Going to UK -- GCSE/IGCSE

[Dr. Polaris]

I was planning to go to the UK for uni, and I keep seeing stuff like A-Level grades or GCSE marks.

I know that I do not need to do the A level thing, but for GCSE, I know I can apply to do some subjects, but are they needed in the UK? For example, I want to pursue a career in Vet. Sciences. I have finished the IB, and now, do I need to do Biology, Chemistry etc. etc. GCSE test? Or is the IB good enough?

Thank you.

EDIT: somewhat off-topic:

for the US, I MUST do the SAT for any university, right?

Edited May 19, 2010 by Dr. Polaris

[tdubthebassist]

nope. IB is good enough.

e.g myself.

[Dr. Polaris]

so SATs TOEFL GCSEs IGCSEs and the like are not needed? But will they increase your chance if you do them ^^?

[tdubthebassist]

so SATs TOEFL GCSEs IGCSEs and the like are not needed? But will they increase your chance if you do them ^^?

I somehow do not think that those will increase the chance of you getting in. IB is hard enough for universities to judge if you are good or not. If you are not native English speaker, they 'might' require TOEFL, but that is all.

well, what about this? In 11th grade, if you were to do Maths HL, AP Calculus is not that far from your syllabus anyway. So you might want to take it to increase your chance of getting in. Same for economics, 1st year of IB econ resembles AP microeconomics syllabus. That way you 'might' increase the chance. But I genuinely do not think that those will help that much. Doing well on IB is HARD ENOUGH!

[Sandwich]

IB should be fine They use GCSEs as a way of predicting how well you're going to do and sometimes as the basis of offers/interviews etc., as they're meant to be the best available predictor of future success, but if you come from a background where you haven't done GCSEs, they shouldn't discriminate.

No point in doing GCSEs now anyway, they're very behind IB-level knowledge and you'd have to sit a lot of them, like 8-10, to have a competitive set. You also can't just march up and do them, some of it requires a bit of syllabus studying, not to mention there's also coursework. It's a two year course, kinda like how the IB is a two-year course, so there's quite a lot of hoops to jump through re: coursework.

[Dr. Polaris]

So if I were to do GCSEs like many of my other friends (we're still in Pre-IB, not sure why they're doing it now), should I do it during the 2nd year of my IB Diploma Program so the unis can see what I have accomplished?

[tdubthebassist]

So if I were to do GCSEs like many of my other friends (we're still in Pre-IB, not sure why they're doing it now), should I do it during the 2nd year of my IB Diploma Program so the unis can see what I have accomplished?

BAD idea. you now have NO idea how busy you would be when you become an IB 2 student. IB 2 is HELL. If you have not done it, please just do not do it. They do not care that much anyway.

If I can get into Oxford by just doing IB, that means IB is good for ANY other universities.

[Dr. Polaris]

my goal is Cambridge, Vet. Science.

Seems then that GCSEs aren't needed then :/

Edited May 19, 2010 by Dr. Polaris

[Survival Robot]

This topic has been closed by a moderator.

Reason: Question Answered

If you disagree with this action, please report this post, and a moderator or administrator will reconsider it.


Kind regards,
IB Survival Staff