A Parents' Guide to GCSEs

 *This is a collaborative post 


GCSEs are taken by all children in the UK when they reach the end of their studies in Year 11, or within senior schools if your child is attending a private school. They serve as a marker for all students heading into further education, which is a good way to help your child go further with their studies. To help you understand GCSEs, this A Level College has provided us with some key pointers.





What exactly are GCSEs?

They are one of the first stages of formal education for children who will be between 15 - 16 when they take these exams. There will be a varying number of exams, depending on the subjects your child chose in year 9, but the curriculum will be covered over 2 years to help children prepare.

What are GCSEs used for?

They are ultimately used to help children progress further into their education. If your child wants to study A Levels, they will have to attain a certain number of GCSEs. They will also need to be of a good grade, with a minimum grade to reach being a C grade, or a grade 4 in the new grading system in England.


Aside from A Levels, GCSEs open up other paths. Your child may want to head to college to study a specific subject now taught in Sixth Form, or your child is keen to head into an apprenticeship or work.

What subjects will my child be studying?

A lot of subjects will be compulsory, such as English, Maths and the Sciences. But others will be completely up to your child. By Year 9 your child will have had a flavour of the many different subjects they could study at a more in depth level. This is where you can help your child pick subjects based on their interests, their workload, and what they enjoy.


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Wendy Lam-Vechi said...

I think my GCSE's were the first sets of exams I felt truly nervous for. It literally defined where I would be the year after and had real influence on my future. I felt so relieved when I got the grades I wanted to move on to college with my friends.