The Importance of Success at GCSE Level

Notebook Tutors were interested to read a recent report published by UCAS, the University Admissions Service, on the importance of achieving highly at GCSE level. UCAS has studied the GCSE grades, predicted A-level grades, and actual A-level grades of around half a million young people, in order to find out more about the factors that are relevant in young people achieving their predicted grades.

Achieving at or above the level of your predicted grades is crucial for students finishing school, because university offers will have been made on the basis of those predicted grades. If students fail to achieve the grades required in their university offer (which will usually be the same as their predicted grades), then they are likely to have their offer withdrawn by their first-choice university, and they may not get a university place at all. On the other hand, if students achieve more highly than was predicted, then not only will they be able to attend their first-choice university, but some students can actually ‘trade up’ to a better university through the Adjustment system run by UCAS.

So what has UCAS found in their research? Perhaps unsurprisingly, they have confirmed that the most important factor in young people achieving their predicted results (or above their predicted results) is high achievement at GCSE. Put simply: if students have done well academically at the age of 16, they are more likely to do well academically at the age of 18!

We believe really strongly in the importance of early academic success, and the value of intervention through private tutoring if your child is not reaching their full potential. If your child is not achieving as highly as they should be, get in touch. We can help your child achieve those crucial GCSE grades which, as UCAS has shown, are so important in their future success.