Reassure me with tales of kids who didn't do well at GCSE but turned things around at A level

[HairLikeAnEasterEgg]

Mum of a y11 - I am panicking about his GCSEs, sadly he is not. He's bright but young for his year and I think the penny is only just starting to drop with him on what is required at this stage. He did nothing for his mocks and got mainly 5s so I feel confident that with more time (!) and better study skills he'd be ok. In the real world, he has a mountain to climb in terms of the sheer amount of content he has to learn. I'm trying to help him prioritise as I think that's the only way now.

Anyway, assuming he is allowed to stay on at his school next year (not a given), I'm.hoping that his experience of GCSEs will give him the wake up call.he needs for the next stage. I remember the jump from GCSE to A level being immense, and I was studious and worked hard at school. Maybe the gap has narrowed now, I'm not sure.

Hit me with your tales of kids who have turned things around in 6th form...I need a glimmer of hope here ✨️

My knowledge is outdated!

But isn’t a 6 the equivalent of a C?

No, a 4/5 is considered equivalent to a low/high C. A 6 is roughly on parity with an old B.

Agree with this – I got an A in French at GCSE but then a C at A Level. I wasn’t particularly hard working and found at A Level you can’t coast languages!

so 6 is B, 7 is – B? A? – what are 8 and 9?

Is there just more differentiation among the mid grades?

@HairLikeAnEasterEgg

There are also Access courses to higher education various eclectic range of courses such as Art and design , maths and sciences English and humanities which also includes microbiology, law philosophy ect,

I have tried these access courses myself unfortunately i didn't have enough support so didn't complete courses i attempted at,

essentially these courses are in college and give either mature students and younger students who didn't do well at school, second chance opportunities to better themselves,
and also opportunities to change careers for mature and younger students that's also an appeal too,

It's definitely not an easier option than A levels,
It's very intensive courses,
as you are continually assessed throughout your access courses, so many credits gives you if you complete this at the required level entry into
opportunity to go into universities,

would this be an educational opportunities your son could possibly consirder too maybe ?

Just thought of another friend – got zero GCSEs, went on to do an access course and went off to uni to read economics.

@HairLikeAnEasterEgg

There is also foundation Pre access course that prepares you for doing these kinds of access courses too,

So the difference between just coming out of school or donkeys 🫏 years being out of the educational system for mature students is not such a leap into dark and mental mind flip agility massive leap for the mind to go into such intensive full on access courses

Would tales of bypassing A levels all together after failing GCSE’s and still being successful with zero student debt and a cracking qualification in industry plus a great wage now help?

Apprenticeship.. can’t recommend highly enough for those’d not academically minded.

Worked wonders for my boy.

How did she get into a masters course with a third though. Usually you need a minimum 2:1. Occasionally a 2:2 but rarely.

An 8 is an old A* and 9 is supposed to mean that they are beyond the standard you’d expect to see at GCSE (in my subject anyway, which is Art.)

It totally depends on why someone got the 6s at GCSE.

Academically weak
Undiagnosed LD
Temporary trauma (family death etc)
Illness
Laziness

Some reasons can be dealt with or pass. Others can't or won't.

Most schools recommend vocational qualifications like BTEC for students who get 5/6 for GCSE. Level 3 BTECs count in the same way as A-levels for university but require self study habits.

I found your post interesting very insightful 🤔 @Loubelle70
which subject access courses did you do ?
What Master's did you do?

Just curious,
Congratulations well done 🥳🥳🥳 for proving those teacher's were totally 💯 per cent were wrong about you,
those school teachers years ago, who wrote you off,
as a waste of time like your rogue brother.

Just thinking about this,
is making me think about how i could better myself educational,

any tips or advice about doing an access courses then?
Thanks

My youngest got three GCSE's. She's gone on to resist one and do very well at three btecs and has offers for three universities.
My sd did well at GCSE's, but has been kicked off one a level course and is struggling with the other two btecs she's has left.
It doesn't always follow a pattern and 5s are a pass

@RingDingaLing

The grades don't correlate exactly but the closest equivalences are

9 = A**
8 = A/A*
7 = A
6 = high B
5 = low B
4 = C

So it's generally taken
9 is A**
8 is A*
7 is A
6 is B
5 is weak B
4 is C

My DS is definitely the middle category. He's doing GCSE's at the moment. He is always getting reports of 'He's a lovely boy, a pleasure to have in class' but he is not a high flyer. He's working really hard and putting in tons of revision to the point I have to stop him. But I don't think he will get more than grade 5 or 6's. I don't really care that he wont probably get 9's in everything as long as he gets what he needs to get to 6th form. He does have a backup choice of college, and he did like the open day he went on, so I'm not bothered about that either. as long as he passes his maths (which he struggles at). He wants to do A Levels, even though there is a vocational course he'd like as well. To be honest, I'm not that bothered about the speed of him doing things. If he does A Levels and decides they are not for him, he can go to college next year and apply for the vocational course. If he doesn't get good enough A Levels he can take a year out or do a foundation course. It's a marathon, not a sprint. I think GCSE's are no longer fit for purpose, if they ever were. They have to do too many of them, and they contain too much information. Its just a test of memory in many cases, and not suited to non academic children. We let down so many children with these. And it will get worse once the Btec's are withdrawn. There is too much concentration on tinkering with L3 qualifications and not enough thought put into L2 qualifications.

I think bright but lazy have the best chance of turning things around in a short time if they want to.
This was me, I did basically no revision for GCSE, Cs in the mocks, but managed to get As and Bs in the actual exams with a mixture of good memory, natural ability and a bit of adrenaline.

Did the same thing at A level, got Ds in Y12 mocks but decided to apply to Cambridge on the day the applications were due. School were not supportive!
I scrawled 2 essays to add to my application (because I had done no work all year so had nothing prepared I could send), filled in the application form, did very well in the Cambridge tests and somehow got a place, which gave me something to aim for, applied myself a little, got the requisite 3A A level results, finally grew up a lot and got a good degree from Cambridge.

I was very immature too, August birthday. But if you are bright you can turn it around if you know you have to. It has to come from within though, unfortunately.

So does anyone actually get this?

It sounds like the grading system for an RG humanities degree (about 10 years ago anyway) where 70 is a first and above 80 or 90 (can’t remember which) is publishable standard, beyond the expectations or requirements of the course.

Thanks all. I take the pp's point about an assumed level of maturity but he is late Aug born so almost a year younger than some of his friendship group, so I do cut him some slack there (I am his mummy, after all 😉) I view it a bit like when his nursery teacher told.me off for the fact that he srill needed help putting on socks in the term.before school..he worked it out in the summer.holidays and managed his pe kit fine! But summer.holidays will obv be a bit late to get the hang of revision.

Lots to think.about so thansk for your input. Apologies for fat finger fingered typos, I can spell.when I'm at work, hinest guv.

About the top 5% get grade 9.

It does vary by gcse.

1160 students got all grade 9s in their GCSEs in 2023

www.gov.uk/government/publications/infographic-gcse-results-2023/infographics-for-gcse-results-2023-accessible

@RingDingaLing the number system has been in place for seven years now (new GCSEs first sat in 2017) so I think people are on it, yes.

Not sure what is not clear - when GCSEs were graded with letters, there was an A-star grade. Now there is (kind of) a grade above that. Sadly one result is that a lot of (or some) people seem to think anything but all 9s is a disaster. Of course it's not.

The number grades are not pegged to a specific percentage pass, any more than the letter grades were. And in fact the percentage to gain a 9 in (say) physics may be wildly different from what's needed for a 9 in (say) history.

Broadly - 4 are a GCSE L2 pass; 5 a strong pass; 6 often OK for A level; 7-9 best grades, needed for some A levels, required for some top-tier unis and certain courses (like vet med or medicine).

My ds.. he was at a highly competitive top independent. Hated it and stopped working. Ended up with mostly B's (unheard of at the school). They then more or less kicked him out, suggesting it wasn't the right school for him.

Switched him to sixth form college where he absolutely thrived and decided to work.

Me! .

I was a lazy and distracted teen. I scraped five GCSEs and had to do A Levels at an FE college as my school wouldn’t keep me on with my grades.

I got decent A Level grades (although was still lazy and more interested in parties and boys!), but my grades got me into a university degree I really loved. I got a 2:1 (missed a first by 2%!) then did a a Masters and got a Distinction.

I had to find something I was really interested in before I excelled.

Can I ask, what course? My DD is eyeing up a art type degree I didn't even know existed and I'm intrigued.