Maths GCSE question

An A* is better than an A and I hope to take maths for A levels - its also the GCSE I'm actually hoping to get an A* in

I wouldn't be too hung over it tbh, an A is an A in my opinion. Don't know why you feel the need to stress over not getting an A*.

Obviously, if you thought you could get an A* and you wanted it, you will be disappointed in yourself. Still, an A is not unacceptable and is fine for A level.


The difference between an A* and an A is just as much as an A to a B. Thus many people care about getting the A*, especially if they thought they were capable of it and wanted it.

Obviously, if you thought you could get an A* and you wanted it, you will be disappointed in yourself. Still, an A is not unacceptable and is fine for A level.


The difference between an A* and an A is just as much as an A to a B. Thus many people care about getting the A*, especially if they thought they were capable of it and wanted it.

Caring more about A* is stupid in my opinion, that would put too much pressure and stress on students especially if universities require you to get an A* for entry requirements.
In Scotland if the A boundary for a particular subject is 72% and you get 73% and another student gets 94% it doesn't matter they are both treated the same way, no priority goes to the student who got 94%, university's don't care more about A1s than A2s, that's the way it should be in my opinion.

Also I want to go into medicine but it's become so competitive so it does matter as to how many A* I get in my GCSEs

Depends where you want to study it: if you want to study at Oxbridge you have to max out your A*s - but most russel group universities will be looking for mostly A's in your subjects for highly competitive courses like medicine.
Think about it this way - if person A and person B are equal in every way except GCSE results, then of course the one with better results will get in.

But universities such as Birmingham are sooo competitive in medicine and it all comes down to the GCSE grades. I'm pretty sure thats a russel group university.

Yes,top russel group uni's will require at least 8 A's, although it would be nice to have at least 4 A*s, probably 6, perhaps even 8.

last year it was 155 tho

What are you hoping to do after GCSEs?

AS:
French
English Literature
Philosophy
Latin
Maybe Greek too, not sure.

A2 - either drop Latin or French.

Hoping to do Philosophy and/or Linguistics, ideally at oxford, but otherwise Warwick/UCL/LSE/Bristol sorts of places.

Then law conversion to hopefully be barrister - crosses fingers.

Quite ambitious! Best of luck to you!

Thank you very much: what about you (obviously medicine, but what else?)

Im doing Maths, Chem, Bio and RS (quite similar to a lot of people ik :P) and I'm hoping to do medicine but as it's so competitive I don't know whether it's for me hopefully at oxford or if not, birmingham because it specialises in it

Nice choices, I'm sure they'll be great. Medicine is for you if you enjoy it, otherwise it's not for you. I'm sure that if you are looking at oxford and birmingham that you will get the grades - just make sure you are being realistic, although I'm sure you are.

Yeah, I'd like to think that I'b being realistic But even now if I don't do as well as I hope in GCSEs and get all As in my AS level(maybe), would they still take into account my GCSEs or not?

They will always take into account GCSE's, but to different extents. If you get straight D's at GCSE but perfect grades at AS, of course they won't accept you - but if you get 8A's and a B at GCSE and all A's at AS, well then it could be close. Of course, Birmingham and Oxbrisge probably won't accept that. They typically look for around 6 A*s and good AS levels - but you've got to remembr that at AS level they also look at your UMS, not just your A's.

That's fair enough - but surely you would be upset if you got 100% on all your gcse's and someone scraped teh grade boundary every time, yet you were given the same grade?
Plus I was predicted 11 A*s, so obviously if I get 11 A's I will be disappointed because I didn't get what I was capable of or what i wanted. Oxbridge in general require about 6 A*s, although that's not set, its just generally a fact that 90% of oxbridge entrants will have gotten about 8A*s minimum.

Isn't it A-levels that matter not GCSEs when applying for uni ?
And no I wouldn't be angry at all that I was getting 100% and someone else was just scraping the A mark.

A level counts more, but GCSE does play a role in getting into Uni's.
And fair enough, but there is a huge range of A*s currently, never mind A's. That's why next year they are introducing the number system, from 1- 9. An 8 is an A* and a 9 is a high A*.