A Level grades as compared to GCSEs

I'm starting 6th Form this September, and I've heard some people say that more often than not, people go down a grade in A Levels from GCSEs. Of course, there are bound to be exceptions.

What do you guys think about it? Is this the case, broadly speaking?

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Reply 1

avaas

yh i had a A*A* in science and ended with a c in AS physics ,even though i worked hard.

however i did get 1 mark of an A at gcse maths due to coursework and aveare 90% at a-level maths wehereas the A*gcse kids are on C.\b grades. in a levels ur liekly to go down hill , most people with c's and b's across subjects in gcse i have seen endign up with E AND U grades .

it reqiures work from day 1 , perseverance and determiantion , u cant tke ur eye off. trust me.

Reply 2

David994

i got a C at GCSE in English language and B in GCSE Biology. I got a B at AS English and an A at AS Biology. You have to work harder though.

Reply 3

i.am.lost

I haven't got my grades yet, but I can tell you A Levels are no picnic. I got 10 A*s at GCSE through VERY little work, and I assumed I could carry that through to AS Level. How mistaken I was.

If you work hard throughout year 12, then it will be OK (this was my failing).

Reply 4

CocoPop

From what I've seen (since I don't do A Levels, but some of my friends do) it can go both ways. It depends also on how good you were in your specific subjects:

The thing with GCSEs is that it's so easy to get high grades that it doesn't really reflect your ability to do well. Alternatively, some people don't have very good work ethic until they reach their A levels, so they get poor GCSE grades and then good A level grades. It depends on how much work you put into it. I know for sure that in the IB if you don't put work into it you get screwed.

Reply 5

spaceman1234

From the ib perspective A-levels are a piece of cake

Reply 6

Mrs_Sylar

the jump from GCSE to A-level is illegal

you cant get away with GCSE type laziness

advice - start revision as soon as you begin college - go over your notes - stick to deadlines - do your homework

^ if i knew all that this time last year i wouldnt be aspiring to become manager of a chicken and chips shop :frown:

Reply 7

snugmonster

Basically at GCSE no work = good grades. At A-level no work = crappy grades.

But if you do the work they aren't really that bad.

Reply 8

DannyBoy123

Not really...I worked similarly hard for GCSE's and A-levels (i.e. not very hard at all) and ended up with the same sort of grades. What I would say is that for A-levels you can't just revise it all the night before, at least for essay subjects, but if you work reasonably well throughout the year then you will be fine.

Reply 9

TerryTerry

My advice is that the AS year is more important than the A2 year as you apply to university with your AS grades and predicted grades based on your AS grades. How well you do depends on how much work you put into them. If you didn't work for GCSE, don't expect wondrous A level results. There's no set rule which says a person will get one grade worse.

AS levels are obviously harder than GCSEs but they're much easier - I found at least - than A2 level. Doing well at AS level gives you a buffer to do well at A2 e.g. 272 means you need only at least a C (208) in your final year to get an A overall.

I would also advise you to take subjects you enjoy and that you feel you'd do well at. If you don't enjoy it, you will limit your potential to work hard.

Work very hard in your first year and see where that takes you. You can't take your foot off the gas after GCSEs.

Reply 10

bananahana

I'm probably just repeating what everyone else has said but in my experience, people who manage A-A* grades at GCSE and coasted through normally find AS's the hardest.

I'm one of these people. I went from being the top of the class practically throughout secondary school, to scraping by at D level and lower in AS.
On the other hand, my best freind who put in soooooooo much work to achieve B's & C's at GCSE carried that on and has been an A student the entire year!

I think it depends more on the person than the jump. There is a huge gap between GCSE and A-Level but it depends on how you handle it.
I ignored a lot of advice given to me and had to seriously pull up my act these past couple of months if I'm gonna get any grades!!

If you hit the ground running you'll be fine!!
Just try to keep on top of everything, catch up notes quickly if you miss any lessons, make sure you understand what you're being taught at the time and don't wait until you're staring at your notes the week before to realise you really dont get it!

Hope any of this helps!!

xx

Reply 11

Lucyyy

If you put in the same level of work at A Level as you need to at GCSE, you will probably come out of it with crappy grades (unless you're quite naturally gifted, in which case, hate you). My AA in science at GCSE with tres little effort got me a 2 C's (chem and bio) and a D (physics) at AS. God bless resits and realising quite the amount of work I was going to have to really put in.

Reply 12

HighSkies

That will happen if you don't work but generally people do so they don't go down a grade. I've stayed the same really (A's) but I've had to work really hard to maintain it because GCSEs are easy in comparison. And thats taking into account A*s are the highest grade you can get at GCSEs so technically I've improved a bit.

If you start revising and reviewing your work at the start of the year and continue throughout it will put you at an advantage.

Reply 13

Xerophelistica

Well this doesnt apply for me... My GCSEs were shocking by TSR standards, and I've acheived very high grades this year, and (without trying to sound cocky here), I feel like I've got A's in all my AS exams.

So I guess me, and many others, and living proof that it can be done.

Reply 14

inksplodge

I stayed the same, ish. I'd say my understanding is a lot more developed now - I had no bloody idea what I was doing at GCSE. I got A*AAABBBCCCC at GCSE and I'm on track for AAA now. It's all about the way you approach the work if you ask me.

Reply 15

nuodai

ChaucerSaucer

Some go down, some go up, some stay about the same. It all depends on your work ethic. You can get away with blagging your way through a lot at GCSE, not doing much revision except a few hours of cramming, etc... but at A-level you can't do that to the same extent. It sometimes takes people by shock, so they drop grades, but some people are really [for lack of a better word] stimulated by it, so do a lot better.

Reply 16

123450

I found GCSEs incredibly easy, AS level alright, and A2 more challenging.

Reply 17

248677

If you want a prediction, we were told to go on ALPS score, which is apparently a collection of data from a national survey about the improvment / lack of improvement students made throughout their GCSE to AS Levels
GCSE grades get a score of 0-8
A* = 8, A = 7, B = 6, C = 5, D = 4, E = 3, F = 2, G = 1, U = 0
You add together all your GCSEs, including any Us, then divide the amount of GCSEs to give a mean score, which will indicate AS Level results. From what I remember, this is how I think it goes...
7.5-8 = AAAA-
7 - 7.49 = AAAB - AABB
6.5 - 6.99 = AABB - ABBB
6 - 6.49 = ABBB - BBBC
5.5 - 5.99 = BBBC - BCCC
5 - 5.49 = BCCC -CCCD
4.5 - 4.99 = CCCD - CDDD
4 - 4.49 = CDDD- DDDE
3.5 - 3.99 = DDDE - DEEE
3 - 3.49 = DEEE - EEEU
<3 = EEEU - UUUU
BUT i really don't think this is always very accurate - they claim this encompasses in the majority of sixth form students, but I don't think it always works, it really does base on many factors - how much you enjoy each course, the teachers, the school, the exam, you ability to adapt to a new style of qualification, natural ability, how much work you put in all year, how good you are at revision, how motivated you are etc

Reply 18

mazzie111

there much harder compared to gcses's but dont be put off.as long as you work from day one then youll be fine. i wish i followed my own advice. :woo:

Reply 19

one_fish

Hey, student working for his GCSE's here, thanks for all the responses. I (Obviously) didn't start this thread, but it's really helpful in showing me what you need to do to achieve at A-level compared to GCSE. Hopefully I can use this to do well when my time comes :wink: