GCSE Resit Woes

THFC2023

Hi all,

I am currently completing a BTEC National Extended Diploma in I.T in a FE/ Technical college in the South East Of England. I am predicted to do Ok in my course with a grade of MMM or MMP however, my main problem is that I have failed my GCSE in Maths and am being forced to retake it.

Before you lecture me on this, i know it is necessary to have some sort of maths qualification at grade four, which is why i want to complete a Functional Skills Qualification upon leaving college as they dont offer it at college. I believe that quite frankly a lot of decisions made regarding my education come down to money rather than my overall wellbeing or mental/ emotional health as i do not think it is possible to complete it as it is.

The College I go to for some reason has made the incredibly foolish decision to enter students for higher rather than foundation maths. It should be noted out of a class of 20, only 2 passed I reckon.

Any advice on what to do?

Reply 1

username6534959

Original post by THFC2023

Hi all,
I am currently completing a BTEC National Extended Diploma in I.T in a FE/ Technical college in the South East Of England. I am predicted to do Ok in my course with a grade of MMM or MMP however, my main problem is that I have failed my GCSE in Maths and am being forced to retake it.
Before you lecture me on this, i know it is necessary to have some sort of maths qualification at grade four, which is why i want to complete a Functional Skills Qualification upon leaving college as they dont offer it at college. I believe that quite frankly a lot of decisions made regarding my education come down to money rather than my overall wellbeing or mental/ emotional health as i do not think it is possible to complete it as it is.
The College I go to for some reason has made the incredibly foolish decision to enter students for higher rather than foundation maths. It should be noted out of a class of 20, only 2 passed I reckon.
Any advice on what to do?

It's probably still not too late for you to make a change for Foundation tier and you need to talk to them about it asap. It is your exam and you have a right to decide what tier you are taking. If it doesn't work try asking them to withdraw your registration from GCSE and ask to enter you for Functional Skills although it's a less likely scenario. If they don't want to do anything about it, prepare for functional skills exam yourself and sit it in a private exam centre. What they do is not ok and they certainly don't consider your interests and wellbeing. I've never even seen before that a school/college didn't ask for a tier when entering a student for an exam, it is ridiculous! I know you will eventually figure out something, it's not that necessary to know maths to find a good job and be successful.