What grades did you all get? – Medical Research 2020

Nathan Kindred answered on 2 Mar 2020:

At GCSE I got 9 A*s and 4As, then at A level I got an A*, an A and 2 Bs. What’s most important though is that you put the work in and try your best, then you can be proud of yourself no matter what happens.

Beth Bartlett answered on 2 Mar 2020:

At GCSE I got 10 A*s and then at A Level I got 4 A*s. However I’d say being a good scientist is not about how well you do in exams – it’s more about how you think about problems and solve them. I know many people who did worse than me at school and are much better scientists than me!

Sarah Brown answered on 2 Mar 2020:

I got 9 A’s and 1 A* at GCSE and 2 A’s and 1 B at A level. I would say to try not to compare yourself to others and just try to enjoy it. I also know lots of scientist that really struggled with some subjects at school.

Nathan James answered on 2 Mar 2020:

For GCSEs I got seven A*s, two As, and one C (French was never my strength…). In sixth form I got three As at A2-Level and two As at AS-Level (this was before A*s).

Exams are important – some doors only open once you’ve achieved certain grades – but they don’t always measure intelligence or skills very well. I work with scientists from all over the world, from all sorts of different schools and universities, and no one cares about grades anymore! Just choose your passion, play to your strengths, and work hard to achieve your goals.

Sarah Clarke answered on 2 Mar 2020:

At GCSE I got 4A*s, 6As and 1B. I got a B at AS Level (German) and 3As at A Level (Biology, Chemistry and Maths). You don’t need to be top of the class to be a scientist – you need to really enjoy the subjects you choose, you need to be nosy and you need be prepared to work hard. Being a scientist is about problem solving and thinking about ways to answer the questions you want to research.

Paige Chandler answered on 2 Mar 2020:

At GCSE I got 7 A*s, 4 As, 1 B, and a Distinction. At A-level I got A*AA, and an A AS-level (which don’t exist anymore, it’s like half an A-level).

Grades don’t exclude anyone from working in science though! People of all different talents and abilities work in science, since there is such a huge variety of roles. Being good at exams doesn’t necessarily make a good scientist!

Amadou Camara answered on 3 Mar 2020:

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Aleksandr Sahakyan answered on 3 Mar 2020: last edited 3 Mar 2020 12:52 am

The country I am from was using a different system for grading and school examinations. I got the equivalent of A*s from all the subjects. However, I know many brilliant scientists who did not excel at school, but still succeeded in science and made important discoveries. If you want to become a scientist, strive to achieve as high grades as possible, but if some grades are low, bear in mind that there are many paths to a success, and keep working towards your goals!

Sarah Carter answered on 3 Mar 2020:

I’m from the US, so I didn’t take GCSEs or A Levels, but I did relatively well in school and at university. I was, however, always really intimidated by statistics and avoided it for most of my life, until realizing that I needed to use stats to do my Master’s research. I ended up doing a PhD in Social Statistics and now use stats regularly in my research job, which I could never have predicted when I was in high school (secondary school) – roads into science careers aren’t always direct!

Lotte de Winde answered on 3 Mar 2020:

I am born and raised in the Netherlands (NL), and only came to the UK 3 years ago. NL has a different school system for grading, and only for the more popular studies these are taken into account. For most studies, you can just enter if you graduated from secondary school (to graduate, you of course need to pass all your subjects!).

As my colleague-scientists here have already said though, it is not all about grades. The most important thing when choosing a study or profession is that you do something that makes you happy and gives you energy. And if you have to take a detour to get where you want to be, that is totally fine! It shows that you are motivated and determined to pursue your goals and dreams, and that is what will satisfy you in the end.

Katrina Wesencraft answered on 3 Mar 2020:

I’m from Scotland so instead of doing GCSEs, I did exams called Intermediate 2s. I got 8 As. The year after that, we did Highers and I got As in English, biology and chemistry, a B in physics and a C in maths. In my last year of school, I studied Advanced Higher biology, chemistry and music. I got an A in music and biology but I failed my chemistry exam. I got to study chemistry again in my first year at university and did a lot better the second time round!

M S answered on 3 Mar 2020:

I didnt do that great!

I think in GCSE’s I got 2 A’s, the rest B’s and 1 C
A Levels I got 3 B’s

I remember a lot of people got all A’s and A*s and the thing is, if you work hard, it doesn’t matter! In the long run you want to make sure you work hard in what you love. Grades don’t define you. Yes, they can help to get into University but its about how hard you work and you do what you love.

I did average at GCSE’s and A Levels and am currently doing what I love!

Ioana Grigoras answered on 3 Mar 2020:

I come from Romania, where we don’t have GSCEs or A levels. I had the highest average grade in my class throughout school. At the final national exams, I took Romanian (9.5 out of a max of 10), Maths (8.85 out of a max of 10) and Physics (10 out of 10). The thing in Romania is that most universities will make you take an admissions exam and not care at all about your grades in school or the national exams. I took the admissions exam and had the 3rd highest grade.

Toby Candler answered on 3 Mar 2020:

5 A* 5A and a B (in English Language) I then got 3 As for A level.

If you enjoy a topic you will get into it and be more likely to do well whatever that is….
The key is to not to get too bogged down with the exams and try to find whats interesting in the topic then you will end doing well I am sure

Ricardo Sanchez answered on 3 Mar 2020:

I got a range of results from C to AMATOMO_URL Funny enough my C was in combined sciences… yet it didnt prevent me from following my dreams of becoming a scientist! Grades are important but your determination is more important.

Kate Mitchell answered on 3 Mar 2020:

I got 10.5 A*s at GCSE and 4 A’s at A level. But like everyone else has said, you don’t have to have top grades to be a great scientist.

Samir Hopestone answered on 3 Mar 2020:

I got 4 A*s and 6 As at GCSE, and 3 As at A level. Grades are only important to get you to the next stage in your education, most employers don’t really care as long as you at least a C in English, Maths and Science.

Sophie Arthur answered on 3 Mar 2020:

At A Level I got ABCC, and my highest grade was actually in French and not science

Robyn Kiy answered on 4 Mar 2020:

I got 8 A*s, 4 As and 1 B at GCSE, then ABC at A Level – I found A Level maths really tricky! However, good grades aren’t the only way to become a scientist. A lot of the scientists I work with had different routes to getting their job, so the most important thing is to work hard for your exams, and choose subjects that you enjoy. Grades aren’t the only thing that matters when it comes to getting into university or getting your dream job!

Chun Hei Kwok answered on 4 Mar 2020:

I did not do the GSCE, but I did an equivalent qualification – the IB Middle Years Programme. I had to do 8 subjects, English, Chinese, Mathematics, Humanities (combination of history, geography, economics, business and religious studies), Science (combination of biology, chemistry and physics), Technology (combination of computer, design, food and textiles technology), Physical Education and Arts (combination of music, visual arts and drama). I got 53/56. Do enjoy your time and studies during your GCSE years, and do remember you don’t need to be good at everything to be a good scientist!

Question: What grades did you all get?

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