Medicine with poor GCSEs

A-levels I’m sure I’ll get an AAA but my gcse science was a 6-5 unfortunately I didn’t get to sit them because of Covid. I’ve found some unis that don’t look at GCSE’s now so I’ll go from there thanks

A lot of med schools have a points system for inviting people to interview after they’ve applied, try looking them up on the university’s websites and working out how many points you could get from your GCSEs. You can find previous years cut of points online and in the med applicants forums. If you’re strategic you could find some unis you score higher than others despite having the same grades

How do I find the point system in a bit confused 😅?

Newcastle and Cambridge are the only med schools who do not look at GCSEs, with Cambridge having A*A*A as a requirement leaving you with only one med school you can apply to.

I would recommend resitting all of your GCSEs which are below grade 6 to get them up to at least grade 6, as this will open up a lot more places where you can apply. As long as you have 6s in all your sciences, maths and english language you should be good to go as long as you avoid GCSE heavy med schools like Leeds, Oxford and Cardiff.

Let me know if you have got anymore questions!

Oh wow I thought Leeds requirements was grade 9-5 in all GCSE’s 😟 I think it’s too late for me to resit maybe I’ll have to transfer from a different course ☹️ Thanks for the advice though I’ll definitely apply to Newcastle

That is Leeds minimum requirements, but they then score GCSEs for shortlisting, and have required pretty much all A*s in recent years. Cardiff gives similar information adn have definitely required A*s the last few cycles.
But there are places that only look for 6s in Eng Lang +/- maths, so you have options, as long as you have these 2. If not, then you should resit them, if you think you can achieve these grades.
However, med schools that do not use GCSEs usually ask for higher scores in entrance tests, as they have to cut the numbers down one way or another, so to be interviewed at Newcastle this year, you needed 2820 UCAT and Imperial (who only ask for a 6 in English) you needed a high BMAT, so you will need to focus on entrance tests if your GCSEs are not a strength.
The GCSE requirements/scores needed can drop if you are a WP applicant, so check carefully if you meet criteria

Newcastle and Cambridge are the only med schools who do not look at GCSEs, with Cambridge having A*A*A as a requirement leaving you with only one med school you can apply to.

I would recommend resitting all of your GCSEs which are below grade 6 to get them up to at least grade 6, as this will open up a lot more places where you can apply. As long as you have 6s in all your sciences, maths and english language you should be good to go as long as you avoid GCSE heavy med schools like Leeds, Oxford and Cardiff.

Let me know if you have got anymore questions!

This was really helpful thanks. Alevels are really stressful and time consuming. Do you think if I redo my GCSE’s after year 13 then apply then with good alevels and GCSE’s it will benefit me better ?

Imperial too (not including the 6 in English lang required for entry). Though they place a lot of emphasis on BMAT.

Well, Imperial do look at GCSEs, even if they only want a B in Eng Lang! You could say Oxford don't look at them (not including the 10+ A*s needed for an interview!)
Cambridge and Newcastle literally have no GCSE requirements, though Cambridge will look at them as part of an holisitc assessment. Newcastle ignore them totally

Oxford do specifically use GCSEs for shortlisting, Imperial do not. The B in English is for all courses and just to check if the applicant can speak English, since they can accept IELTS instead.

Seriously, they don't consider them at all outside of the English requirement.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a100_imperial_college_london
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/ug/courses/school-of-medicine/medicine/#entry-requirements
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/gcse_profile_for_medical_applica_2#incoming-1792381

A-levels I’m sure I’ll get an AAA but my gcse science was a 6-5 unfortunately I didn’t get to sit them because of Covid. I’ve found some unis that don’t look at GCSE’s now so I’ll go from there thanks