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For medicine do you need to get all A*/A in GCSE?

I am doing GCSE this year and I really want to do medicine and I am predicted A's and B's, so if you I get those grades, but at A level I do really well, do I have a chance at doing medicine. (For A level I want to do Biology, chemistry and History). Or is it really competitive and you need all A*'s and A's...

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It's possible to get in with grades like that but it's much harder. Good A levels would only help you a limited amount unfortunately because most unis look at GCSEs regardless of how you do at A level. If you end up getting A's and B's then there are still options and getting into medicine will be a realistic possibility, but now that you still have time to influence your results, you should work super hard in order to make things easier for yourself in the future.
Original post by StationToStation
It's possible to get in with grades like that but it's much harder. Good A levels would only help you a limited amount unfortunately because most unis look at GCSEs regardless of how you do at A level. If you end up getting A's and B's then there are still options and getting into medicine will be a realistic possibility, but now that you still have time to influence your results, you should work super hard in order to make things easier for yourself in the future.


Are a few C grades acceptable (like in french) or the minumun for ALL subjects have to be B or above for medicine.
Original post by GCSE 9
Are a few C grades acceptable (like in french) or the minumun for ALL subjects have to be B or above for medicine.

Lets be realisitic gcse in comparison to A LEVELS are like SATS. Universities want you to achieve A in English and A* maths to do medicine. Ideally having an A in all your subject is a plus but having one C wil never hurt anybody. What university is looking for is As and A* in your top 3 A levels so gcses do not matter especially that a levels are getting harder.
Original post by GCSE 9
Are a few C grades acceptable (like in french) or the minumun for ALL subjects have to be B or above for medicine.


They don't all HAVE to be Bs or above. Having Cs in the sciences, maths or english could be a problem though.
Original post by Aishabushra
What university is looking for is As and A* in your top 3 A levels so gcses do not matter especially that a levels are getting harder.


That's not true though. There are very few unis that don't look at GCSEs at all. Many of them place fairly significant weight on them, and many rank candidates for interview based on GCSEs so at many places you have no realistic chance of an offer unless you have more than 8A*s at GCSE.
Original post by Aishabushra
Lets be realisitic gcse in comparison to A LEVELS are like SATS. Universities want you to achieve A in English and A* maths to do medicine. Ideally having an A in all your subject is a plus but having one C wil never hurt anybody. What university is looking for is As and A* in your top 3 A levels so gcses do not matter especially that a levels are getting harder.


I did'nt know that A level are getting harder... in the 2017 exams?
Original post by GCSE 9
I did'nt know that A level are getting harder... in the 2017 exams?

Trust me I'm currently doing a levels and the new spec is making them harder years ago people passed easily got into uni with Cs
Original post by StationToStation
That's not true though. There are very few unis that don't look at GCSEs at all. Many of them place fairly significant weight on them, and many rank candidates for interview based on GCSEs so at many places you have no realistic chance of an offer unless you have more than 8A*s at GCSE.


That's true some do not but if you are aiming to do medicine in the top uni(Russel group) , gcses results are looked at especially English, maths and sciences
Original post by Aishabushra
Trust me I'm currently doing a levels and the new spec is making them harder years ago people passed easily got into uni with Cs


That makes literally no sense. If A-levels were so much easier 'years ago', why weren't all those people getting As instead of Cs?
Original post by *pitseleh*
That makes literally no sense. If A-levels were so much easier 'years ago', why weren't all those people getting As instead of Cs?


Because now coursework is taken away from most subjects they don't exist people managed to scrape their grades just by coursework now it's based on sitting exams which are way harder than cuoureswork.
Original post by Aishabushra
Because now coursework is taken away from most subjects they don't exist people managed to scrape their grades just by coursework now it's based on sitting exams which are way harder than cuoureswork.

Even if your suggestion that exams are 'way harder than coursework' held up (which it doesn't)...

When exactly was it that people got into Medicine with C grades? And when was it that coursework was a common feature of A-levels?

You didn't sit your A-levels in the 70s/80s/90s/whenever it was that you thought they were so much easier. It's pretty obnoxious when older people say it was so much harder in their day. It's just as obnoxious when it's the other way round.
If it helps, I got a B in my Maths GCSE and ended up getting two offers this year :smile: I really don't think you need an A* in Maths GCSE... An A would be brilliant, but a B or above keeps the option of most medical schools open.
Original post by FairyLiquid11
If it helps, I got a B in my Maths GCSE and ended up getting two offers this year :smile: I really don't think you need an A* in Maths GCSE... An A would be brilliant, but a B or above keeps the option of most medical schools open.


That's so encouraging to hear! Did you do maths at A-level though?
Original post by GCSE 9
I am doing GCSE this year and I really want to do medicine and I am predicted A's and B's, so if you I get those grades, but at A level I do really well, do I have a chance at doing medicine. (For A level I want to do Biology, chemistry and History). Or is it really competitive and you need all A*'s and A's...

My cousin started medicine last year and her gcse weren't exactly amazing . I think she got : A in English , A in Maths , C in English lit , Geography A , Core science B , additional A*

Im also persuing medicine and I can foreshadow they are not going to be consistent As and A* I already know I got a C for Art
Original post by Rxha
My cousin started medicine last year and her gcse weren't exactly amazing . I think she got : A in English , A in Maths , C in English lit , Geography A , Core science B , additional A*

Im also persuing medicine and I can foreshadow they are not going to be consistent As and A* I already know I got a C for Art

That's motivating what uni does she go to?
Original post by GCSE 9
That's motivating what uni does she go to?


Durham I think
Yes. You need A* at least 5 for the lowest entry requirements
i wouldn’t worry mate my cousin got an offer for imperial and nottingham this year and its mostly A-Levels and UKCAT or BMAT scores that count the most

they’ll look at the GCSEs but it won’t instantly get you rejected for having some Cs
Newcastle don't even look at your GCSEs and think Imperial don't now either. Some unis e.g Cardiff, Oxford are obsessed by GCSEs. Each uni has VERY SPECIFIC ways they process your application, so do you research very carefully.

ALL unis will want 3 As at A LEVEL, with some wanting an A* too.

Lower GCSEs mean you need a higher UKCAT and/or BMAT to compensate.

So, in other words, less impressive GCSEs aren't the end of the world but it just reduces options of where to apply.