GCSE to A level

[aslkde]

What GCSE grade is needed to make choosing a subject for A level worthwhile?

In the old days, and A or B was enough at O level to cope at A level.

Does that translate to 6 or 7 at GCSE?

I’d say Grade 6 but preferably 7 for maths/science.

Prior GCSE performance might not be reflected in A level performance (both ways ie 'unexpectedly' worse or better) for several reasons:

Some subjects are essentially 'more of the same'; if you were good at Geography GCSE, there is a fighting chance you will be good at Geography A level.

However, there are subjects where the overall profile of the syllabus changes; Maths is an example; as my DC said last night 'I write more letters than numbers in Maths these days'.

There is also the leap to less directed learning and whether students make best use of free periods; that is more about motivation and maturity than prior academic performance.

Different sixth forms may have different entry requirements - both for overall entry and course specific grades.

Look at their websites.

Also the mix of subjects is different for a level
DS has done history, computer science, business studies and food prep at gcse.
For his a levels he is doing history, computer science, law and psychology

My subject is MFL and honestly, while most schools would be happy with a 6, I woukld really want to see a 7, just so as to be sure the groundwork of tenses and basic vocab was well laid.

Ds2 got a 6 in Spanish and was certainly not ok to take A level (not that he wanted to). An unexpected 6 caused by some kind of exam disaster is a different matter obvs.

For Maths there was this useful thread including a table of likely A level result based on GCSE
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/4007205-How-maths-GCSE-result-predicts-A-level-maths-result-important-for-grade-6-7

I agree motivation, organisation and ability to work independently plays a bit part. You have to be able to manage your own time effectively and use the free periods to work. Consolidate consolidate consolidate. It’s also dependent on the step you want to take after A-Levels (some require 7s at GCSE in certain subjects)

For example:- I have a very able Yr12, who cruised yr 11 on discovering he ‘only’ needed 5/6s for the A Levels he wanted to take. (He was predicted straight 8s + Further Maths) he ended up with 10 GCSEs ranging 5-8 but according to him he was working smart because he didn’t NEED higher grades. He’s taken this mindset into A-Levels. He’s worked really hard in lessons but ‘chilled’ during his frees. He’s had a rude awakening this week, he now needs to work his arse off between now and June to stand a chance of getting the predicted grades he needs for the course he wants at UNI.

Although I realise I waffled as your question was what grades. Pretty much all the courses at my sons college required grade 5 in English Lang and Maths. Other than sciences which required 6 in science and Maths which required 7

To be honest, I think your guiding principle here would be the entry requirements. Take a look at A level programs near you and look at the entry requirements, they'll give you an idea of general expectations. In saying that,many colleges (probably schools too) that offer A level programmes may also offer an entry level or a support program to assist someone in getting their A levels. I wouldn't necessarily base their A level performance on their GCSEs since some students fare better at higher levels of education with more self directed learning and some worse. But those conducting the A level programmes have an idea of who will or won't succeed based on their experience, so I wouldn't write off your teen, I'd base it on the entry requirements and seem support where needed.

Grade 6 in the relevant subject, plus at least a 5 in English and Maths is generally the minimum we ask for.

For some subjects, a broad spread of grade 5s can be a good predictor, as well. For example subjects like psychology, 5s in English/Maths and Science could be a good predictor of success, whereas a 7 in English and 4 in Science might not be.

Depends on the subject

Maths for eg a 7 at GCSE often translates to a C or D at A level so if you’re targeting higher A level grades for Maths you’d need at least an 8

6 or 7 in most subjects but an 8 in Maths if he is targeting A grades at A level.

FWIW my son got an A in Maths and Statistics A a number of years ago but still struggled at A level. He and a couple of his friends said the teacher was poor at explaining. We got him a tutor who was a student at University in final year of Maths degree and my son improved a lot. It was close to exams though and in retrospect we should have got him a tutor earlier. He never said he was struggling until about 8 weeks before his exams when he got mock results. He ended up with a B.

My subject is MFL and honestly, while most schools would be happy with a 6, I woukld really want to see a 7, just so as to be sure the groundwork of tenses and basic vocab was well laid.

Same here, although you get kids with 7s who still don't have a very secure grasp.

Schools will generally take a 6, but they want bums on seats. If you're asking what grade you'd be likely to need in order not to find A Level a struggle, I'd say 7 or above.

I'm also wondering about how subjects like English and History change between GCSE and A level.

English Lit GCSE is SO different from when I did it, so much learning to reproduce quotes and seemingly so few books studied compared with what we had in the days of 100% coursework. Even though DD has done taster days at college, we don't have a good understanding of how A level is different, and whether a good grade at GCSE is a good predictor of whether they can step it up a gear.

At Ds's sixth form the entry is 5 grade 4s but they work on a getting the best results for the individual for what they need for the next steps. There are specific grades for doing certain subjects like a 6 for maths or science, 7 for further maths. As the MN link above shows if you come in with a 7 at GCSE for maths the likely outcome is a D/C for maths A level. noble is a well respected maths teacher.

It isn't about entry levels it is about GCSE grades and the likely one grade drop from GCSE to A level. But this does depend on the child and obviously there are students who get a 9 at GCSE and then A star at A level. This is about work ethic, knowing to ask for help the second you think you might need it and using the free periods to actually do work.

If they are doing a subject they did for GCSE then that acts as a base level but some A levels are completely new subjects. Ds for example is taking economics which means he is in a very mixed ability group as there is no entry grade. However for maths he is in the further maths/maths stream so they are all at least a grade 7.

Ultimately if they are thinking about university then they need to look now at what the course entry grade (minimum) is just to see and also realise that lower grades means far less choice in both uni and course. As a parent you need to look at how much this is going to cost you financially as the maintenance loan is dependent on household income. The loan amount is capped and it might be lower than you think and you as the parent are expected to make up the difference. At the top end that is just over £5k a year for the parents to apparently find.

The jump to A level from GCSE (non STEM) I can describe as needing depth in answers. It’s about more than parrot fashion learning and to do with understanding the subject and how to answer high point scoring questions. My DD is doing Geography, Psychology and Sociology A levels.

She was 1 point off a 9 in GCSE Geography but at the end of term 1 Y12 was predicted a D for A level! All her teachers for each subject said the same thing - fine on content she needed to learn how to answer an A level question. She’s doing much better now but it’s a real shift.

DD2 did History, Biology and Psychology A levels, and the biggest leap was in the depth demanded in History. She had an 8 at GCSE but it wasn't until the start of Yr13 that she really got the hang of it and even then the B she got was a pleasant surprise. Biology was tough until she had a new teacher in Yr 13 who was much better at explaining things and who also gave a lot of time to students who had catching up to do and were willing to put in the work - she came in with a 7 at GCSE.

Psychology was the easiest for her, she had a 7 in maths which equipped her for the stats, and learning reserch methodology wasn't that hard.

A-levels are harder and require more independence. Students should be mentally ready, other than that, it's doable in terms of content.

Depends. My daughter's school required a 7, but first day of History the teacher said 'if you didn't get an 8 or a 9 I don't know what you're doing here', and the two girls who had received a 7 eventually switched to English. But that teacher expects her kids to get As and A stars at A level, though of course not all do no matter what they got at GCSE.

Are there anyone in Russell Group universities or equivalent have got good grades (AAA equivalent or above) but mediocre GCSE average (average lower than 7)?
I am asking if I should spend a lot of energy to the subjects likely to be for A-Level even at the GCSE stage by deepening knowledge to or even beyond grade 9 rather than too widely spread my effort over 10 subjects. I presume even grade 8 or 9 in GCSE, the level of understanding would be quite different.

DD is predicted 3 x As and her GCSE average was just over 6.5

She more suited to A level study than GCSE. She isn’t great at remembering tonnes of detail but is good at remembering some stuff and using that to illustrate her point. She said in her subjects you don’t need to remember 10/10 things, often can get by with 4/10 things to illustrate the point.

Just be careful to pick your subjects well. Don’t pick for example Maths or Biology if you’re predicted/achieve less than an 8 in them.

I think it depends what you mean by "cope with".
DC's school asks for 5s for most subjects, 6 in sciences and 7 in maths to take the A Level.
Every year they have students coming in at these grades who "cope" quite happily with the A Level- yes, they have to be committed and apply themselves and, no they are not getting A stars, but it depends partly on your reasons for studying.

The jump to A level from GCSE (non STEM) I can describe as needing depth in answers.

That was the case when stepping up to A levels from O levels in the 1970s. I remember being told over and over that my essays needed more depth when I was in lower 6th.

DD took her GCSEs in 2016 and the entry requirements for 6th form were a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grade C or above and grade B in the subjects chosen for A level.

She achieved A* at GCSE in the subjects she chose for A level but still found the step up a huge one in terms of difficulty and volume of content (biology, chemistry and geography).

Some sixth forms will let you study an a level if you got a 5 in the subject at gcse but the ones who are more selective insist on 6 or 7. Broadly, if you got a 6 at gcse you are unlikely to do better than a B at A level - but there's no shame in a B if the student enjoys the subject. The key factor for A level choice should be that each subject is actually enjoyed and liked. Doing A levels in subjects you dislike is futile, because your success depends on you actively choosing to spend your leisure time on some extra homework just for fun. It's about developing independent study skills.