will only having five gcse's impact my ucas?

4

hi! im applying to uni this year (2026 entry) and am taking a gap year so will know my a level grades before submitting my application. i am on track to getting the a level grades i need for my courses (AAB) however, during my gcse's i took some time out of school in year 10 due to mental health issues and only ended up sitting the core gcse's. i took them at an alternative provision school and i passed them all getting all 5's and one 6. i was wondering whether this is worth mentioning on my ucas and where/how. i no longer have any of the issues i had during year 10 and have had a great time with college, but i think due to only getting five gcse's i worry that may somehow weaken my application, despite being on track for my a level grades and having won awards at college.
im applying to uni of sheffield, soas, uclan, and york st john for languages if anyone has any more specific information about their stances on gcse's haha! thank you :smile:

Reply 1

unknownfrogs6

3

I think perhaps mention why somewhere but to be honest those uni's will probably care about A Levels more - most do! I'm glad you're doing better now. You should be proud, those are good grades. Good luck!

Reply 2

McGinger

20

Your school should explain this in your UCAS reference - talk to your Head of Sixth or the person who organises UCAS applications at your school and make sure they are aware of this and that they do include it.

Providing you meet any 'required' GCSE grades for each of the courses you are applying for (typically just Maths and/or English), most Uni would then assess your application without including your overall GCSE profile.

Some Unis may require you and your school to also complete a form with more details.
Example - Extenuating circumstances | Study at Bristol | University of Bristol

Reply 3

YSJ_Kiera

Official Rep

9

Original post by fxyiiz

hi! im applying to uni this year (2026 entry) and am taking a gap year so will know my a level grades before submitting my application. i am on track to getting the a level grades i need for my courses (AAB) however, during my gcse's i took some time out of school in year 10 due to mental health issues and only ended up sitting the core gcse's. i took them at an alternative provision school and i passed them all getting all 5's and one 6. i was wondering whether this is worth mentioning on my ucas and where/how. i no longer have any of the issues i had during year 10 and have had a great time with college, but i think due to only getting five gcse's i worry that may somehow weaken my application, despite being on track for my a level grades and having won awards at college.
im applying to uni of sheffield, soas, uclan, and york st john for languages if anyone has any more specific information about their stances on gcse's haha! thank you :smile:

Hi there!

I'm a student ambassador at York St. John, who happens to also work in the student recruitment office! You will be absolutely fine getting into YSJ with 5 GCSE's, as long as you meet the entry requirements of your offer, which for languages courses (for example, for Japanese, TESOL, and Linguistics) sits around 104 UCAS points, as well as passing 3 GCSE's. It's also worth checking if you're eligible for a contextual offer - I'll put a link to the YSJ website's info on this below!

Contextual Offer Scheme

If in doubt, you can email our admissions team with any questions! You can contact them at [email protected]. If you have any other questions about YSJ do let me know :smile:

I'm a current third-year studying psychology, about to start a masters, also at YSJ, so I might be able to help.

Kiera
Student Ambassador, York St. John

Reply 4

UCLan Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Hi there! 🙂

I wouldn't worry too much about mentioning it however, I don't see it being an issue if you did. It's great to hear you no longer have issues from year 10 however, let me reassure we have great wellbeing support at the university. Here at the University of Central Lancashire, we take mental health and wellbeing very seriously so there is tons of support if ever needed. For more info on this, you can visit: Mental health & wellbeing support at UCLan

Having looked at our requirements for various languages courses, I believe you would be fine with five GCSEs as long as you meet your entry requirements. For example, TESOL requires 104 UCAS points and 5 GCSE's at grade C/4 including Maths and English or equivalent. Japanese is between 96 and 112 UCAS points and the same GCSE requirements. For more language course and info, feel free to visit https://www.lancashire.ac.uk/subjects/languages#subject-courses

Feel free to ask me any further questions or get in touch with our course enquiries team via [email protected]

Hope this helps and best of luck 🙂
Best wishes, ^Zac

Reply 5

Szara_SOAS

Official Rep

9

Original post by fxyiiz

hi! im applying to uni this year (2026 entry) and am taking a gap year so will know my a level grades before submitting my application. i am on track to getting the a level grades i need for my courses (AAB) however, during my gcse's i took some time out of school in year 10 due to mental health issues and only ended up sitting the core gcse's. i took them at an alternative provision school and i passed them all getting all 5's and one 6. i was wondering whether this is worth mentioning on my ucas and where/how. i no longer have any of the issues i had during year 10 and have had a great time with college, but i think due to only getting five gcse's i worry that may somehow weaken my application, despite being on track for my a level grades and having won awards at college.
im applying to uni of sheffield, soas, uclan, and york st john for languages if anyone has any more specific information about their stances on gcse's haha! thank you :smile:

Hi there, it’s great to hear about your interest in SOAS! I’m currently in my final year studying Arabic and International Relations here, so feel free to ask me any language-specific questions.

SOAS applicants are mainly assessed on their A-level grades (except for courses with specific maths requirements). That said, borderline cases are assessed holistically, taking into account all information mentioned in an applicant’s UCAS application. Therefore, the Admissions Team recommends including any relevant information that you think would help them to make an informed decision.

I hope this helps, and best of luck with your applications!
—Szara (Student Ambassador)

Reply 6

University of Sheffield Students

Official Rep

15

Original post by fxyiiz

hi! im applying to uni this year (2026 entry) and am taking a gap year so will know my a level grades before submitting my application. i am on track to getting the a level grades i need for my courses (AAB) however, during my gcse's i took some time out of school in year 10 due to mental health issues and only ended up sitting the core gcse's. i took them at an alternative provision school and i passed them all getting all 5's and one 6. i was wondering whether this is worth mentioning on my ucas and where/how. i no longer have any of the issues i had during year 10 and have had a great time with college, but i think due to only getting five gcse's i worry that may somehow weaken my application, despite being on track for my a level grades and having won awards at college.
im applying to uni of sheffield, soas, uclan, and york st john for languages if anyone has any more specific information about their stances on gcse's haha! thank you :smile:

Hi fxyiiz, 👋

It's great to hear you are applying to the university of Sheffield for your degree in languages? Is there a specific language you are most interested in?

For most Arts and Humanities degrees, the university more-so looks at A-Level grades so you shouldn't have an issue on that front! 😀

In terms of the languages courses, options such as the Modern Languages and Cultures BA asks for ABB (including a modern language A-level) so this is definitely within your expected grades. Plus when I applied for my BA, I unfortunately didn't quite meet the grade requirements BUT as I selected Sheffield as my firm choice, they offered me the course anyway! So I have found them to be more than understanding. 😄

So I really wouldn't worry about that. Your application will focus on your A-Level grades.

Is there anything you'd like to know about studying/living in Sheffield? I did my BA, MA and now my PhD all at Sheffield because I love the university so much, so please let me know if you'd like more information. 😃

All best wishes (and good luck with you A-Levels!),
Phoebe 👋
Student Ambassador - PhD in English Literature

will only having five gcse's impact my ucas?

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