[sherry_d]

I am just wondering if taking GCSEs over a couple of years may be frowned upon by universities. I understand Oxford or Cambridge may want to see a certain number of subjects in one go to show they can cope well with exams, if this is the case how many would be sufficient? Say a child take 5 subjects in year 11, 3 in year 10 and 2 in year 9, would this be a bit too spread out?

Would something like 5 subjects in 10 and then another 5 in year 11 be more acceptable?

[kaypc]

a levels are much more important when applying, i don't think they will ask much about GCSE's except your grades.

[Minotauro]

Yeah, you're over thinking it a tad... they just want to know you've done well, I know Oxford looks at what percentage of your GCSE results were at an A* grade
A levels though, that's a different story

[sherry_d]

Ok this is the reply from Cambridge but I am hoping this is an admin person who wont double up as a tutor shortlisting candidates. This is why I am curious to know if this info is really what they look at.

Thank you for your email. Your daughter will be in direct competition with

applicants who will have taken all their examinations in one sitting, and

the Colleges at Cambridge like to assess applicants on the basis that they

have achieved the requisite grades by being able to cope with the workload

that sitting all exams in one sitting brings. If your daughter's exams are

staggered, then this, in effect, gives her an advantage over someone who

will have taken them all at once.

[milienhaus]

Why not just do them all in year 11, surely thats the default option and clearly the one they'd prefer?

[firebolt]

If your doing exams in year 9 surely they would be your favourite? and then when you do alevels in 2 years time will you honestly remember the stuff you learnt back then?

[The Polymath]

(Original post by kaypc)
a levels are much more important when applying, i don't think they will ask much about GCSE's except your grades.

How are they going to know your module results and when you sat them? I thought you only give your grades for GCSE, no? Still, as kaypc said, A-levels are WAY more important as far as Cambridge are concerned.

[milienhaus]

(Original post by Junaid96)
How are they going to know your module results and when you sat them? I thought you only give your grades for GCSE, no? Still, as kaypc said, A-levels are WAY more important as far as Cambridge are concerned.

On the UCAS form you fill in GCSE grades and when you sat them, so they would know. Specifically for Cambridge as well you fill in an extra form called the SAQ which I think might ask you again, but its several years since I filled it in so I'm not sure.

[The Polymath]

(Original post by milienhaus)
On the UCAS form you fill in GCSE grades and when you sat them, so they would know. Specifically for Cambridge as well you fill in an extra form called the SAQ which I think might ask you again, but its several years since I filled it in so I'm not sure.

On UCAS do you say when you sat each module for any modular GCSEs? UCAS and SAQ are going to be so much effort I just know it

[milienhaus]

(Original post by Junaid96)
On UCAS do you say when you sat each module for any modular GCSEs? UCAS and SAQ are going to be so much effort I just know it

I didn't do any modular GCSEs so I don't know but I suspect you just put the date of completion. The SAQ is actually not that bad at all, there are long personal -statement type bits to fill in though so be prepared!

[The Polymath]

(Original post by milienhaus)
I didn't do any modular GCSEs so I don't know but I suspect you just put the date of completion. The SAQ is actually not that bad at all, there are long personal -statement type bits to fill in though so be prepared!

That's good as I took an English exam when I was 13, failed spectacularly (as did a surprising majority of supposedly top students) and had to resit in the following exam session. I'd rather Oxbridge didn't know about that

Kinda looking forward to SAQ, makes all this uni business seem so real and current at the same time, I'll have to relive my academic history "not proud" would be an understatement

[AspiringGenius]

They do affect an application as much as ordinary GCSEs.

yeah and if you did a GCSE in Y9 and th teachers told you universities would love it if you got a C, then they lied.

[fluteflute]

Sitting large numbers of GCSEs early is something many schools are doing. Oxford and Cambridge aren't going to penalise you for this as it's not something the individuals have a say over!

To be honest, I don't think they will really care. GCSEs are not the most important part of an application - and the important bit is the grades, not when you sat them.