GCSE dilemma - is 7 GCSEs enough?

[Gratitudegal]

My son has GCSEs this summer. He is currently taking 10 subjects although there is not a hope he will pass physics and he quiet quit it earlier in year 11, doing lessons and homework but no revision.

His mocks were mixed, we have a maths tutor to help him with that as his mock was a 3 and obviously he needs to pass that. he's look at getting 6s and maybe a 7 or two for the subjects he actually likes and has an aptitude for, maybe a 4/5 in biology.

Other than physics, there are a further two which he is not confident of passing and his mock results would indicate that he's weak there, predicted a 3 and a 4.

He does study hard, he revised pretty much every day for autumn term right up to the mocks. he even did an hour a day during the summer so his work ethic is fine. I predict he will pass 7 subjects, getting probably 7,6,6,6,5,5,4. Is this enough, or should we be trying to get further support in one of the other subjects to bring that up to 8 passes, even if that just means getting another 4?

he wants to do 3 A levels and his school require 5 passes. For the subjects he wants to do there are no minimum requirements for grades, but he's interested in the ones he's more likely to get 6s for anyway.

I guess I am thinking that a. he is a smart kid and other that being made to study subjects he's not good at, he ought to be doing better and b. will only having 7 GCSEs affect things like Uni?

He will have to show those he is entered for and their grades, even a fail. Is he taking double science?

Some universities look at the top 8, but he may not be aiming for those ones given the other grades. I'd still say take 8 if he can.

No, it won't impact uni.

He needs to pass maths and English or have to resit.

He needs to get the grades to move on to a levels.

Beyond that unis are really interested in a level results and unless he's looking an Oxbridge they don't really care about numbers of GCSEs

My son did 6 GCSEs and is currently in his first year at UCL and was also interviewed by Oxford so I can confidently say doing 7 will be adequate so long as they include maths and english.

he's doing three separate sciences as that's the way the school do it. of the 10 he's taking he got to choose 4. it's a ridiculous system in my opinion!

that's really interesting, thanks!

thank you. I feel a bit better reading this. I think part of it is that I got 10, so why can't he?! But he is not me. He is really intelligent in so many ways though, it's infuriating that the way young people are assessed is so narrow.

I had 3 sciences too, would merrily have dropped one but no dice and got 3 choices from 11. It's a bit rubbish, sad to see it hasn't got any better.

he's not going to be trying to get into Oxbridge or Russell Group! Likely something based around humanities subjects or more vocational. He's not trying to be a doctor or anything like that.

yes same. Like my son I was reasonable at biology but how I passed the other two is somewhat of a miracle. I got C's in old money in physics and chemistry and probably scraped through. hey ho! thanks for your response :)

A-levels in subjects he got a 6 in at GCSE are going to be really tough honestly and the likely outcome would be C's and D's. Would taking fewer GCSE's make him more able to maybe try and get 7's in the subjects he wants to take further?
For me that would be where the value would lie in taking fewer subjects - in getting himself better prepared for a-level in the subjects that matter to him.
If he just wants to take a few less GCSE's with no expectation of using the extra time to bring up the other grades that's not great.

GCSEs are very different these days OP, which is why many schools have reduced the number they enter pupils for. Last year only about 14% of pupils entered 10 or more subjects whereas just over 25% did 8 and around 28% entered 9 subjects. Plenty of young people would be overloaded with 10 subjects nowadays so your son is not alone.
There's not long to go now and obviously you can't change the school's policy at this stage so I would think that he is best to focus on maths and English language, getting the best grades possible in the the subjects he wants to do at A level and at least passing another couple of subjects. Obviously more passes than that would be great but my (admittedly inexpert) view is that it's pointless to spend a lot of time on the subjects that he is a long way off passing and that he'd be better to invest the time and energy in securing good grades in the subjects that matter most for the next stage.

for the A levels he wants to do there are no minimum grades and all the teachers for the subjects he wants to do have said so long as he passes they'd be happy to have him as they know he's smart, works hard, is enthusiastic and he would be fine. I have a 2:1 degree and only got two C's and a D at A Level. I had several uni places to choose from. I'm more worried about the lower number of GCSEs but maybe that's ok too.

thanks for your response! Yes this is where I am with it but there's so much pressure to pass them all, get high grades. Being honest I have kept away from forums like this generally as you are made to feel a lot by some posters that getting 7,8 and 9 is the norm and that's what all kids should be getting and aiming for. I know it isn't as the stats speak for themselves, but it's a bit off putting when you have a child that yes is bright in many ways but is never going to get an 8 or a 9 in anything. anyway! thanks for replying :)

Check the type of courses at university DC may be interested to apply and you see the entry requirements. Most universities would check the best 8 GCSEs and it seems rather a lot asking for As for A levels. The last few years of data counts, past experiences and applications over 5 years wouldn’t be helpful since the education pathway have changed.

You only need 5 including English and Maths for pretty much any university (I know people at Oxford with 6 in total).

The main issue is whether they have what they need to progress to next stage.

DD has GCSEs this year. She's very SEN and so we have made the decision to drop a number of subjects so she can focus on getting the best results possible on that smaller number. She should end up with 6 GCSEs plus a BTEC overall which ticks all the boxes for next stages.

FWIW, she has target grades of 8 for everything, and is on track for top grade in her BTEC,

No it won't impact university (unless he's thinking of a very competitive course) and he would be better concentrating on getting 7 gcses with at least a 5 in English and maths rather than 10 GCSEs.
If he wants to do A levels he also should be aiming to get 6s in those subjects- if biology is one of his potential choices some schools/colleges want at least a 6 in maths to do any science A level so just something to check

Yes, I know what you mean. There is something of a narrative around here that there are two paths in life -1) Attendance at the right school, gaining a string of 9s at GCSE, all A stars at A level, followed by a first from one of a small number of Universities leading to a stellar career at particular prestigious companies or 2) a life of abject misery and poverty.
Obviously that's not true! Of course better exam results will give a pupil more choices in their next stages and everyone should be encouraged to reach their potential, but there are lots of worthwhile paths that are also open to young people who don't achieve the highest grades.
Personally, I think it is unreasonable for schools to expect pupils to take 10 subjects as a routine. Nobody needs 10 GCSEs and it's always going to be better to do well with a smaller number than to struggle with 10. I would think it would be more sensible to offer 8 or 9 as standard and restrict higher numbers to pupils who definitely have both the ability and motivation to study more subjects. But not everyone gets the choice and you are where you are. It would be preferable if your son hadn't been put in this situation, but he has, and he's now got to make the best of it. I'd think that he'd be better off focusing on quality over quantity at this point.

thanks so much, I totally agree. His father didn't pass his A levels, went to college and now runs his own consultancy. I consider myself smart, I have a degree, I run my own business and do well but if I were doing my GCSEs today I doubt if I would have anything above a 7. There are things that are arguably as if not more important, such as resilience, curiosity, leadership, people skills, negotiating skills, the ability to be compassionate etc. I am sure in the long run my son will have a lovely life. he's a great person.

thank you :) he has no clue what he wants to study yet at uni but I will certainly bear all that in mind! x

he will pass maths but possibly only a 4 - he has a tutor for that now though so who knows! English isn't a problem, got 6s in his mocks, might get 7s. Doesn't want to study them any further though. definitely does not want to do biology at a level, he's considering geography, history, ethics and sociology at the mo - just needs to figure out which one to drop.

also meant to say no he's not just trying to do less work, the reason for dropping studying for a couple of the GCSEs, possibly 3 is so he can focus on those he loves and where it will make a difference. He's revising 3 hours a day on school nights and 5 hours each weekend day. he's a hard worker, just not great at some of the subjects that he's been made to do.

How is his exam and revision technique? Studying 3 hours a night should be more productive than a handful of passes. What A levels is he hoping to take ( and a back up in case one doesn't run or is oversubscribed).

Lots of good posts from PPs here and I agree, seven GCSEs is fine for A levels, uni, life.

He will have to declare all his grades on his UCAS form but that shouldn't be an issue even if they are lower than a 4 in some cases. Obvs maths and English are needed but it sounds as tho you are on that.

Is he taking F tier for maths, sciences, MFL (if taking one)? If not pls chase it with school as this will give him a better chance of a grade 4 or 5.

I agree with @LIZS he is doing a lot of hours of studying there. Are you sure he is revising efficiently? There are two months to go – a bit of focus on revising smart could make a difference. Search threads on how to revise on this board, there are loads of great ideas.

Totally the same re physics and chemistry! My mum was so convinced I wouldn't pass physics that she actually bribed me. I would gladly have traded them for say, geography and German, and kept biology, but no.