Does GCSE grades matter?

1

I am currently in Year 12 and I finished my GCSE’s in 2024, I got the grades 555566-67. I’m studying A levels, Law, Psychology & Biology. However, i’m worried no good universities would want to accept me due to my GCSE grades being below the standard. Even if I achieve amazing A-level grades will universities still care about my GCSE grades especially since i’ve achieved a 5 in maths which is way below what most universities accept. What should I do? Is it too late to resit? All this pressure is really getting to me as my family expect me to get into top places that i don’t think ill succeed in doing.

Reply 1

MOBUoS

Official Rep

6

Original post by exoniad

I am currently in Year 12 and I finished my GCSE’s in 2024, I got the grades 555566-67. I’m studying A levels, Law, Psychology & Biology. However, i’m worried no good universities would want to accept me due to my GCSE grades being below the standard. Even if I achieve amazing A-level grades will universities still care about my GCSE grades especially since i’ve achieved a 5 in maths which is way below what most universities accept. What should I do? Is it too late to resit? All this pressure is really getting to me as my family expect me to get into top places that i don’t think ill succeed in doing.

Hi @exoniad,
I would say that for most universities, they merely want you have passed you GCSEs. This is normally judged based on your results for maths and the two englishes. Universities will be mostly focused on your A-Level or equivalent grades as they often assume you achieved satisfactory GCSEs to go on to Sixth form or College. This does vary slightly between universities so it is best to double check withing the entry requirements of the courses you are looking at.

Hope this helps
Matthew
Student Ambassador

Reply 2

pagan-scimitar

13

Original post by exoniad

I am currently in Year 12 and I finished my GCSE’s in 2024, I got the grades 555566-67. I’m studying A levels, Law, Psychology & Biology. However, i’m worried no good universities would want to accept me due to my GCSE grades being below the standard. Even if I achieve amazing A-level grades will universities still care about my GCSE grades especially since i’ve achieved a 5 in maths which is way below what most universities accept. What should I do? Is it too late to resit? All this pressure is really getting to me as my family expect me to get into top places that i don’t think ill succeed in doing.

Some unis may ask for a 6 in maths, so avoid those. Other than that you should be fine. I think you can resit in November but I don't have experience on that sorry.

Reply 3

McGinger

20

What degree subject are you aiming for?

Reply 4

isaac123444566

18

Yes, adding to @McGinger's point, if you are applying for psychology, there is quite a bit of maths involved (particularly statistics), and lots of unis have requirements for maths GCSEs.

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 5

exoniad

OP

1

Will this still be the case even if I achieve A’s & A* in my a-levels and have a contextual offer?

Reply 6

ageshallnot

21

Original post by exoniad

Will this still be the case even if I achieve A’s & A* in my a-levels and have a contextual offer?

Almost certainly.

Reply 7

exoniad

OP

1

Do you know any universities in London that are decent and would be accepting of my low GCSE grades?

Reply 8

isaac123444566

18

Original post by exoniad

Do you know any universities in London that are decent and would be accepting of my low GCSE grades?

‘Decent’ is subjective - I know ucl and kcl require 6s, all the information is on their websites so you can check all the ones you are interested in

Reply 9

Jaa_

10

Original post by exoniad

I am currently in Year 12 and I finished my GCSE’s in 2024, I got the grades 555566-67. I’m studying A levels, Law, Psychology & Biology. However, i’m worried no good universities would want to accept me due to my GCSE grades being below the standard. Even if I achieve amazing A-level grades will universities still care about my GCSE grades especially since i’ve achieved a 5 in maths which is way below what most universities accept. What should I do? Is it too late to resit? All this pressure is really getting to me as my family expect me to get into top places that i don’t think ill succeed in doing.

All I can say is ignore your GCSEs the best you can - they're in the past and A-Levels are going to matter a whole lot more for entry into Universities. Try your best to maximise your predicted grades as the better these are, the better chance you have at receiving offers, offsetting your GCSEs in a way.

If you wanted to study Psychology, many of the top Unis have a GCSE Maths requirement. However, I've just checked Durham, and they have a min requirement of a 5 which you meet. Be sure to check the requirements for the ones you're interested in.

I will add I'm in a similar boat; I have very similar GCSEs to you from the same year, but holding considerably higher grades after Year 12 as I 'locked in' as they say. I've emailed Universities asking how they consider GCSEs in their entry process. Durham, for example, said they'll only look at GCSEs if they were a requirement for the subject. I got a slightly different response at the open day though, where they said they were taken into account for their most competitive courses.

Hope this helps!

Reply 10

UCLan_Sophia

Official Rep

9

Original post by exoniad

I am currently in Year 12 and I finished my GCSE’s in 2024, I got the grades 555566-67. I’m studying A levels, Law, Psychology & Biology. However, i’m worried no good universities would want to accept me due to my GCSE grades being below the standard. Even if I achieve amazing A-level grades will universities still care about my GCSE grades especially since i’ve achieved a 5 in maths which is way below what most universities accept. What should I do? Is it too late to resit? All this pressure is really getting to me as my family expect me to get into top places that i don’t think ill succeed in doing.

Hi @exoniad ,

The most important thing is you passed the essential GCSE's. As other comments have said, there may be universities you need to avoid unless you decide to resit maths, however this doesn't apply to all.

More importantly than the university is the course you apply for, as a small amount do have GCSE requirements. I recommend heading onto the university website and looking into course requirements for those that you wish to apply for.

For most courses and unis, you should be fine with the GCSE grades you have 😊.

Many thanks,
-Sophia (University of Central Lancashire)

Reply 11

exoniad

OP

1

This reassured me so much, thank you.

Does GCSE grades matter?

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