GCSES

Anna.x.1

I have my GCSE exams in about 7 weeks. Iam currently doing the higher tier for my math gcse (edexcel) but I’m really struggling to get good grades so I’m planning on asking my teacher if I can sit the foundation tier exam for my GCSES but I’m worried that it might be too late to change my tiers. Can anyone give me advice on this and what I should do?

Reply 1

DataVenia

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by Anna.x.1

Your school will have already entered you for higher tier. They can still change that, but there will be an associated cost. As a result, they're unlikely to be keen.

You say that you're "struggling to get good grades"; what sort of grades are you getting? You know, I assume, that the highest grade you can get on the foundation tier is a grade 5. So you're presumably getting less than that right now?

Let's assume you're getting a grade 4 right now on higher tier. What makes you think that switching to foundation tier would increase your chances of a grade 5? Sure, the questions on the foundation tier papers are easier, but the grade boundaries are much higher to compensate.