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To what extent do GCSEs matter?

In Arts courses and Sciences such as Psychology, History, Natural Sciences, English, etc.etc., how much do GCSEs matter? For the Russell Groups and top universities.

Discuss - what do you genuinely think? A lot of universities will tell you they don't until it comes to having actually applied.

Edit: NOT FOR SUBJECTS SUCH AS LAW, ENGINEERING, VET MED AND MEDICINE
(edited 9 years ago)

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Relatively little. They do help build a picture of your academic history but there are very few cases where poor GCSE results can't be mitigated by strong(er) results going forward.
Reply 2
Avatar for Beej96
Beej96
1
I think it is important to have GCSE's at a C or above in English and Maths for any degree and in the future when applying for jobs. Also you may need a certain grade at GCSE to do it at A-level. But I think Russell Groups and top universities may want you have A grades all around at GCSE.
Like for medicine and dentistry etc. You need the top notch grades like A*s in Sciences. But for general stuff like I don't know accounting or something you have to make sure you pass i.e. get at least a C in English and Maths. But it also depends on what uni you apply to and for what course. Some can compromise and some are really strict. Different requirements.
As long as you've got 5 A*-C grades you should be fine at most unis. I suppose really good GCSEs would be a good thing to have if you flop a bit on your AS levels and want proof that you're capable of better, but if you do well in AS then GCSEs are pretty much out of the picture for most courses and most unis.
5C+ including core subjects and maybe B for english+humanity of your degree. Very little really
Reply 6
Avatar for JayJay-C19
JayJay-C19
OP
Fair enough. What's made you think this though?

What about OXBRIDGE?
Original post by JayJay-C19
Fair enough. What's made you think this though?

What about OXBRIDGE?


For Oxbridge (or any other top ranking Russell group uni) gcses are important. Despite what people say, if you don't have a majority of A*s and As, you probably won't get in. Gcses allow universities to see how you cope with a wide range of subjects. With a level you do the 3/4 subjects that you're best at, so gcses are an indicator at how well rounded you are
Reply 8
Avatar for JayJay-C19
JayJay-C19
OP
Original post by TheTechN1304
For Oxbridge (or any other top ranking Russell group uni) gcses are important. Despite what people say, if you don't have a majority of A*s and As, you probably won't get in. Gcses allow universities to see how you cope with a wide range of subjects. With a level you do the 3/4 subjects that you're best at, so gcses are an indicator at how well rounded you are


Could you not argue though that loads of factors can come into play? Such as Extenuating Circumstances, the type of school, the schools performance overall, etc.etc.?

I mean, would they really ignore, say, 4A*s at A2 for someones lack of A/A* grades at GCSE?
Original post by JayJay-C19
Could you not argue though that loads of factors can come into play? Such as Extenuating Circumstances, the type of school, the schools performance overall, etc.etc.?

I mean, would they really ignore, say, 4A*s at A2 for someones lack of A/A* grades at GCSE?


Well this is why most such questions of 'is x good enough for this university' are flawed. In reality, all admissions are based on the entire picture of the candidate. There is no cut and dried response - the best answer we can give are statistics, but even then most aren't specific enough to use effectively. Universities might publish data on GCSEs and A-Levels, but they rarely separate these, so it's hard to tell whether it's the high GCSEs or the fact that people with good GCSEs tend to get good AS Levels too.
Can you any one help me where can I found the mock paper for gcse entry test I never done it before
Depends what university; different universities look at them differently, and they're a good way of showing universities that you've been committed in education i.e. working hard since year ten
Original post by waseemgul
Can you any one help me where can I found the mock paper for gcse entry test I never done it before


Sure, which subject?
Reply 13
Avatar for JayJay-C19
JayJay-C19
OP
Original post by PythianLegume
Well this is why most such questions of 'is x good enough for this university' are flawed. In reality, all admissions are based on the entire picture of the candidate. There is no cut and dried response - the best answer we can give are statistics, but even then most aren't specific enough to use effectively. Universities might publish data on GCSEs and A-Levels, but they rarely separate these, so it's hard to tell whether it's the high GCSEs or the fact that people with good GCSEs tend to get good AS Levels too.


Good response actually.
Original post by JayJay-C19
Could you not argue though that loads of factors can come into play? Such as Extenuating Circumstances, the type of school, the schools performance overall, etc.etc.?

I mean, would they really ignore, say, 4A*s at A2 for someones lack of A/A* grades at GCSE?


The thing is, with poor GCSE grades, they're not going to believe that that person would be capable of achieving 4A*s, given that you apply in the beginning of year 13 before you get your A2 results. With access to your UMS scores, Cambridge would be more likely to give you a shot if your UMS score was 93%+
Reply 15
Avatar for JayJay-C19
JayJay-C19
OP
Original post by WinterApproaches
The thing is, with poor GCSE grades, they're not going to believe that that person would be capable of achieving 4A*s, given that you apply in the beginning of year 13 before you get your A2 results. With access to your UMS scores, Cambridge would be more likely to give you a shot if your UMS score was 93%+


But see, that's also debatable. People who have gained Bs as a majority at GCSE, which are by no means poor but would be considered so in this context, have gone on to get As at AS and an A* or so at A2. It does happen and is very possible.

I agree that, you know, generally speaking it's not a likely thing to happen.

However, it cannot be dismissed that this does happen. Some people are late bloomers. Not to mention that GCSEs require a formulaic mindset and the ability to regurgitate stuff. AS Levels and A2 Levels are generally so much more personal and in depth that doing that is kind of impossible. I'd argue they are more about your actual, now, knowledge of that subject area. Which is why, actually, Cambridge seem to go on A-Levels more than GCSEs. Some people have even said their GCSEs weren't actually looked at. I guess it's just that thing of, no one knows but the majority would be looked at and they'd be considered.

Good response though :smile:
Original post by JayJay-C19
Not to mention that GCSEs require a formulaic mindset and the ability to regurgitate stuff. AS Levels and A2 Levels are generally so much more personal and in depth that doing that is kind of impossible. I'd argue they are more about your actual, now, knowledge of that subject area.


Spoken as only someone who hasn't studied A-Levels yet can.
Reply 17
Avatar for JayJay-C19
JayJay-C19
OP
Original post by PythianLegume
Spoken as only someone who hasn't studied A-Levels yet can.


Well, it's based on what I've read, specifications I've looked at for my courses, textbooks, and what I've been told by others including my new headmaster and teachers.

I would say they'd know best but of course - I'm not going to say you're talking rubbish because as you said, I haven't been there and done that yet.

You've ignored everything else I said and quote that one point to basically say I don't know what I'm on about...
Original post by JayJay-C19
Well, it's based on what I've read, specifications I've looked at for my courses, textbooks, and what I've been told by others including my new headmaster and teachers.

I would say they'd know best but of course - I'm not going to say you're talking rubbish because as you said, I haven't been there and done that yet.

You've ignored everything else I said and quote that one point to basically say I don't know what I'm on about...


I ignored everything else because it all made sense. I selected that part because I disagreed with it - A-Levels require barely more independent thought that GCSEs. They simply require you to regurgitate more and follow more complex formulae. Having a proper understanding of the subject helps massively, but most people get by without one. People even get A*s without a decent understanding.
Reply 19
Avatar for Marcum
Marcum
11
Aside from medicine, veterinary science and dentistry I don't believe they are all that important. Cambridge don't care about GCSEs all that much, they believe that high UMS is a better indicator of your potential. Oxford do consider your GCSE grades as a part of your application, but I'm doubtful they would be the factor that have you rejected, interviews are probably as important. I'm applying to Oxford this year with 'poor' GCSEs in comparison to the average applicant. However, my application will have a reference that confirms I achieved the best GCSE results in my secondary school. Moreover, Oxford will see that the average GCSE grade from my secondary school was a D- and then look at my results in context. The key words here are 'in context'.

All is not lost because you haven't achieved as well as you would have hoped for at GCSE. In fact, very little is lost.

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