Do GCSEs actually matter ?

I’m in year 10 soon to be in year 11 but I feel like everyone is over stressing about GCSES like I do understand because I’m stressing but sometimes I come to think of it do they actually matter? Please tell me ur opinions below

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Reply 1

Vits1

only matters for medicine and other competitive courses IMO. Just do good in english and maths and you should be good

Reply 2

Iasonas

Original post by Gabbyyyxxx

They will depending on where you want to go in life. Certain unis will scrutinise them, but others won’t (i.e. the lower ranked ones). Generally, if you want to be successful, getting good GCSEs is a good place to start🙂

Reply 3

Shaunabmth

Hiya, I left school at 16 with average GCSE’s & I’m currently doing an access course and I go to university this year (I’m 19) I would honestly say don’t worry! It’s not the end of the world if you don’t pass, so many alternative qualifications out there which to me were more helpful. However I would really recommend trying to get 5 especially maths and English as many employers look for that. Also with maths and English it gives you an opportunity to explore different paths I.e a-levels, college or an apprenticeship. Don’t panic!!!😬x x

Reply 4

Iasonas

Original post by Vits1

only matters for medicine and other competitive courses IMO. Just do good in english and maths and you should be good

People have been rejected from loads of the top unis due to poor GCSE grades. There are no more AS levels, and tbh if you get poor GCSEs, you have three questionable predictions to hold you up on uni applications. It’s easier just to do the hard work now imo.

Reply 5

Glitch2417

Loads of people around Year 10 and 11 worry a lot about GCSEs, myself included when I was doing them - It's pretty normal. They mostly act as a stepping stone to get to Alevels. So, really, GCSEs are important if you want to do Alevels but they are not life and death. I would say, try as hard as you can and aim as high as you can as it could be beneficial for the future.

Reply 6

username4454836

As long as you get mostly Bs (or whatever they are called now) you will be fine.

Reply 7

Gabbyyyxxx

Ok thanks for ur opinions

Reply 8

shreya kc

yes they matter soooo much; i reget not revision untill the last month... PLS PLS PLS REVISE.. youll regret it. im looking at the courses and unis i wanna applying too but i have to keeping crossing it off because of my gcse grrades and my gcses weren/t even that bad. i got 2 A*'s 2 A's the rest were a B and one was a C but the univeristy want alot; they might not say it but everyone wants someone with a higher gcse.

Reply 9

Gabbyyyxxx

Original post by Shaunabmth

Thanks

Reply 10

Arran90

The answer, is yes.

There have been cases in recent years of home educated kids who have decided to pay an extra £9000 to do a foundation year at university to bypass GCSEs and A Levels. After graduation there have been several cases of employers 'biting' them by demanding GCSEs in addition to a degree or asking for their GCSE grades. It has put them in a dilemma whether to lie about their GCSEs or tell the employers that they did a foundation year instead and potentially lose out on the job offer - which is what tends to happen.

Many basic public sector jobs demand 5 GCSEs but won't accept A Levels or degrees as a substitute.

There has been discussion in the home education community about whether the government should legally make a foundation year at university an alternative and equivalent to 5 GCSEs when it comes to employment.

Reply 11

Doones

Original post by Arran90

There have been cases in recent years of home educated kids

OP isn't homeschooled. They are doing GCSEs, they just don't want to stress too much about them - which is perfectly sensible.

@Gabbyyyxxx how do you think you're doing in your various subjects at the moment?

Reply 12

MichaelTownly

It depends on the university you want to go to and the courses that you are going to choose in college and uni. I don't think it's worth worrying if your grades can actually meet the entry requirements of whatever courses you want to do. Therefore it is beneficial to do some research on your career path and work out which GCSEs are vital and relevant to you. There is no need to worry about irrelevant subjects such as drama or music if you are a STEM student.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 13

inandoutrightnow

is this becuase your too lazy to revise, just keep going im in year 10, too and ik its hard but you have to continue running and catching up to lessons before they catch up on you

Reply 14

Notnek

I think what matters more than your final grade is that you work hard over the 2 years of GCSE to understand the content well. If you’re planning to move on to A Levels then for certain subjects you need to have a very strong GCSE foundation.

So don’t stress about revision so much that it affects your mental health but at the other extreme, don’t have the attitude, “my GCSE grades won’t matter in the future so I won’t put in any effort”. The work you do at GCSE level could be the most important academic work that you do.

Reply 15

Arran90

Original post by Doonesbury

Not everybody at school takes their GCSE exams. Some students take GCSE exams but end up with poor grades below what employers or colleges want but later take a foundation year at university.

Reply 16

ryoyu6

Many universities require you to have passed English (Level 4 I believe) and to have a 5/6 in Maths, depending on the course that you're doing.
The course I wanted to do at Loughborough required A-Level Maths, which I didn't do. They did however offer a foundation year for those who had a Level 6 in GCSE maths, unfortunately, I had a level 5, meaning I couldn't get in.

So yeah, English and Maths are probably the most important ones, but try your best on them all.

Reply 17

ryoyu6

Also as a side note, I know many A-Levels, particularly science, require a 6 in the specific subject you're taking + maths.

Reply 18

Doones

Original post by Arran90

Not everybody at school takes their GCSE exams. Some students take GCSE exams but end up with poor grades below what employers or colleges want but later take a foundation year at university.

Let's see how the OP is doing before jumping to misinformed conclusions.

Reply 19

barror1

Study Forum Helper, Universities Forum Helper

I genuinely think the reason that I didn't get into Cambridge was my GCSE grades. I had no A grades at GCSE, which completely messed me up when I was pooled. Nevertheless, A-level predictions are always going to be more important when applying to university.