For most young people , choosing their GCSEs is the first significant decision they will make about their own education . This usually happens in Year 9 , although at some schools students will choose their options in Year 8 . While their future career may seem a long way off , it ’ s important that your child thinks carefully about their GCSE choices . The decisions they make now – and the grades they achieve – can have an impact on what they can do later .
For example :
• Your child ’ s GCSE results may affect their education options at 16 and beyond – for example which A levels or BTECs they can take .
• Most college and university courses , and many jobs , require good passes in GCSE English and maths .
• Many university courses require a certain number of GCSE passes . Degrees in some subjects , such as medicine , have specific GCSE requirements in terms of the subjects studied , the number of GCSE passes and the grades achieved .
However , if your child doesn ’ t have a clear idea about what they will do in future , don ’ t worry . Taking a broad range of subjects – including English , maths , sciences , a language and humanities subjects such as history , geography and drama – will help them to keep their options open when it comes to next steps .
MAKE THE MOST OF THE HELP ON OFFER
Your child ’ s school should give you information about GCSE options , and there is lots of information and guidance online . Many schools also hold options events where you and your child can discuss things with subject teachers and careers advisers . If that ’ s not the case at your child ’ s school , you can arrange to talk to teachers to get their view on the best options for your child .
CHANGES TO GCSEs
Since 2017 , new GCSE courses and exams have been introduced in England . They have more challenging content and a new grading system . Changes were made with the aim that students leave school better prepared for a job or further study .
• The new GCSEs have a grading system that uses numbers rather than letters . The scale runs from 9 to 1 , with 9 being the highest grade . The table on the next page shows how it compares to the A to G grading system that has now been phased out .
• The standard pass rate in the new system is grade 4 . This is the minimum level your child needs to achieve in English and maths , otherwise they will need to continue to study these subjects up until the age of 18 .
• Grade 5 is a ‘ strong ’ pass – some careers or courses may require a strong pass in certain subjects .
• The first exams for GCSEs using this system were held in summer 2017 , and all GCSE subjects were revised in 2018 .
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