I failed my GCSEs

Ive never cried so many times in my life in one day honetly i revised sooooo hard i and i manged to only get 4 GCSES in:

Maths
English lang and lit
One science

Ive never seen this day coming i worked so hard honestly im so dissapointed in myself i cant do A levels but literally dont even know what to do my LIFE IS OVER.

I think im going into depression i dont even understand how i can even do this bad when i was literally one of the brighter students in my class.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 1

alicial

15

Retake.

Reply 2

Evil Homer

TSR Community Staff

20

Original post by _solitary_

Ive never cried so many times in my life in one day honetly i revised sooooo hard i and i manged to only get 4 GCSES in:

Maths
English lang and lit
One science

Ive never seen this day coming i worked so hard honestly im so dissapointed in myself i cant do A levels but literally dont even know what to do my LIFE IS OVER.

I think im going into depression i dont even understand how i can even do this bad when i was literally one of the brighter students in my class.

First of all please please remember this isn't the end of anything. If you want to one day study A-levels then you still can!

First of all you have your GCSE's in Maths and English, which are the most vital so try to remember that. I think you should try and collect yourself and remember that no door is closed to you, if you are determined you can get anywhere in life.

Once the dust settles maybe reflect on why you struggled, this was such a tough year for students, there could be many many reasons. Once you have decided that try and figure out what you want your next steps to be and if pushing through with GCSE's or finding somewhere to do your A-levels is the right option or not.

Remember these are only grades! :smile:

Reply 3

_solitary_

OP

10

Original post by Evil Homer

First of all please please remember this isn't the end of anything. If you want to one day study A-levels then you still can!

First of all you have your GCSE's in Maths and English, which are the most vital so try to remember that. I think you should try and collect yourself and remember that no door is closed to you, if you are determined you can get anywhere in life.

Once the dust settles maybe reflect on why you struggled, this was such a tough year for students, there could be many many reasons. Once you have decided that try and figure out what you want your next steps to be and if pushing through with GCSE's or finding somewhere to do your A-levels is the right option or not.

Remember these are only grades! :smile:

i cant do A levels if i only have 4 GCSES

Reply 4

The Learn Ranger

18

Original post by _solitary_

Ive never cried so many times in my life in one day honetly i revised sooooo hard i and i manged to only get 4 GCSES in:

Maths
English lang and lit
One science

Ive never seen this day coming i worked so hard honestly im so dissapointed in myself i cant do A levels but literally dont even know what to do my LIFE IS OVER.

I think im going into depression i dont even understand how i can even do this bad when i was literally one of the brighter students in my class.

This must be really disappointing .. but you do have the most important qualifications.

Some colleges might let you in to do A levels with those results .... what grades did you actually get?

Reply 5

_solitary_

OP

10

Original post by The Learn Ranger

This must be really disappointing .. but you do have the most important qualifications.

Some colleges might let you in to do A levels with those results .... what grades did you actually get?

All 4s

Reply 6

Infinite Series

20

I'm sorry but it doesn't seem like you 'revised soo hard'. How did you only end up with these results if you worked much harder?
On the plus side, you got Maths and English GCSEs so your grades won't impact you too much throughout the rest of your life (that's if you do well at A-Levels).

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 7

Ridinghigh95

16

I really wouldn’t worry. As long as you got a few your fine. I have just re sat maths and got a 4. I left school 12 years ago and it never stopped me but now I’m going uni and all they wanted is my maths and English

Reply 8

The Learn Ranger

18

Original post by _solitary_

All 4s

Do you know what standard you were working at during year 11 - what grades were your teachers predicting?

Definitely a good idea to talk this all over with your teachers.

Can you do this?

Reply 9

2childmum

11

Have a look round at colleges in your area and see what they offer in terms of BTECS.. You may be able to go straight onto a level 3 course (which is a level standard) or you may need to spend a year doing a level 2 course and then you can go onto the level 3. Lots of unis accept level 3 BTECS if you want to go.

It may take you a little longer to get there, but there is usually more than one way to achieve something

What subjects did you want to study?

Reply 10

Di Lloyd

8

Ok so you can take BTEC's and I am a university tutor and they are just as good as A Levels. Do not let anyone tell you anything otherwise. The new exams are hard and many teachers and students were not prepared. There are lots of people in the same position. Do not let the Government who removed all coursework and did not prepare teachers properly do this to you. Go to a college and sign up for some BTEC's. You will soon realise that you are very capable and you have maths and english so that will get you into college.

Reply 11

username3895828

3

Original post by _solitary_

Ive never cried so many times in my life in one day honetly i revised sooooo hard i and i manged to only get 4 GCSES in:

Maths
English lang and lit
One science

Ive never seen this day coming i worked so hard honestly im so dissapointed in myself i cant do A levels but literally dont even know what to do my LIFE IS OVER.

I think im going into depression i dont even understand how i can even do this bad when i was literally one of the brighter students in my class.

Please don’t worry about your GCSE grades. You can always request to retake them and put some extra work into getting the grades you want. You have maths and English and they’re really the most important ones you need to study at a level and get a part time job etc. I understand how devastating it is not getting the grades you wanted or expected so perhaps now is time to reflect on what went wrong, how you revise, how you cope under exam pressure etc. Reflecting on this situation will have a positive result for how to approach your studying whilst taking a levels if you want to. I suggest getting a blank piece of paper and writing down what went wrong and how you can improve.

Don’t worry too much, lots of people go on to be successful with very few qualifications too. A family member of mine achieved 4 GCSEs and has gone on to study a Masters degree in physics and earns lots.

Reply 12

_solitary_

OP

10

Original post by Di Lloyd

Ok so you can take BTEC's and I am a university tutor and they are just as good as A Levels. Do not let anyone tell you anything otherwise. The new exams are hard and many teachers and students were not prepared. There are lots of people in the same position. Do not let the Government who removed all coursework and did not prepare teachers properly do this to you. Go to a college and sign up for some BTEC's. You will soon realise that you are very capable and you have maths and english so that will get you into college.

But i cannot go to uni with 4 gcses

Reply 13

Di Lloyd

8

Who says you cannot go to uni with 4 GCSE's? Uni is not interested in that. Anyway if you got a level 4 you passed ALL your GCSE's if thats what you got. A 4 IS a C. if you do not believe me look up the OFQUAL list and it says its a C. Uni is only interesting in fair admissions which means a points system. So you do a BTEC and it gives you points. The uni lets you in with the points in your BTEC or A Level if you take them. They do not look at GCSE and never have. They do look at GCSE for teacher training as you need level 4 in English and Maths but you got that! I am totally right on this, I work at a university as a lecturer.

Reply 14

Maths&physics

15

Original post by _solitary_

i cant do A levels if i only have 4 GCSES

I did a-levels with 0 GCSE's and I did really well too.
however, I wouldn't recommend that. I missed most of my secondary education, so I had almost no knowledge going into a-levels and I wouldn't recommend that.
I would resit if I was you and remember working effectively is more important than working hard.

Reply 15

Apprenticeships Advice

Official Rep

12

Original post by _solitary_

Ive never cried so many times in my life in one day honetly i revised sooooo hard i and i manged to only get 4 GCSES in:

Maths
English lang and lit
One science

Ive never seen this day coming i worked so hard honestly im so dissapointed in myself i cant do A levels but literally dont even know what to do my LIFE IS OVER.

I think im going into depression i dont even understand how i can even do this bad when i was literally one of the brighter students in my class.

Hi there,

Results days are hard for all, especially if you don’t achieve your expected grades. Please remember it is not the end of the world, you have your English and Maths - these are what employers mainly look for.

Have you tried looking into apprenticeships? You could try searching on the Find an apprenticeship site: https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsearch
Apprenticeships are a great way to earn a qualification, in your case A-level equivalents, and get paid a wage at the same time.

Most vacancies are using the old GCSE grading system, I think I’m right in saying a grade 4 is a C? As long as the vacancy states applications with A-C grades, you can apply!

Here are a few more links that you can read to explore your options:
https://vacancies.amazingapprenticeships.com/
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-guide-to-apprenticeships
Doing you’re a-levels, going to universities or full-time employment aren’t your only options. Take your time to think about your options and don’t panic. The help is out there!

Hope this helps :smile:

Reply 16

Sinnoh

22

Doing A-levels is never impossible. There is a way. You could find a 6th form college that will accept you. You have passed all the ones you need to pass.

Reply 17

Zhen14

7

I am so sorry to hear this I know how you feel but at least you have got the key subjects like both English and maths and remember lots of subjects only need your English and maths at 4 such as psychology, sociology, philosophy, health and social care, any art related subjects, travel and tourism.
Also have you got any results such as technology or something you did in year 9/10 that counts as one as well.
There is always a path in taking apprenticeships as well also you could speak to one of the staff members in your school or college. Some school would accept you as well you just have to be confident and speak to people you trust like parents or friends and if you have any questions it might be best to go into your college to ask or where you are applying to also speak to any staff in your school for advice as i just got my results and I am unhappy about it so I am going to the college I have applied to to speak with them about my levels.
So good luck 😊👍

Reply 18

National Careers Service

17

Original post by _solitary_

Ive never cried so many times in my life in one day honetly i revised sooooo hard i and i manged to only get 4 GCSES in:

Maths
English lang and lit
One science

Ive never seen this day coming i worked so hard honestly im so dissapointed in myself i cant do A levels but literally dont even know what to do my LIFE IS OVER.

I think im going into depression i dont even understand how i can even do this bad when i was literally one of the brighter students in my class.

Hi,

Thank you for posting your message, this must feel like a really uncertain and frustrating time for you.

As a general rule, most sixth forms and colleges will be looking for 5 GCSE pass grades to get onto A-Level courses; however, this isn't set in stone! Lots of places are flexible with the grades they accept, especially if you are known to the teachers and they know the level of work you are capable of!

Speaking to the school is your first step and hopefully they can give you the most accurate details about what options they can provide. If it turns out that A-Levels aren't available for you right now, that's certainly not the end of the world - in fact, it's pretty much as far from it as you can get!

There are a lot of routes available for you to gain really useful qualifications in the future and many career paths don't even need you to have A-Level qualifications anyway!

The National Careers Service are running the the Exam Results Helpline which is completely free for you to use - the expert advisers can talk through your options with you and hopefully allow you to feel more confident about the opportunities you have available to you! The advisers are available from 8am to 10pm everyday so you can get in touch with them right now for advice!

I hope this is useful as a starting point and please don't feel as if you've hit a brick wall - there's always options available!

Good luck and take care!

Tom - National Careers Service team.

Reply 19

Ems8138

3

They are the important ones, maths English and science will open most doors for you. Congratulations

I failed my GCSEs

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