaPribby · 18/02/2022 14:52

What is she hoping to study at uni?

Original poster
BoofTheFloof · 18/02/2022 15:03

A levels will be geography, business studies and sociology. She gets excellent grades in geography and enjoys it (8 in her recent mock) and does well in RE and English Lang and Lit (anticipated 7s) -other subjects are 6s mainly but she's working really hard and the school is thinking she could do better. Considering she was getting 3s prior to the diagnosis and medication I'm really amazingly proud of her resilience and the hard work it's taken to claw back the missing months.
She would be looking at something business focused at university. She'd be good in sales/ marketing/ content creation/ comms/ digital marketing/event planning. She's charismatic and popular and makes friends very easily, and she uses the techniques she's learned as part of her ADHD therapy sessions to become very good at organising things and planning. So not PPE at Brasenose but she's still like to go somewhere that's reasonably well regarded.

OP posts:
Comefromaway · 18/02/2022 15:08

The issue might be what will she do during the time she is timetabled for history. My autistic son dropped Food Tech GCSE but he still had to be in the class for those lessons as there was nowhere else for him to go.

De88 · 18/02/2022 15:11

I got 5 GCSEs, no A levels. and managed to get a 1st at a "good" uni. Don't sweat it she's got so, so much time!

Original poster
BoofTheFloof · 18/02/2022 15:40

@Comefromaway

The issue might be what will she do during the time she is timetabled for history. My autistic son dropped Food Tech GCSE but he still had to be in the class for those lessons as there was nowhere else for him to go.
The school has a few children (the ones with diagnosed learning difficulties) only sitting 8 GCSEs. For the lessons they miss they go to the supervised additional study centre where there is a teacher from learning support. They can do homework or do sessions to help them find better ways to revise.
OP posts:
Original poster
BoofTheFloof · 18/02/2022 15:41

@De88

I got 5 GCSEs, no A levels. and managed to get a 1st at a "good" uni. Don't sweat it she's got so, so much time!
I'm presuming though that you applied as an adult via a different access method? I'm not sure they're that flexible with straightforward GCSE/A level pupils Congratulations though!!
OP posts:
TizerorFizz · 18/02/2022 15:50

Actually I’m not sure lots of universities ask about numbers of GCSEs. They might well went maths and English but I’m not sure there is a set number of GCSEs required. The most competitive universities will expect to see 8 and might consider them in their admission policies. Courses which are recruiting and need bums on seats might be far less bothered.

thing47 · 18/02/2022 16:26

I would definitely ask to drop the history – what a shame, it can be such an interesting subject if it's taught well, but totally dry and uninspiring when it isn't. I don't think you need to worry about the number of GCSEs, it's much more about getting good grades in the ones DD does take.

steppemum · 18/02/2022 16:32

for uni entry they ask for your 8 highest GCSEs

so the 9th one doesn't really matter.

My dd is at grammar school, she has suspected ASD and I really wnat her to do 8 not 9 GCSEs so that she has 2 slots every week where she can do homework within the school day.
School have said no Angry

TizerorFizz · 18/02/2022 16:46

Who is “they” asking for grades? UCAS? You don’t have to put down 8 if you don’t have them. They are only taken into account to meet minimum qualification criteria set by the university. That might be maths and English or x number of GCSEs or no minimum number at all. If they use them for selecting applicants, they must say so.,

Original poster
BoofTheFloof · 18/02/2022 17:43

@TizerorFizz

Who is “they” asking for grades? UCAS? You don’t have to put down 8 if you don’t have them. They are only taken into account to meet minimum qualification criteria set by the university. That might be maths and English or x number of GCSEs or no minimum number at all. If they use them for selecting applicants, they must say so.,
So for example Exeter wants AAA for business studies and at least a 5 in GCSE maths and English. However, are these minimum requirements? If they get lots of applicants though surely they'll pick the ones with more GCSEs? Or are they saying that as long as you have a 5 at GCSE Maths they don't look at GCSEs any more?
OP posts:
titchy · 18/02/2022 17:52

8 is fine. A levels are the differentiator not GCSEs other than a few medicine courses which look at best 8. The Exeter example will be what they want. They'll offer that to pretty much everyone who applies.

OnTheBenchOfDoom · 18/02/2022 17:53

For uni purposes it is meant to be that no one category outweighs another. I personally think the personal statement helps them decide if everyone has the same A level results. The PS shows the university their love for their chosen subject, everything they have done outside of the classroom to further their interest.

Oxford were the ones who thought GCSEs were a predictor of future success, whereas Cambridge believed in AS levels which have now gone (in most of England) so they now do admissions tests. Make of that what you will. I think universities only ever look at the best 8 results if they do that at all. Most just want that minimum maths and English grade and to be fair your DD has extenuating circumstances.

I am not sure when the deadline is to register children for their GCSEs with the exam boards but I am sure it is round about now. As school think she can bring up the 6s I would suggest to school that in her History slots she instead works on other subjects but that she drops History. She has Geography so already fills the humanities bucket.

Sideswiped · 18/02/2022 17:57

A sensible and sympathetic school would allow her to drop it and spend time on her other studies. Hopefully they would also allow her to go elsewhere rather than having to still sit in on her history lessons, which sounds possible from what you've said.
I hope you are successful as I think it's likely your DD would benefit.

Hercisback · 18/02/2022 17:58

@steppemum Why did they say no?

We refuse in our school because we have nowhere for students to go during that lesson.

thing47 · 18/02/2022 18:00

Really most academic qualifications are primarily a facilitator to the next stage so they only become important when they are the final stage you take, whether that's A levels, under-graduate degree, post-graduate degree, professional qualifications etc.

So no, they won't pick the ones with more GCSEs, they'll pick the ones with better A levels. Possibly, just possibly, they'll consider GCSEs, but it will be the grades rather than the number that they'll be interested in.

steppemum · 18/02/2022 18:03

[quote Hercisback]@steppemum Why did they say no?

We refuse in our school because we have nowhere for students to go during that lesson.[/quote]
because they think she will be fine.
she masks extremely well in school and they don't see the meltdowns at home, and the struggle with homework becuase she is wiped out.

I wanted to create space for her to do some homework during the day.

But after a long talk to the options teacher, I think they would let her drop the last one if not coping and certainly in year 11.

TizerorFizz · 18/02/2022 18:21

@BoofTheFloof
If Exeter say they take GCSEs into account in their admissions policy, they do. If they don’t mention it, they cannot make decisions based on GCSEs. Some universities say they do. Or the deciding factor is the Personal Statement. However they decide, they must tell applicants how they weight the various elements if they are deciding in that way.

thing47 · 18/02/2022 18:29

Oh yes good point @TizerorFizz, but I think it would be GCSE grades rather than volume mostly, wouldn't it?

TizerorFizz · 18/02/2022 18:30

@BoofTheFloof

I don’t think you have looked at the Exeter web site. They do take GCSEs into account. As attached. Exeter is sought after so I’m not surprised. You have to weigh up how much it might matter. 8x8 probably won’t. Or apply somewhere that’s less competitive.

Can DD drop a GCSE and still get into Uni?
titchy · 18/02/2022 18:33

That's a very generic statement tizer - it says look to individual course pages for the most up to data requirements.

Comefromaway · 18/02/2022 18:49

Many schools ONLY offer 8 GCSEs.

It is better to get higher grades in a fewer number than lower grades in more.

Susu49 · 18/02/2022 18:52

@Comefromaway

The issue might be what will she do during the time she is timetabled for history. My autistic son dropped Food Tech GCSE but he still had to be in the class for those lessons as there was nowhere else for him to go.
Study time in the library. Surprised they wouldn't permit it!