Can you tive me as many reasons as possible why it's imporant these days to do well in your GCSEs (as opposed to just passing them)

[BecauseImWorthIt]

Things are very different from when I sat my 'O' levels, as they were then called.

I keep reading/being told how important it is for children to do really well in their GCSEs.

DS1 is about to sit his this year. He's very bright and able, but fundamentally lazy, and has already made it clear (by words as well as actions) that there are certain subjects that he has absolutely no interest in, and that as he is not going to take these forward at 'A' level, sees them as less important.

Before I sit down and talk about this with him I need to do a bit of a reality check. He will (fingers crossed!) pass all his exams - there is not too much doubt about that, based on his marks and performance so far, but rather than get the As and A*s he was predicted, is more likely to get a few As, more Bs and possibly a couple of Cs.

On the one hand, I would be happy with this - he is likely to come out of it with 10 GCSEs. He already has a place at 6th form college and needs to get just 5 passes at grade C to confirm his place. (He already has one as he sat his Statistics last year)

On the other hand, I don't want him to be disadvantaged if he doesn't get the As/As - but I need to know exactly* why top grades are so important these days.

Once I have this information I can decide on my strategy for my conversations with him about revision planning!

(i.e. I can let him do his own thing or decide I have to get tough!)

Please can those who have gone there before me help? Or anyone who is in education/careers advice/higher education, etc.

I will be very grateful.

Some universities look at GCSE grades as well as A level grades. For example, my sons' headmaster recently told us that Durham will not look at anyone who wants to study history unless they hav six A*s at GCSE as well as the three As in A level.

First, apologies for the dreadful typing in the original questionl

Thanks Swede. But do you think that's really true? Or was it your son's headmaster trying to ensure that all his pupils study extra hard?!

We were told that to apply to uni for medicine you would need to have done GCSE double science. No grade was specified. The reason given was that competition for places was so great and so many students had A grade 'A' levels that this was an extra in the application process.
I'm not aware of any other subjects that refer back to GCSEs after'A' levels.

My DS started his GCSEs this year (blimey... it was only a moment ago that he was born ) and the head teacher at his school also talks about Universities needing to distinguish between the applicants and that the GCSEs are really important.

He suggested that we look on the University websites and see what they were looking for, eg. double/triple science to study medicine.

It may be that starting Y10 will be the kick that he needs. DS came home in Y9 told me he wanted to go to Loughborough (for the rugby) and that he needed to get his head down. And he has done ever since.

On average you expect kids to drop a grade when they move from GCSE to A level.

So kids getting an A* at GCSE would be 'on' for an A , A would get a B etc etc.....this is a gross generalisation but you get the general drift.

We don't accept kids on to the A level course with less than a C. And we only take those with a C if they get the recomandation of their GCSE teacher.

Universities look at GCSE grades. Ig you have a crop of kids all with the same predicted grades at A level it gives the unis a way of sifting them

If he goes into A level unwilling to work he'll do badly! A levels take a lot more effort than GCSEs

Thanks all.

Just to clarify, ds1 is ini Year 11 - so just about to sit them! (my baby ... !)

I'm not sure he's unwilling to work, MB - he just seems to save his effort for the subjects he's interested in. He does seem to work hard in those, so hopefully his A levels will suit him better as they are subjects he has chosen.

I'm just trying to work out what I can say to him that will encourage him to work as hard in those subjects he doesn't like. I don't want it to end up in a confrontation/stalemate and if it really is so important then I need to make sure I get the point across to him, rather than it just coming across as another parental lecture.

dd didn't do GCSE's but went straight into college to do A levels. 5 of them.
She was home educated though. Had an interview instead.

Oh Swede I was just about to post the fact that universities often look at GCSE grades: DH is lecturer in D u rham h istory dept and he says that this is the case!

I don't really get the desire to go for the minimum standard.

There is much competition for good university places. There is no point in short changing yourself at GCSE, because you might think you can get away with it. Instead of trying to get by, you should look at all you can do to put yourself ahead of the competition.

Absolutely ST - I couldn't agree more.

Unfortunately, despite both DH and I espousing this view, DS1 is a stubborn bugger boy, which is why I'm trying to construct my arguments carefully!

The trouble is that so many people now get top-grade 'A' levels that they are not much good as a way of choosing whom to award a univwersity place. So other criteria have to be brought in. And it is undoubtedly true that GCSE grades are among the evidence universities attend to.

Genuine response.

Because if he doesn't do his best now and thinks he can coast along he may struggle to get into university, let alone keep up with more 'dedicated' students and will regret it when he gets to his 30s or so and finds he's stuck in a job which is below his capabilities on mediocre pay and not much chance of career progession, better lifestyle (financially) blah blah because that's just how it is.

Rant over. Can you tell this is me and dh?

Tbh appeal to the immediate teenage side. Good grades equals university equals decently paid job which means holidays, expensive cars, great computers and gadgets etc

This year's cohort of GCSE students will be able to access A* grades at A2. However, I don't think there will be many 5C'ers in this category.

Mercy!

It's so bloody frustrating - not helped by the fact that his teenage hormones have kicked in in a major way at the moment and every conversation seems to end in raised voices on either/both sides.

I find it very difficult to understand how he is happy to accept grades lower than he is capable of achieving. For me, apart from having a strong drive to achieve/do well/be approved of ( - still working on that one at 48!) it's also about self respect.

He just doesn't seem to get why it might be important, despite what they are being told at school. (School is very good, btw, and lots of effort being made by all teachers to encourage commitment, studying, revision and good results.)

My son is almost 16 and taking his GCSEs this year - he already has two at A grade under his belt having taken them a year early. He want to go to Cambridge, or at least be in with a chance of going, and he knows that 6 As minimum is what he needs to be in with a realistic chance, and then only if he does well at A levels.

I am a bit torn about all this and am at a loss as to how to properly advise him. One day, I think yes, encourage him to go for it. The next, I think life's too short to be so narrow at such a young age. I am honestly undecided. But that doesn't really matter, as it is really up to him whether he wants to go for it or not.

Would rather have your 'problem', Swede!

In general it isn't that helpful for them to get out of the habit of working. The jump to A level is a big one, and they need to be able to put the effort in.

and I do understand that the hormone pixie comes to play

Cue 60,000 MNetters posting to tell me that it is possible to do well with no GCSEs at all, and yes it is, but having them can make life easier

You know that and I know that, MB ...

Iknow, I know, but getting the little buggers to listen and believe you is another thing.

If it helps any I don't have a teenage child yet, but I'm having this fight with my (very nice but amazingly lazy) year 10 class. So I've got a class of the silly betters!

Now you see, at school, DS1 is (apparently) charm personified.

The hormone pixie obviously only lives at our house and doesn't go to school. I think she must be the evil twin of the tooth fairy.