At university but failed GCSE Maths- worth re-sitting after graduating?

Hi,

So I failed GCSE Maths but somehow got into a decent uni to study English and History. However, my issue now is that I only have 'D' grades in Maths GCSE. I originally wanted to do teaching but that's out of the question I guess, due to this pesky maths grade.

I'm slightly embarrassed at the amount of time I have had to re-sit it, and obviously, now the grading system has changed and all.

I was considering completing my degree (currently in First Year/ graduate in 2019) and re-sitting post-graduation. I intend to work and attend a college to re-sit it, as I'm not sure if there are any places that will let me re-sit just the exam without having to attend a college.

Will employers look down on my GCSE grade? Will they care that it'll be a numbered grade, and obvious I re-sat years later? I achieved B-A* in other subjects and at A Level also. I just don't know what happened with maths...

TL;DR: failed GCSE maths a LOT. Currently in uni but worried about job prospects. Worth re-sitting after uni?

Reply 1

Michiyo

21

If you want to get a job which requires at least grade C in GCSE English and Maths, yes. If not, no.

If you resit it, I would suggest that you resit it as early as possible since university apparently gets harder and harder and you may have more things to worry about after you graduate than in your first year. If you resit it before you graduate, I assume you can go into teaching afterwards.

You can sign up for the GCSE exams as a private candidate if you manage to study what you need. You do not necessarily need to attend school/college for a year to do it. If it would help, you can afford it, it would not interfere with your life, and you would not mind going to a school/college for another year, do it. That being said, if you can self-teach it or afford a private tutor, you do not have to go to school/college, you can just register for the exam.

In the end, GCSEs do not matter much. Focus on doing well in university and getting a lot of work experience.

Good luck! :h:

(edited 7 years ago)

Original post by idkwhatoputhere

...

If you want to resit and get an old A* - G grade, there is one final opportunity to take the legacy specification exams this summer. After that, it gets significantly more difficult.

Reply 3

idkwhatoputhere

OP

Original post by Michiyo

If you want to get a job which requires at least grade C in GCSE English and Maths, yes. If not, no.

If you resit it, I would suggest that you resit it as early as possible since university apparently gets harder and harder and you may have more things to worry about after you graduate than in your first year. If you resit it before you graduate, I assume you can go into teaching afterwards.

You can sign up for the GCSE exams as a private candidate if you manage to study what you need. You do not necessarily need to attend school/college for a year to do it. If it would help, you can afford it, it would not interfere with your life, and you would not mind going to a school/college for another year, do it. That being said, if you can self-teach it or afford a private tutor, you do not have to go to school/college, you can just register for the exam.

In the end, GCSEs do not matter much. Focus on doing well in university and getting a lot of work experience.

Good luck! :h:

Thank you

I think I will get in contact with my old school again, and see if I can enter this year/the next. I feel embarrassed considering I've done it with the school so many times! Ideally not going to a college and just attending the exams would be great, but with the new system I wasn't sure if it was worth the risk of self-teaching. I don't want this looming over me when i'm stressing over a third year dissertation!

Thanks again :smile:

Reply 4

idkwhatoputhere

OP

Original post by Mr M

If you want to resit and get an old A* - G grade, there is one final opportunity to take the legacy specification exams this summer. After that, it gets significantly more difficult.

I re-sat in November 2016, and my school were adamant that this would be the final Edexcel paper. I had heard of the legacy paper, just wasn't sure if it was real!

Is there a special procedure that schools have to go through to obtain these papers? I will give them a ring, but the concern is that they will enter me for the new spec exams.

Thanks :smile:

Reply 5

Michiyo

21

Original post by idkwhatoputhere

Thank you

I think I will get in contact with my old school again, and see if I can enter this year/the next. I feel embarrassed considering I've done it with the school so many times! Ideally not going to a college and just attending the exams would be great, but with the new system I wasn't sure if it was worth the risk of self-teaching. I don't want this looming over me when i'm stressing over a third year dissertation!

Thanks again :smile:

You are welcome :h:

It is alright, not all of us are maths geniuses. I got a high C and I am happy with that. :laugh:

Get a revision guide and study. TSR is full of resources and helpful members who should be able to help if you ask something in the maths help forum, in case you do not understand something.

Believe it or not, self-teaching is great. Sure, you have to work everything out yourself and rely on explanations from books or the internet, but it is doable and can help a lot. I myself never understood some subjects until I started self-teaching.

Indeed, you do not :wink:

Better do it now rather than during your dissertation when you will also be looking into graduate schemes, graduate jobs, internships, and so forth. :smile:

Original post by idkwhatoputhere

I re-sat in November 2016, and my school were adamant that this would be the final Edexcel paper. I had heard of the legacy paper, just wasn't sure if it was real!

Is there a special procedure that schools have to go through to obtain these papers? I will give them a ring, but the concern is that they will enter me for the new spec exams.

Thanks :smile:

The original plan was that would only be one resit on the old spec and that would be in November 2016. However, Ofqual relented after a campaign to obtain a second resit in summer 2017. The school may not be aware of the change.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/528213/Decisions_on_resits_of_legacy_subjects.pdf

Reply 7

idkwhatoputhere

OP

Original post by Mr M

The original plan was that would only be one resit on the old spec and that would be in November 2016. However, Ofqual relented after a campaign to obtain a second resit in summer 2017. The school may not be aware of the change.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/528213/Decisions_on_resits_of_legacy_subjects.pdf

Thank you! This was very helpful. :smile:

Do you think it is possible to efficiently self-teach maths in the time between now and the exam?

Reply 8

idkwhatoputhere

OP

Original post by Michiyo

You are welcome :h:

It is alright, not all of us are maths geniuses. I got a high C and I am happy with that. :laugh:

Get a revision guide and study. TSR is full of resources and helpful members who should be able to help if you ask something in the maths help forum, in case you do not understand something.

Believe it or not, self-teaching is great. Sure, you have to work everything out yourself and rely on explanations from books or the internet, but it is doable and can help a lot. I myself never understood some subjects until I started self-teaching.

Indeed, you do not :wink:

Better do it now rather than during your dissertation when you will also be looking into graduate schemes, graduate jobs, internships, and so forth. :smile:

Thank you

and well done! That is quite right- best to attempt to get it out of the way as soon as possible. Fingers crossed that the school lets me!

Original post by idkwhatoputhere

Thank you! This was very helpful. :smile:

Do you think it is possible to efficiently self-teach maths in the time between now and the exam?

Yes if you didn't miss the C by many marks when you last took it.

Reply 10

Michiyo

21

Original post by idkwhatoputhere

Thank you! This was very helpful. :smile:

Do you think it is possible to efficiently self-teach maths in the time between now and the exam?

I know this was not aimed at me, but I thought I would give you my two cents about this. :smile:

So, I only had one year to do my GCSEs because I moved from another country to the UK in year 11. My attendance was horrible (47%-48%) and my teachers kept on leaving mid-year, so everything I learnt was self-taught. I barely studied at all, and by that I mean I only studied the day before the exams or maybe two days before. I still did fine.

Almost the same happened with my AS-levels. My attendance was 83% (as low as 74% in a subject I got A in) and I only studied 1-3 hours a day per subject for a week before my AS mocks, 6 hours per subject for three weeks, and a few hours a day or two (at most three days) before my exams. My results were AAAB.

Given how little I studied for my grades, I would say you may pass even if you start revising just two weeks before the exam if you dedicate enough time to it in that period of time. GCSE maths is indeed not the most beautiful thing in the world, but it is manageable if you start to comprehend the material and practice. :smile:

At university but failed GCSE Maths- worth re-sitting after graduating?

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