mature student with poor gcse grades

hello im a mature student (24) currently doing alevels, i did my gsces about 8 years ago, and my grades were not great - didnt really bother much with school when i was younger, they are all A-C except french and english lit. I am however predicted all A grades at alevel, will my poor gcse results likely harm my chances of getting offers?

thankyou for you time.

Reply 1

AT82

Thats still better GCSEs than 50% of the population who have sat GCSEs have managed to get. Unless you want to apply for places like Oxbridge then I don't think it will matter at all. The fact you have got A's at A levels prooves that you academic ability. I only got 5 C's and 4 D's, I had no problems getting in.

Reply 2

fully

I think it depends what the course is. My brother was in exactly the same boat as you. He was 24 when he finished his A levels, with relatively low GCSEs (3 Bs, 6Cs, 1D) and one A level at grade C from when he was 18. He was predicted all As in his second lot of A levels and got offers for various biology realted courses at Nottingham, Manchester, York, Bristol and Durham. Only Liverpool turned him down.

I think the universities realise that not everyone reaches their academic potential when they are 16 - 18. Not everyone is interested when they are those ages. My brother found that mature students tend to get more scope regarding their entry criteria and many of the universities state their more relaxed policies on their websites.

Most people can't achieve As and Bs in exams without effort, so low grades from a disinterested 16 year old doesn't really imply anything about the intelligence or motivation of a 24 year old. Also A grades from mature students with other commitments such as full-time jobs or families, tend to appear more impressive.