Would it be ideal to have GCSES first before doing an Access to HE course?

just wondering because they say the HE courses are equivalent to a levels. as someone who has been out of education for years now im pretty sure it would be impossible to study a level information if i havent even gotten gcses haha

Unis and colleges will usually require English and Maths.
Access courses can take people who have done no study, but it depends how you left school and what you have done since. If school was a disaster and many years ago plus you have no GCSE at all, plus you want to do well, then do pre access to let you do a small number of GCSE first and to get your studyskills and confidence up.

where can i find pre access courses. also cant i just take gcses normally

Hi,

An access course wouldn’t take GCSEs you have into account as they presume they are out of date and can’t be used. Any university will take an access course and not require additional information regarding GCSEs. They also cater the course to mature students so will give you the help you need to be able to progress throughout the year.

First bit is wrong . A GCSE doesnt go out of date, hence if they have English and Maths, the college will accept it.
Universities overwhelmingly require GCSE English and maths in addition.
|Help is not guaranteed by any means and its much healthier to start a course with basic academic skills, than be learning as you go along because the course is intense and you can get left behind.

If you want good grades then its better to know what you are about and to know things like research, planning, problem solving and writing an essay.

I’m speaking from personal experience and the information I received is from my college, this is what they told me when I applied. GCSEs as far as I’m aware need to be updated after 5 years. I received a lot of help doing my access course but obviously this can differ depending on the college.

Nope they never run out.

Yes you do need GCSE English and Maths for uni and an access course alone is rarely enough. That applies to virtually every degree subject.

Try your local college and then google pre access.
Yes you can do GCSE normally, usually online., which you pay or teach yourself.

Ah, I apologise for the confusion then.

although you are wrong about the access course not being enough - they’re made specifically for mature students who don’t have the GCSEs needed for uni and usually include maths/English gcse or equivalent (mine does). It’s a progression route to uni.

lmao i literally cant find anything relating to pre access courses online. and anything i find is regarding subjects i have no interest in

You need to look at all courses at your local college which are Level 2. This is GCSE level. Level 3 courses are at A Level.

I answer hundreds of queries a ear on access course.
It os rarely enough by itself without English and Maths GCSE which is expected by nearly all unis for nearly all courses.
To get onto the access course they are often required but some colleges allow you to study them at the same time.
Other colleges who let their students do access without GCSE Maths and Englsih often let down their students when they then post on here about not having them and being rejected from uni.

I am not meaning to make this personal , it is just the way it is. get GCSE Maths and English as a priority, then it is out of the way.
Look at a selection of uni courses and entrance requirements. the Access course is just a replacement for level 3 qualifications.

Not at all personal, I appreciate your opinion on the matter.

speaking from personal experience though, my access course does include english and maths at gcse level which makes it enough to get into uni. Obviously I understand it’s needed for unis but typically access courses do include these. It might be different in England, or maybe you’ve just had a different experience to me.

Hi,

An access course wouldn’t take GCSEs you have into account as they presume they are out of date and can’t be used. Any university will take an access course and not require additional information regarding GCSEs. They also cater the course to mature students so will give you the help you need to be able to progress throughout the year.