A GCSE  (Level 1-2)  is usually taken in school year 10 and 11, they develop your knowledge and understanding in a single subject. If you follow a course of GCSEs only you will take between 6-10 different subjects. Some subjects are studied as a double award equal to 2 GCSEs. You can combine GCSEs with other types of study such as BTEC or the Diploma. The subject’s available include maths science and English which are compulsory and options like history, languages, art, technology, etc. They take 2 years to complete and are assessed by coursework and exams. 

If you would like to find out what GCSEs are available in your area please visit the Area Wide Prospectus here...

You can also take a look in our Careers Publications section for more help.

More help4u:
DCSF website - For more Information on qualifications

Recent Comments

i want to take, geography, french, dance and media. but buisness and history sound really good. i dont know what i want to do when im older, but i dont know which options too pick :/ help 

Date 02.09.10 reeeeeebs — report this comment

Hi
I guess you are taking your options at the moment which is quite difficult as it’s the first big decisions you have to make.
The first thing to say is that for most careers you don't need to study any specific GCSE's as long as you get at least 5 passes at A*-C including maths and English you can go onto to lots of things later on. You don’t have to decide yet!!!
People tend to do well in their GCSE's if they choose subjects that they enjoy and find interesting. The things that you have mentioned sound like a really good mix Dance and Media are both creative, Geography is really interesting and can lead onto interesting career choices relating to the environment and if you like science too it can lead to all sorts of careers. If you like French it is really good subject to keep studying because we are part of the European Union you can work in other countries if you are good at other languages. Also you cannot take a language at A level if you don't have the GCSE so if you have a talent it may be worth keeping it on.

Why not make an appointment to see your Connexions Personal Adviser in school and talk about your ideas.
 

Date 02.09.10 Help4teens — report this comment

im 19 and didn't do most of my gcse's and the ones i did do i didnt revise for so i got bad results, how would i go about resitting them and what kind of costs am i looking at for doing this. i havn't got much money to spair as i am unemployed and there is a few gcse's that i want to do. any sugestions please???  

Date 06.10.10 jamie — report this comment

Hi Jamie,

It’s great that you have realised that although you didn’t do well in your GCSEs at the time, you can still do something about it. You don’t say much about why you want to retake the exams so I am going to give you a fairly full list of suggestions which I hope will cover your situation so please read right to the end!!!!

First think about why you want to retake these exams, if it’s because you’re looking for jobs and they require GCSEs or that when you apply it may be why you aren’t getting the job, then it seems a sensible idea.
Next think about how much time are you able to devote to study do you want a full time daytime course or a part time evening one?

Now let’s think about what to study: if it’s particularly maths and English you want to take, you could take an Adult Literacy and Numeracy course which is equivalent to GCSE’s in Maths and English or you could also take the new National Test in English and Maths which at level 2 is equivalent to a GCSE at grade A-C.

Do you have a career idea? If so you might be interested in taking a course at level 2 (which is the same level as GCSEs) in something specific to that work area. So for example: if you look at your local college website they may offer courses in construction, catering, etc. for adults. See the links to the colleges in the Education section of this site.

I understand your difficulty with money and at most college’s level 2 courses will be free to people on low incomes. There is something called the adult learning grant which is for people over 19 taking a full level 2 or level 3 qualifications studying for 12 hours per week, but if you get jobseekers allowance you can’t get this too. Also, if you study for too many hours it could affect your benefits so you will need to speak to the jobcentre.

I think for you, the best thing to do is to sit down and really talk this through with an Adviser. They will be able to ask you lots of detailed questions and suggest something that is right for you. You can see a Connexions Personal Adviser up to your 20th Birthday, but as you are already 19 you might prefer to see an adult adviser from Next Steps. They can talk to you about some opportunities and funding which are aimed directly at adults. Next Steps usually only deal with adults aged over 20 but I have spoken to an adviser and if you tell them you have been referred via the Connexions Help4teens website they should be able to see you. Phone 0800 0277 944 or e-mail then on: nextsteps@cfbt.com
 

Date 06.10.10 Help4teens — report this comment

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