will a 6 in gcse psychology stop me doing a degree in it ?

Hi,
im currently in year 12 and I’m interested in PBS at cambridge however i have a 6 in gcse psychology. i know that cambridge care about gcses more than other unis. Is it worth resitting psychology in may to get a higher grade ? i had extenuating circumstances throughout my gcses and my other grades are 877777766.
thanks !!

thank you so much for taking the time to respond. this is very helpful and i really appreciate it 🙂 are you going to cambridge in september ? x

Hi! To answer your question, no, it won't stop you from doing a degree in it. Universities do care about GCSEs, especially for competitive subjects like psychology, but they won't be the deciding factor - so a 6 in psychology is unlikely to matter much if you're predicted an A* in the A-level. It's definitely not worth resitting, which I can testify from experience!

I applied to Cambridge for History, which I was insanely nervous about because I got a 6 in the GCSE and 8888765555 overall. But hey, I got an offer! I was the only one out of 10+ Oxbridge applicants in my year to get one, even though everybody else had (close to) straight 9s. You'll get people on here saying "It's fine if you have weaker GCSEs so long as it's not in a related subject", but honestly, even that isn't true. I also had extenuating circumstances, but as long as you outline them in your application, they shouldn't matter too much.

Yes, Cambridge is very competitive, and lower GCSEs will weaken your application somewhat, but if the rest of your application is strong (which is probably why I got an offer) it's more than possible. They'll care much, much more about your performance in any interviews/admissions tests, which is where most people trip up. Don't worry about your GCSEs, just work on getting the best predicted grades possible - and start reading around your subject to make sure you have an excellent personal statement

you got into cambridge with a bunch of 5s??? i thought they didnt allow that or something lol, that has made me worry a lot less considering i have only one 5 and want to go cambridge xd

nope, i’m taking a gap year so i’ll be starting in 2025 x

Hi,
im currently in year 12 and I’m interested in PBS at cambridge however i have a 6 in gcse psychology. i know that cambridge care about gcses more than other unis. Is it worth resitting psychology in may to get a higher grade ? i had extenuating circumstances throughout my gcses and my other grades are 877777766.
thanks !!