How can I do GCSEs?/put together a programme of GCSEs/catch up???

[Willow22]

I missed 4 yearsof high school and as a consequence got G grades in my GCSEs (apart from a D/C grade in English) I feel like I want to commit suicide as I can see no way out of this. How can I fix my education? If I do GCSEs at college then how should/would I put a programme together and who would help me? What subjects should I do and how long would this take me? How could I catch up on cooking...or what a CV is ...etc??
if I chose to try to catch up via doing GCSEs by home tuition again how would you recommend I do this? How many years would this take me? I would't have a clue how to do this. please help

[Jules001]

Firstly, please don't feel like it is the end of the world, there is a way out of this. I am assuming you are 16 or 17 years old. You could try phoning your local college and explaining your circumstances and say that you now want to rectify matters and can they give you any advice on how to start. Alternatively you could do courses and get qualifications by going through somewhere like Learn Direct but they won't be GCSE's and you will have to pay for these.. I took a GCSE through an adult learners centre although I attended a sixth form college with youngsters who were doing re-sits. Again this had to be privately paid for. I would say that you would really only need to take any courses or GCSE's that are going to help you with your next step in life. Do you want to study further or get a job, if the latter then I would say that Maths is a must maybe resit the English and anything else that would help you. I think also if you are 16/17 then your local Connexions office should be able to help you find out what your next step should be, that is what they are paid for and I think they are there to help you until you are 18/19. Good luck and remember there is always someone ready to listen and help point you in the right direction

[saxy_jag]

I'm with Jules on this one. All hope is not lost. Contact your local FE college and explain your situation to them. They have people and departments especially to help learners like you - people who have missed out on education for some reason and want to make a new start, either part time or full time. They can help you decide which subjects to take, as well as offering careers advice and support for when it gets difficult.

I wouldn't go for home study. It's a very lonely way of studying and you miss out on the confidence-building that happens when you socialise and interact with other learners. If you go to college, you'll probably be working with mature adults as well as school leavers, and that's a lovley way to study. You're also more likely to get your courses subsidised (or even paid for in full) by government initiatives, especially if you're under 25.

[saxy_jag]

I should have added that there's more to getting an education than GCSEs. Colleges have a full range of academic and vocational course on offer which may actually suit you better. Some of the latter may even include work placements, a good way of gaining experienceand proving your worth to a potential employer (who may even fund further courses for you).

I'll just end by saying that I was in your situation. I took GSCEs at evening classes ten years after I left school, one or two a year. I now have six, plus a degree in History and a DIploma in Music. I feel I've gained more from my studies by taking them later, and have probably obtained better results than if I'd gone down the usual route.

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