GCSE equivalent qualifications for Initial Teacher Education
GCSEs are part of the entry requirements for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses. Due to the specific criteria set for gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), we are unable to accept all alternative qualifications generally considered equivalent to GCSEs. Further information about this criteria can be found on the Department for Education (DfE) website.
Below are details of what we can and cannot accept as alternatives. As part of these requirements, we are only able to accept official certificates or certified statements of results issued by the awarding body as evidence of gained qualifications.
Please note: the requirements differ for primary and secondary teacher training courses, so please contact us if you are unsure as to what qualifications will meet the entry requirements for your chosen course.
For the GCSE English requirement we are able to accept GCSE English Language or GCSE English Literature.
Contents
What is not accepted as GCSE equivalent in English, maths and science?
- Access to HE courses - key skills components and functional skills components
- Level 2 Key Skills / Functional Skills in Application of Number (Maths) and Communication (English)
- Certificates at Level 2 in Adult Literacy and Numeracy
- Modules in any foundation degree or degree course
- Masters degree modules and the English for Academic Purposes
- IELTS (note: this may be an entry requirement as well as the GCSE equivalence for visa purposes)
- AS-levels at any grade (although they are a higher level, they don’t cover the breadth and depth of a GCSE)
- ONC/OND
- BTEC Level 3 - any BTEC Level 3 qualification does not carry the breadth and depth of a GCSE
- University of Cambridge “English for Speakers of other Languages” or “Certificate of English Language Skills” (Higher)
- International/EU English language qualifications deemed ‘second language’ by ENIC (what was NARIC)
- Equivalency tests from any providers other than Equivalency Testing and A Star Equivalency are not accepted
Advice for applicants who do not have a GCSE
Equivalency tests
The University of Nottingham does not offer any GCSE equivalency tests for our PGCE courses
We accept equivalency tests in maths, English and science (science is a requirement for primary only) from the following providers:
Common GCSE equivalent qualifications
Accepted GCSE grades
| Grade mark | Numeric mark |
|---|
| A* |
8 (9 also accepted) |
| A |
7 |
| B |
5 |
| C |
4 |
Accepted O Level grades
| 1975 onwards | Pre 1975
(numeric) | Pre 1975
(alphabetic) |
|---|
| A |
1 |
A |
| |
2 |
B |
| B |
3 |
C |
| |
4 |
C |
| C |
5 |
D |
| |
6 |
E |
International/EU applicants
We can accept international qualifications which are considered GCSE A*-C by ENIC (what was NARIC). We will require the official and translated certificate from you during your application process and will carry out our own checks directly with ENIC. For qualifications that ENIC assess, if they deem English to be studied as a ‘"second language" then we cannot accept it. Please refer to Get Into Teaching or UK ENIC for information on how to obtain a Statement of Comparability.
Please see our international qualifications guidance for more information on what qualifications we may be able to accept from EU/International applicants, however this is a general guidance and information guidance, not a guarantee that we will accept them in all cases.