Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

10 GCSEs - the norm?

101 replies

ImStillMe · 28/12/2022 19:04

DDs school expect 10 GCSEs to be taken (including 3 separate sciences).

Is this the norm now, and is 10 expected by RG universities? I took 8 in my day...

DD is predicted 7-9 in all her subjects but has a health issue which means I think 10 is a lot.

What is the process if you don't think your child can sit all 10? Her invisible illness means she presents as well but as her parent I see her fatigue etc...

OP posts:
Aquasulis · 28/12/2022 19:07

DD is doing 11 which is the norm at her school, 3 sciences and 2 languages, 2 English etc

2reefsin30knots · 28/12/2022 19:07

I'm hoping mine will just do 8. He's bright and will probably be able to get all 7-9s but also does a sport to a high level and doing 8 would be much more manageable.

Aquasulis · 28/12/2022 19:10

To answer your question if she is doing 10 and predicted top grades (7-9) in all of them it sounds like she is managing just fine

talk to the form tutor in the first instance

but be careful if you open the can that you don’t think she is coping she might question herself whereas she could otherwise be happily coping

So yes form tutor or head of year first

my DD started most of her GCSEs in year 9 at this point in year 11- effectively one term left I would be reluctant for her to ‘waste’ over two years of a gcse course by not sitting it now. 4 is a low pass and 5 a good pass.

Fireyflies · 28/12/2022 19:11

10 was the normal number as both my kids schools if they were bright enough to do three separate sciences. The reasons for doing fewer were generally not being good at science (so same lesson time allocated to single or double science), or needing to do extra English or English as a foreign language in place of one of their options. Bilingual kids generally did their home language as an extra so might do 11

Hellocatshome · 28/12/2022 19:12

Between 10 and 12 was normal at the school I went to (normal comp) DS's school tends to be more like 6 to 8.

ZaZathecat · 28/12/2022 19:13

I don't think unis are interested in GCSEs apart from maths and English really, it's A levels that count.

Em3978 · 28/12/2022 19:13

I did 10 in 1995 (and another one 3 years later!)

My DS (y10) is doing either 10 or 11. He's a little overwhelmed at the thought of it all and the workload, but with help and guidance I'm hoping he'll be fine.

Nosecamera · 28/12/2022 19:16

I thought 10-12 was normal these days, I'm the only person who's been through HE I know that only has 8, and I only jave 8 because my life was going a bit wrong at the time. The school timetable was set up for more than 8. I'm in my mid 40s.

titchy · 28/12/2022 19:16

10 is normal. One of mine did 12, the other 11.

I did 10 O levels so 8 seems a little low for a bright kid.

cptartapp · 28/12/2022 19:19

Both mine did 9 at a state comp (most they could do), got great results and each got 5 offers all from RG uni's.

ZaZathecat · 28/12/2022 19:19

The average number of GCSEs taken at age 16 this year was 7.78

Bemyclementine · 28/12/2022 19:21

11 was and is still usual at the school I went to in the early 90s

SquigglePigs · 28/12/2022 19:21

I did 12 but it was a long time ago and I did one out of sequence.

The main thing is though that you don't think she can manage it with her health issues so you need to discuss it with the school. It will be far better to get 8 good grades, that support any further education choices, than to get 10 but with poorer grades because she was struggling.

Bemyclementine · 28/12/2022 19:21

That said we had separate sciences.

2reefsin30knots · 28/12/2022 19:22

DH did 8 at Winchester in the 90s then went to Oxford.

IET · 28/12/2022 19:25

11 was the norm in my school in the early 00s

However, I used to work in a good secondary school and some students there only did 5 or 6. They usually had a reason for that though

MirandaWest · 28/12/2022 19:26

I did 10 GCSEs in 1992 which was standard then.

DS and DD did 11 each in 2020 and 2022 which is standard for their school - people either do 10 or 11 there.

FrippEnos · 28/12/2022 19:34

ZaZathecat · 28/12/2022 19:19

The average number of GCSEs taken at age 16 this year was 7.78

I am surprised at this as schools are scored on the progress in the top 8 subjects at gcse.

Genegenieee · 28/12/2022 19:37

DD1 took 10 by choice (cd take 9) then picked up additional maths in the final term before GCSEs as well.

DD2 took 9 by choice and gas dropped to 8, SEN related. Dropped modern language so that she had extra time for 3 sciences.

Both at same private independent girls school. So I think talk to the school to discuss the art of what is possible.

DD1's uni places didn't care about GCSEs. A levels were impo - but 6th forms will generally only allow you to do A levels if you have a certain GCSE grade in that subject. So I would say better to get better grade / best grade possible in the key GCSEs than a string of lower grades.

Genegenieee · 28/12/2022 19:40

Nosecamera · 28/12/2022 19:16

I thought 10-12 was normal these days, I'm the only person who's been through HE I know that only has 8, and I only jave 8 because my life was going a bit wrong at the time. The school timetable was set up for more than 8. I'm in my mid 40s.

It was before Gove changed the GCSEs and made them less coursework based and more exam based. The schools near us (state and private) have moved away from this. We are in SE.

Princessdebthe1st · 28/12/2022 19:40

It used to be quite common to do 10+ GCSEs but that was before the revision of the GCSEs to include MUCH more content a few years ago and also the change in how school league tables are put together. There is no need for a child to do more than 8 or 9 GCSEs and universities will pay no attention to more than 8 including English and maths. A young person will nearly always be better to do 8/9 and increase the chance of higher grades across the board than doing too many and risk spreading themselves too thin.
Doing 10 or more should be based on what is in the best interest of the young person, not on what the school normally does.

LIZS · 28/12/2022 19:42

8 is enough for unis, dc school took 9/10 in year 11 but sometimes took another early.

jmh740 · 28/12/2022 19:43

I think anything from 8-12 is normal
My children's school do
English lit
English language
Maths
Science 1 or 3
For everyone and then they pick 3

I work in a Catholic High school and they do
2 English's
Maths
1/3 sciences depending on higher or lower paper
RS
Then choose 3

catsonahottinroof · 28/12/2022 19:46

I thought most schools now were not doing so many because the exams are harder. My dd last year did 8 - her school now offer triple science so you would do either 8 or 9 depending on what science set you are in. Only two real option choices now as you have to take either geography or history.
Universities definitely don't want more than 8.

BlueTick · 28/12/2022 19:58

Best to get 9 9s than a handful of 7s, 8s and 9s across say 12 subjects.

I thought the norm now was to do 9 or perhaps 10 at a stretch. The subjects are much broader now and far less coursework so a lot more to revise for.

Private schools tend to advise away from doing too many so that the overall average score of the school stays high - mostly 9s....

Added to this - unis don't care. What's the point of busting a gut across 11 subjects when it may not lead to the best set of results?

I'd rather have 9 9s than 3 7s, 4 8s and 5 9s. This may be what happens if you stretch yourself too thinly.