The average entry in 2021 was
awarded a GCSE grade of 5.2.

GCSEs & Building Your Pathway

General Certificate of Secondary Education or GCSE is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead.

GCSEs are the qualifications most young people take in Years 10 and 11 which is also known as Key Stage 4. They are usually studied over two years but in some schools young people will start studying their GCSEs in Year 9.



Gaining satisfactory grades in GCSEs will increase your career options, particularly if you can pass enough to reach Level 2 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9-4.





Choosing your

GCSE Options

...the right way.




Until now the choices about what you study have been made for you. But when you choose your GCSE subjects, you begin to take control.

So, when you are choosing your subjects, you must have accurate and up to date information.

  • Talk to people who can give reliable advice
  • Discus your subjects with your family and subject teachers

Don't

  • Choose a subject because your friend is taking it; if it’s not the right one for you, you will have less chance of success.
  • Or because you think it’s for girls or boys – there’s no such thing
  • Or if you like, or dislike the teacher – you may end up with a different teacher
  • Or you think it will be easy – no subject is easy.


Options Stage 1 Choosing the right options for you:

We recommend logging in to Flight and using our planner to get the most out of this section.

To choose the right options for you, you should first think about which subjects you find most enjoyable. Nearly everyone gets better marks in subjects they enjoy and are good at.

Flight has put a lot of thought into this and has created a variety of ways to support you in making this decision.

Now, let's see which careers our favourite subjects are linked to:

Browse your favourite subects in Flight to see careers linked to that subject.

Browse Careers
* Opens in new tab.

Input your favourite subects into Flight Lounge to see linked careers.

Flight Lounge




Options Stage 2 Planning your pathway:

Next, think about planning your future.

Now you have particular careers in mind, you will need to thinking about the next stage.

We highly recommend using Flight Lounge, as this will show you all of the relevant college courses in your area, as well as linked University (degree) courses that connect to the careers you have in mind.

Flight Lounge

Flight Lounge



You could also find alternative routes by browsing through the links below:

Clicking the headings above will take you to further support in Flight, and inform you if there are specific subjects you need to study for your chosen path.



Options Stage 3 Qualification Levels:

Understanding qualification levels can be a little confusing, as there are so many of them. Our advice is to spend a little time comprehending them, as timely mistakes could be made. Read this article to see how it affected a member of our team.

In a nutshell, qualification levels rank from low to high:

Some courses require you to have a certain level of qualification, before letting you step up to the next level.

See the complete list below:
Qualification Levels Explained


Options Stage 4 Still undecided:

If you are undecided on which career to follow, then you should keep your options open. Studying a range of subjects will provide you with a good overview and help you identify what you’re best at.

There are many different routes to take, and at any point along the career path, you can change direction. The world of work is changing all the time so it is important to find out about the kinds of jobs that are out there now, and which jobs could be in demand in the future.

Technology is a big part of our lives today, so there will be greater demand for people who have a good education in STEM related subjects, though there will be a demand for creative and artistic people, and those with practical skills.

Head over to our Trending Article to see what's set to be in demand next year:

Qualification Levels Explained


You could also try the alternative routes below:



Take the Personality Test to see careers linked to your personality.

Personality Test

Browse the many careers, to find out the linked subjects & courses.

Flight Careers


Options Stage 5 Getting the most out of Flight:

Flight can help you choose the most suitable option for you and help you:


We highly recommend using Flight Cart to save all of your searches. Not only will this allow you to keep everything in one place, but you will probably start to see a pattern emerging in the items you are saving.

Your saved items in the Flight Cart tables, allow you to filter subjects and courses, which will help you to simplify your choices and future planning.

Head over to Flight Cart and start building your future:

Qualification Levels Explained




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