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Taking some GCSEs - what are my options?

R

radio_atomica

mrs vole the vet
I haven't got any GCSEs, as was too ill to attend school from 14-16 and they didn't really bother to sort me out. I've muddled through so far without needing any qualifications but now I'm thinking about what I want to do with my life and it looks like I'm going to need some.

I could just do an access course or foundation year but to do the kind of degree that I really want to do (and that will actually pay for the cost of the degree at the end of it now fees are set to go up) I'm going to need 3-5 good GCSEs as well as an Access Diploma anyway.

I seem to have the following options:
- go in the evening to college and do their GCSEs but they will only let me do 2 per year and won't put me in for the higher level exams which I need to do. also it will cost me money because there is no funding available for me.
- do some kind of distance learning courses but again it's going to cost me about £300 per GCSE which I would have to borrow the money to do and it seems a bit outragrous
- get the sylabus and text books from somewhere, teach myself what I need to know and just pay to sit the exams but risk not passing cos i have nobody to ask if i don't know what i'm doing

I wasn't thick at school, before I got ill they were entering me for about 12 GCSEs or something stupid and expecting me to get all As and A*s. I reckon I could teach myself at least maths, english and history at least but I don't know where to start and I really don't want to pay £1500 just for GCSEs when I need to find another £1600 when I've finished them for an access course...
 
Maybe you could call a local tutor and see how they'd feel about monthly lessons giving you guidance on what you need to study and when? Then you'd have structured self taught course.
 
Are you sure you wouldn't be able to get free tuition for GCSEs? You usually can if you don't already have any.

I missed school from 13-16 and also did all my qualification at Fe colleges, in a combination of day and evening classes. I did way more than 2 GCSEs in a year and they were happy to enter me for the higher papers. Is there only one college near where you live or can you try asking elsewhere?
 
scifisam said:
Are you sure you wouldn't be able to get free tuition for GCSEs? You usually can if you don't already have any.

I missed school from 13-16 and also did all my qualification at Fe colleges, in a combination of day and evening classes. I did way more than 2 GCSEs in a year and they were happy to enter me for the higher papers. Is there only one college near where you live or can you try asking elsewhere?
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Ooh I might be able to get them funded, when I researched it before I was lookng for funding for an access course which didn't count because it wasn't equivalent to GCSEs even though I have none. I don't know why they didn't want me to sign up for more than 2, but I'm pretty sure they didn't do sciences either.

Getting a tutor to help out every so often is a good idea too. I'm trying to find out how all it all works with exams and stuff...
 
It might also be worth contacting a local school and seeing if you can be entered as an external candidate, and study at home. There are lots and lots of resources online for studying GCSEs (like on the BBC website). You'd have to pay for the exams and coursework assessment and work hard from home, but I think it's doable and it'd mean you could get two or three GCSEs this school year instead of next.
 
scifisam said:
It might also be worth contacting a local school and seeing if you can be entered as an external candidate, and study at home. There are lots and lots of resources online for studying GCSEs (like on the BBC website). You'd have to pay for the exams and coursework assessment and work hard from home, but I think it's doable and it'd mean you could get two or three GCSEs this school year instead of next.
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My sis did this when she resat her A level Maths.
 
You could look into other options for sciences and do some (hopefully) funded ones at a local college too perhaps?

What is your income level atm anyway? I know the Open University offers funding for people on less than a certain income, nonwithstanding of benefits. Perhaps some courses from there in subjects you couldn't get at a local college?

Also, what degree are you hoping to study?
 
scifisam said:
It might also be worth contacting a local school and seeing if you can be entered as an external candidate, and study at home. There are lots and lots of resources online for studying GCSEs (like on the BBC website). You'd have to pay for the exams and coursework assessment and work hard from home, but I think it's doable and it'd mean you could get two or three GCSEs this school year instead of next.
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That's what I want to do ideally (would prob be the cheapest way of doing it), even if I paid to do it by distance learning with a company like ICS I'd still have to register with an exam centre (school or college) and pay to sit the exams etc. What I don't understand is how I would get hold of the sylabus so I would know what to learn/what the coursework requirements were etc. I guess I'd have to ask the exam centre which exams they're doing and then get hold of it from the exam provider?

Also I looked at that link, it sort of looks like I could get it funded but it doesn't give any information as to how to go about doing it or where the funding comes from...
 
I'm assuming from the fact you are still looking at GCSEs that you *may* be under 25? Connexions are pretty good for younger people.

And what degree?
 
The funding would be through the college where you did the GCSEs. I'm 99% sure that only applies to state-funded colleges, not private, and it usually includes exam entry fees so would be cheaper than entering yourself. You sign on for the course and they apply for the fees on your behalf.

Once you've found out what exam board your local school uses, if they're willing to enter you as an external candidate (try a school with a sixth-form), either they could tell you the syllabus themselves or you can look online. AQA is the most likely exam board and they have all their syllabuses on their website. Home educating groups might be able to advise you too.

A tutor would help with that, of course, but bear in mind that they would cost easily £25 per hour.
 
OTOH I'd have never passed GCSE French without tutoring, and I didn't have all that much - maybe 6 sessions?
 
stuff_it said:
I'm assuming from the fact you are still looking at GCSEs that you *may* be under 25? Connexions are pretty good for younger people.

And what degree?
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I'm 24 this week, I checked out connexions but their website says its only for people 19 and under now?

As for a degree, I'm not 100% decided yet, but either way its going to have to be something that there is loads of competition for and will need good GCSEs to back up an access course.
 
scifisam said:
The funding would be through the college where you did the GCSEs. I'm 99% sure that only applies to state-funded colleges, not private, and it usually includes exam entry fees so would be cheaper than entering yourself. You sign on for the course and they apply for the fees on your behalf.

Once you've found out what exam board your local school uses, if they're willing to enter you as an external candidate (try a school with a sixth-form), either they could tell you the syllabus themselves or you can look online. AQA is the most likely exam board and they have all their syllabuses on their website. Home educating groups might be able to advise you too.

A tutor would help with that, of course, but bear in mind that they would cost easily £25 per hour.
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Yep, I've asked my friend who knows all about home schooling how people do it with their kids who take gcses from home.
 
I think you're right to get GCSEs maths, English and science as well as / instead of vocational qualifications - it'll keep your options open.

If you could get those GCSEs this year, odds are you could get onto an A-level or access course next year, and because you'll still be under 25 when the course starts it'll be free.
 
Exactly, even if I only get 3 GCSEs this year, if I need to top it up to 5 I can do that next year alongside the access course...I think they want people to do NVQ2 and 3 rather than GCSEs but there are certain subjects that you just can't take without good GCSEs.
 
the competitive degree courses will now ask you for GCSE English and Maths as part of the entry requirement. although some access courses have this built in, it can leave students under prepared - so doing them is a really good idea

as for access courses, depending on the subject you want to study some are good and some have a massive gap between the course and the degree course it leads to which students can find a shock - it's not impossible to succeed, just be prepared :) x
 
I live in Lancashire.

I've managed to find out that I can enter myself as a private candidate and where to get the material etc from, I just need to find a school/college that will let me sit the exams through them but there are quite a few nearby that are on the list. I reckon if I do it that way, I can take at least maths and english this academic year. A massive ballache is going to be finding someone to be the person who says my coursework is my own work, but I'm sure I'll find someone.
 
Coursework is now done in controlled conditions (ie in exam conditions) and doesn't apply to Maths & English and only some Science. I can't get you to sit where I work, it's too far away, but I can help you with a bit of tuition and practice essay marking. PM me your email address.
 
£300 per GCSE :eek:

I'd look around your local colleges if I were you. I did my GCSE Maths last year and I only had to pay £50 for the exam.
 
Mrs Magpie said:
Coursework is now done in controlled conditions (ie in exam conditions) and doesn't apply to Maths & English and only some Science. I can't get you to sit where I work, it's too far away, but I can help you with a bit of tuition and practice essay marking. PM me your email address.
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Well I read the really boring AQA guidance on this, it depends which exam you take, and that depends on whats available at the exam centre. However, is what you're syaing that if you do the new maths and english there isn't any coursework now? Or is it just the new type of coursework you have to do for them?
 
radio_atomica said:
Well I read the really boring AQA guidance on this, it depends which exam you take, and that depends on whats available at the exam centre. However, is what you're syaing that if you do the new maths and english there isn't any coursework now? Or is it just the new type of coursework you have to do for them?
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Well, the only controlled coursework I invigilated with students last year was for one of the Science papers and Geography. It may depend on the exam board. We mostly do AQA and OCR.
 
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