Sixth Form Applications
Sixth Form Entry Requirements Checker
Enter your GCSE grades and see what you qualify for. Checks the offers sixth forms and colleges most commonly publish, works out your average point score, and tells you whether each A level you are considering will take you.
These are the requirements most commonly published across English sixth forms, not any one school's rules. Every sixth form and college sets its own — always check the prospectus for the place you are applying to.
Your GCSE profile
- Average point score
- 5.33
- GCSEs at grade 4+
- 6
- GCSEs at grade 5+
- 6
Entry requirements you meet
- Met
Standard sixth-form offer
Five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and Maths at grade 4.
- Met
Typical A-level offer
Five GCSEs at grade 5 or above, including English and Maths at grade 5.
- Not met
Selective or oversubscribed sixth form
Six GCSEs at grade 6 or above, English and Maths at 6, and an average point score of 6.0 or more.
- Met
Level 3 BTEC at college
Four GCSEs at grade 4 or above, usually including English or Maths.
- Met
Level 2 course with English and Maths resits
Open with grade 3s. You retake English and Maths alongside the course, then progress to Level 3.
Your A level choices
- Not met
Biology
- GCSE Biology or Combined Science is a grade 5; usually needs grade 6.
- Met
Psychology
You meet the GCSE requirement usually asked for.
Psychology has more statistics in it than most students expect, which is why Maths appears here.
Not quite hitting the grades you need?
We will email you a subject-by-subject plan for closing the gap before results day. Add a parent or guardian and they get a copy too.
We never sell your details, and we do not send marketing to students.
Combined Science is two GCSEs, and it changes the answer
This is the miscount that catches students out every August. Combined Science — also sold as Trilogy or Double Award — is a double GCSE awarded as two grades, so it counts twice towards a five-GCSE offer. A student holding English Language, English Literature, Maths, Combined Science and History has six GCSEs on five rows, and clears a five-pass requirement they thought they had missed.
The checker above counts it correctly. Tick double award against Combined Science and watch the pass count move.
Five passes is not the same requirement as five passes including English and Maths
Almost every published sixth-form offer carries the clause “including English and Maths”, and it is where most near-miss applications fall down. Six grade 9s alongside a grade 3 in English does not meet a standard offer. The checker tests the clause separately rather than counting passes, so it will not tell you that you are fine when you are not.
If English or Maths is the subject in question, that is the one to fix — a resit pass is required anyway until you are 18, so it is work you will do either way.
The subject requirement is separate from the school requirement
Getting into the sixth form and getting onto the A level you want are two different bars. A level Maths typically asks for a grade 7 in GCSE Maths, Physics for a 7 in both Maths and Physics, and Psychology quietly asks for Maths because of the statistics content. Select the A levels you are considering above and each one is checked on its own.
Once you know which A levels you can take, work out what they are worth to a university with the UCAS points calculator, and plan the term ahead with the study planner.
Frequently asked questions
What GCSEs do you need to get into sixth form?
The most common offer is five GCSEs at grade 4 or above including English and Maths. Many school sixth forms ask for five at grade 5, and selective or oversubscribed ones ask for six at grade 6 plus a strong average. Individual A levels then add their own subject requirement on top — A level Maths usually needs a grade 7 in GCSE Maths, for example.
Does Combined Science count as one GCSE or two?
Two. Combined Science (also called Trilogy or Double Award) is a double GCSE and is awarded as two grades, so it counts twice towards a five-GCSE requirement. This is the single most common miscount: a student with five subject rows on their results slip often holds six GCSEs.
What is an average GCSE point score and why do sixth forms use it?
It is the mean of your GCSE grades, where the 9-1 grades are worth 9 down to 1 points and a U is worth 0. Sixth forms use it because it separates applicants who all clear the same pass threshold. An average point score of 6.0 means a typical grade 6 across your subjects, and is a common bar for a competitive sixth form.
Can I still do A levels if I miss the grades on results day?
Often yes. Speak to the sixth form on results day itself — places move, and many will take a student who has missed one requirement, sometimes on the condition of a resit. If A levels are not available, a Level 3 BTEC is a full Level 3 qualification that carries UCAS points and leads to university.
What happens if I do not get a grade 4 in English or Maths?
You must keep studying that subject until you are 18 — that is a national funding condition, not a school rule. In practice you retake it alongside a Level 2 or Level 3 course. Most students who narrowly miss pass on the resit in November or the following summer.
Are the requirements on this page my sixth form's actual requirements?
No. Every school and college sets its own entry requirements and publishes them in its prospectus or on its admissions page. The figures here are the ones most commonly published across English sixth forms, to show you roughly where you stand. Always check the requirements for the specific place you are applying to.
One grade short of the sixth form you want?
Our GCSE tutors work to the specific grade a student needs, in the subject that is blocking them. Book a free trial session.
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