The Student Room Group

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
2 years. You do them for years 10 and 11?
Reply 2
2.... :p:
Or some for one but I think those are half GCSEs
Reply 3
2 years

year 10 and 11

harmony
Yeah, 2 years. Where did you get 3 or 5 years from? Well, including the 2 GCSE years you have 5 compulsary years at secondary school, but I don't know where you got 3 from. Unless you're thinking of schools that have this accelerated KS3 thing and have GCSEs over 3 years...
Reply 5
Vesta
2.... :p:
Or some for one but I think those are half GCSEs


The ones for 1 year are for the clever people in the class, usually in a separate class. Short courses usually take 2 years, but have half as many lessons per week/fortnight.
Reply 6
Zygroth
The ones for 1 year are for the clever people in the class, usually in a separate class. Short courses usually take 2 years, but have half as many lessons per week/fortnight.


Oh I see. :smile:
Reply 7
Zygroth
The ones for 1 year are for the clever people in the class, usually in a separate class. Short courses usually take 2 years, but have half as many lessons per week/fortnight.



Not always; I did an R.E. short course in one year. :smile:
GCSEs are a set of exams. The length of time it takes you to study for them depends on the school. I learnt Spanish in 3 months, but my GCSE maths exam called on all my knowledge from right back to when I was 3 years old and studying addition. The GCSE course, strictly, is set up to take two years; but you need to have been studying maths for at least 7, languages for at least 3 (time taken decreasing with each language; I learnt French over 12 years, Latin over 5, Greek over 3, German over 1 and Spanish over 3 months, in that order), sciences for a good few years, you need to be fluent in English which generally requires having spoken and studied it for a good 10 years or so, but you could pick up something like RE in a year because it requires no background knowledge before starting the course.

Bit of a silly question, really. Sorry. :s-smilie:
Reply 9
LMAO
I meant how long does the certificate last. :redface:
Reply 10
Until it disintegrates!:biggrin:

The qualification lasts a lifetime basically. It doesn't run out, and you don't have to do a resit in 10 years to regain that qualification or anything if that's what you meant.
jonjoe
LMAO
I meant how long does the certificate last. :redface:

Aha. Slightly sillier question than I anticipated then. :wink:

Forever. Until someone points out how rubbish GCSEs are and they're replaced by something more academically robust.
For all eternity. Even the sun gobbling up the earth wouldn't rob you of your well-deserved grades :smile:
Reply 13
I only ask because my friend said they are only valid for 3 years, in terms of unis.
Reply 14
I'm a little confused, but basically once you have your grades, they will be yours forever.
jonjoe
I only ask because my friend said they are only valid for 3 years, in terms of unis.

Nope. Load of rubbish.
Yeah what idiot told you that lol?!
Reply 17
GCSE's are only looked at by uni's when you haven't completed your A levels. I think your friend is getting confused by the fact that universities want you to have 'studied at an appropriate level' during the last 3 years (i.e. access or a level). If you've not studied, the uni will tell you to go and do some study before you apply. But they would mean A level standard - not GCSE.

Any qualifications you've already got would still be valid.
GCSE's are only looked at by uni's when you haven't completed your A levels.


Very untrue. Oxford/Cambridge care deeply about them and give you points for A*s and As (1.0 and 0.6 respectively for instance).

Other universities look at them if you feel you underperformed for whatever reason in your A-levels and also to show your competence in subjects you didn't opt to take at A-level, e.g. English, Maths, Science that might be important.

GCSEs last for your life. You can re-take them or just re-sit them and get a better grade if you want. But even if they change GCSEs to something else, they will still be looked upon as solid qualifications.
i got told by a teacher @ college that they only last 3 years too