Entry Requirements
Places at The Sixth Form College, Solihull are highly sought after and we are often oversubscribed. As much as we might wish to offer places to every able student who applies, we cannot always do so.
We give priority to students from our partner schools, other schools in Solihull and then our affiliate schools. These schools include Alderbrook, Golden Hillock, Hall Green, Holy Trinity, Kings Heath Boys, Langley, Light Hall, Lode Heath, Lyndon, Queensbridge, Tudor Grange, Waverley, Wheelers Lane and Yardleys Schools, as well as other Solihull schools.
The entry criteria for students from these schools who wish to study an AS Level programme or the International Baccalureate Diploma is as follows:
4 AS Levels
Entry requirements - At least 5 GCSE passes or equivalent* at grade C or above, across 4 different subjects and an average GCSE score of 5.0 or above.
Further Details - Students will normally have at least a C in GCSE English and Maths to be enrolled on this programme. Students who achieve less than this will be given individual consideration.
International Baccalaureate Diploma
Entry requirements - At least 5 GCSE passes or equivalent* at grade C or above, across 4 different subjects and an average GCSE score of 5.0 or above.
Further Details - Students will normally have at least a C in GCSE English and Maths to be enrolled on this programme. Students will normally have a B in those subjects that they select to study at the higher tier. This is a two-year full-time course.
If you are from a school that is not listed above and is outside Solihull we will be able to offer you a place if there are sufficient spaces available and you fulfill the following entry requirements:
4 AS Levels
Entry requirements - At least 5 GCSE passes or equivalent* at grade C or above, across 4 different subjects and an average GCSE score of 5.5 or above.
Further Details - Students will normally have at least a C in GCSE English and Maths to be enrolled on this programme. Students who achieve less than this will be given individual consideration.
International Baccalaureate Diploma
Entry requirements - At least 5 GCSE passes or equivalent* at grade C or above, across 4 different subjects and an average GCSE score of 5.5 or above.
Further Details - Students will normally have at least a C in GCSE English and Maths to be enrolled on this programme. Students will normally have a B in those subjects that they select to study at the higher tier. This is a two-year full-time course.
Entry requirements for all other programmes of study, regardless of where you go to school, are as follows:
5 AS Levels
Entry requirements - At least 8 GCSE passes or equivalent* at grade B or above, across 7 different subjects and an average GCSE score of 6.5 or above.
Further Details - Students will normally have at least a C in GCSE English and Maths to be enrolled on this programme.
Double Applied Levels or Level 3 Applied Courses
Entry requirements - At least 4 GCSE passes at grade C or above or at least a pass in a 6-unit Level 2 Vocational course in an appropriate subject, e.g. OCR National or BTEC First Diploma.
Further Details - Normally students will have at least a grade C in Maths or English GCSE, in addition to subject specific requirements. This is a two-year full-time course, equivalent to 2 or 3 A Levels. These courses have a significant coursework component.
Double Applied Level or Level 3 Applied Course + AS Level
Entry requirements - At least 5 GCSE passes at grade C or above, across 4 different subjects.
Further Details - Normally students will have at least a grade C in English or Maths. These vocational courses are equivalent to 2 or 3 A Levels. These courses have a significant coursework component, so the AS should be chosen with care.
Access to Advanced Level Learning
Entry requirements - At least 2 GCSE passes at grade D or above and 2 GCSE passes at grade E or above.
Further Details - Students must have at least a grade E in English and Maths. This is a one-year full-time course, equivalent to 4 GCSEs at grade C.
* - Courses that are the equivalent level to GCSE qualifications include BTEC First Diplomas and OCR Nationals at Level 2.
GCSE Points Score Average Explained
Can I take an AS Level programme of the International Baccalaureate Dilpoma?
Entry onto all courses depends on your GCSE grades. For AS Level programmes and the International Baccalaureate Diploma it works on an average points scoring system, with different points representing the different grades achieved. So the key question to ask yourself is:
What GCSE grades am I likely to get?
STEP 1: Look at all the qualifications you are likely to achieve (Applied GCSE = 2 GCSEs, BTEC First Diploma or Level 2 National = 4 GCSEs, Short Course GCSE = ½ GCSE).
A* A B C D E F G
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
STEP 2: Calculate your average GCSE score - give each of your predicted full GCSE results the points from the chart above (½ this score for a short course GCSE) and add them up.
STEP 3: Now divide the total number of points by the number of subjects to give your average GCSE score.
Examples:
No. of subjects x GCSE score = GCSE average points score
No. of subjects
10 subjects passed at grade C = 10 x 5 = 5.0
10
10 passes (2 Bs, 4Cs, 3 Ds and 1 E) = (2 x 6) + (4 x 5) + (3 x 4) + (1 x 3) = 4.7
(including 5 passes at C or above) 10
