GCSE's and A-Levels

crystala1998

Do people that did really well in their GCSE's or achieved A's and A*'s have an advantage of achieving the same in their A-levels?

Reply 1

S2M

Original post by crystala1998

Do people that did really well in their GCSE's or achieved A's and A*'s have an advantage of achieving the same in their A-levels?

Usually A* students only end up getting E's or D's at the beginning. Doesn't matter what you achieved at GCSE if you put more effort in at A-Level then you can do better at A-Levels.

Reply 2

MoonlightBoo

The jump from GSCE to a-levels is quite big.
It's likely that people who did really well at GCSE can thank hours of revision and effort for their grades. If they tried that hard at GCSE, there's no reason why they won't do the same at a-level; it's a question of how much effort you're willing to put in :smile:

also, everyone struggles at the start of a-levels, but over time with more and more practice and preparation, As and A*s are achieveable

Reply 3

QueenGIGI

I got 4A*'s, 5A's & 2B at GCSE.
I got AAA at a-levels but at the beginning i got D's like S2M said :smile:

dont worry

Reply 4

rosie.mn

Original post by crystala1998

Do people that did really well in their GCSE's or achieved A's and A*'s have an advantage of achieving the same in their A-levels?

I'm not sure, I think it's different for everyone. I got A*s and A's at GCSE (with the exception of one B, in maths, which was an achievement considering how utterly appalling i am at maths). I'm now in year 12 and getting mostly A's and A*s with the exception of a C in a recent assessment. I think it depends. The subjects I take at a level, English Literature specifically is something that comes very naturally. I can write well and maturely and thinking critically is something I take pride in being quite good at, so I took to it well. All my other subjects had a clear jump in difficulty, but I work harder now than I ever did at GCSE and it's working out just fine.
If someone got all A*s at GCSE because they can memorise well or just by luck because they didn't revise but found GCSES easy, they may struggle with a levels at first because of the workload. You need to put in extra effort to get the same grades. It's not possible to get a B with minimal effort, let alone an A*.
On the other hand, there are some people who worked very hard for their GCSES, coming out with the same excellent grades and will find A levels hard because of perhaps a shift in difficulty, or exam technique etc. This usually occurs in maths and science, because it certainly does get a lot harder. History is one of those subjects too. It takes a while to get used to it.
It's hard to say because to be honest with you, GCSE success doesn't mean automatic aptitude for a levels. They're so different and GCSES do not prepare you for them. So good grades at GCSE don't mean you'll have an advantage at a level. Similarly, lower GCSE grade students may do well at a level because theyre studying things they're passionate about and therefore will be keen to do well and enjoy their lessons.
I think it's down to the individual entirely.

Reply 5

sue99

Original post by crystala1998

Do people that did really well in their GCSE's or achieved A's and A*'s have an advantage of achieving the same in their A-levels?

I got 7A*s, 2As and 2Bs at GCSE, but got 4Bs and one C at AS, which completely took me by surprise, although I was so close to getting As for a couple of subjects, but didn't want to risk anything by remarking. Regretting it now :smile:

To be completely honest, I underestimated the exams and didn't put as much effort as I should have; i suppose it depends on how you revise and how you spend your time. Personally, if I really put the effort in, I will do really well - for example, in AS Physics (new spec), I was getting Ds, Es and Us throughout the year and I was panicking because I wanted to take it for A-Level and need it for uni. In the end, I was only one mark off an A but didn't want to risk my mark so I left it there. Like the others have said, A-Levels are on a whole new level. It might also depend on the quality of teaching, if that is something you need, or whether you still manage to do well despite terrible teaching. A-Levels are much more intense; i initially thought i could manage it because I was studying 5 AS levels as opposed to 11 at GCSE, but i really, really got it wrong. Sometimes, also, people tend to cope with more difficult work better (like me :tongue:

), maybe because it's more pressure or more interesting... I don't even know. I suppose in one way yes, they do have an advantage but I think it's the way in which they perceive that, because, personally, I think if you see that as an advantage, you might think that you don't have to do as much work as you should, because you think that you'll just 'get' it, and that's not the right attitude. I think also, people who have done well at GCSE do not let it get to their head, so they have the right work ethic and just continue to do what they've always done.