RAISING
ACHIEVEMENT
AT GCSE
2 MAIN AREAS
LINKED TO YEAR 11
Improve the proportion of students achieving at least 8 A or
A* grades.
Improve the proportion of students achieving at least 5
GCSEs A*-C including English and Maths.
WHY DOES GRADE C IN
MATHS AND ENGLISH
MATTER?
You need grade C in Maths and English for:
• Many A-level courses.
• Almost all degree courses.
• Apprenticeships in Engineering, Teaching Assistant,
Customer Service etc.
Re-sitting English is practically very difficult. If controlled
assessment isn’t a high enough grade you need to do new
tasks, which takes a long time.
There are alternative courses, but we can’t predict whether
employers will accept them.
Making every effort NOW to achieve grade C in Maths and
English is crucial for opening doors in the future.
WHAT IF YOUR CHILD IS
PREDICTED GRADE D?
Maths data vs results
100%
90%
80%
% < exam
70%
% = exam
60%
% > exam
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Term 1
Term 2
Term 4
WHY GET MORE A OR
A* GRADES?
Look at the link between GCSE grades and A-level targets.
University entrance requirements.
University bursaries.
THESE ARE THE TARGETS WE SET AT ALEVEL, BASED ON GCSE PERFORMANCE
A-level
target
A-level target
profile
Subjects
A*/A
A*AAA
4
Mainly A’s
A
AAA
3 or 4
Mainly A’s few B’s
B
ABB
3
Mainly A’ s & B’s
B
BBB
3
Mainly B’s few A’s
B/C
BBC
3
Mostly B’s
B/C
BCC
3
Mainly B’s few C’s
C
CCC
3
Mainly C’s few B’s
C
CCD
3
C/D
CDD
3
D/E’s with 4C’s
D
DDD
2 or 3
Mainly 2/3 C’s+
D
DDD
2 or 3
GCSE grades
Mainly A and A*
Mainly C’s
UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE
REQUIREMENTS
Oxford (All courses)
It is more important that a potential Oxford applicant has a GCSE profile
which is strong overall (i.e. contains a large majority of A and A* grades).
Edinburgh
English - AAA (A Levels) with a strong set of GCSE A* grades
Bristol
Medicine - Minimum of 5 GCSEs at grade A to include English Language,
Mathematics and two science subjects
Veterinary Science - A minimum of six A* / A grades would normally be
expected.
Exeter
English - We also look for excellent GCSE results which may include a high
number of A*/As and preference will be given to candidates offering A* in
English Literature and English Language where both subjects are offered.
UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE
REQUIREMENTS
Bath – Architecture
Typical Offer: A*AA
GCSE or equivalent: An A grade in Mathematics if not offered
at AS or A2 level.
In order to remain fair to all candidates, we only consider
grades obtained at the first attempt of any given examination
(at unit level). Therefore candidates re-sitting any of their
GCSE, A-level (AS/A2 or equivalent) exams will not normally
be considered unless there are exceptional circumstances.
UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE
REQUIREMENTS
Bath - Economics
GCSE Mathematics A or A*
A2 Mathematics is required at grade A or above
UNIVERSITY BURSARIES
FOR ACADEMIC
EXCELLENCE
University of Swansea
Excellence Scholarships
£3,000 will be awarded to all students who achieve AAA at ALevel (or equivalent).
Each Scholarship will be worth £3,000 over two years.
Merit Scholarships
£2,000 will be awarded to all students who achieve AAB at ALevel (or equivalent).
University of East Anglia
Scholarship
Criteria
Value
Entry Scholarship
Awarded to students
who achieve AAA at A
level (excluding
General Studies) or
equivalent*. Eligible
students will be
advised during first
semester.
£1,500 one off
payment in February.
Coventry University - Academic Excellence Scholarship
The Academic Excellence Scholarship will reward students
who obtain ABB or better from three full A-Levels, or
equivalent qualifications with either £1,000 cash a year or
£1,500 discount a year on University owned accommodation.
The scholarship will be extended in the second and third year
of the degree subject to satisfactory performance. This could
mean a reward of up to £3,000 or £4,500 during the length of
your studies if you satisfy the renewal conditions each year.
2 MAIN AREAS
LINKED TO YEAR 11
Improve the proportion of students achieving at least 8 A or
A* grades.
Improve the proportion of students achieving at least 5
GCSEs A*-C including English and Maths.
We can’t be sure how entry requirements to jobs and courses
might change in the future, but we do know that by working
together and helping our students do their best we give them
the best opportunities in the future.