Are my grades good enough for Oxford?

A foundation course is pretty much essential. I can pretend to you that its not but your chances of gaining a place reduce to under 20% without it, and that's before other things are taken into account such as grades and your interview.
Your GCSE's will be looked at and considered but really your portfolio is considerably more important for a subject like Fine Art. I would strongly recommend you do a Foundation Course in Fine Art before considering to apply.

Thank you! I am planning to do a foundation if I get a rejection. But I am afraid that even with a foundation, they might not want me as an applicant because of my grades. I have heard that accepted applicants usually have 43+, with the minimum of one B in gcse. So I am mainly concerned about my grades, especially GCSEs since they cannot be changed.

http://www.stdominics.org.uk/media/uploads/Supporting%20Students%20-%20NI.pdf

This link is fascinating: I don't know where it's from but it looks legit. In 2010 apparently 5% of those with 1A* at GCSE, and 8% of those with 2, are given offers by Oxford. That percentage goes up to 53% and 61% for 11 and 12 A*s respectively.

I agree those statistics would be fascinating if correct. The presentation looks official, but the statistics there don't line up with other statistics I have.

For example, it says the average Law student has 4.82 A*s, but I know that for 2012 Law applicants with 5+ GCSEs, 79% of their GCSEs were A* grades. Obviously 2010 isn't 2012, but put together, these stats suggest the average Law applicant only has about six GCSEs, which is totally implausible. The same is true of most subjects actually. So perhaps the stats in that presentation include internationals without GCSEs (e.g. Classics is top, because of few international students?), which if true, would make the figures there completely useless. Although I'm not convinced the numbers work for that either.

It's also worth noting that we are now entering the 2015 application cycle. A lot has changed in Oxford admissions since 2010. Pre-interview aptitude tests are much more common, and provide a way to shine without so good grades. Of course the typical student's grades are still very high.

I agree those statistics would be fascinating if correct. The presentation looks official, but the statistics there don't line up with other statistics I have.

For example, it says the average Law student has 4.82 A*s, but I know that for 2012 Law applicants with 5+ GCSEs, 79% of their GCSEs were A* grades. Obviously 2010 isn't 2012, but put together, these stats suggest the average Law applicant only has about six GCSEs, which is totally implausible. The same is true of most subjects actually. So perhaps the stats in that presentation include internationals without GCSEs (e.g. Classics is top, because of few international students?), which if true, would make the figures there completely useless. Although I'm not convinced the numbers work for that either.

It's also worth noting that we are now entering the 2015 application cycle. A lot has changed in Oxford admissions since 2010. Pre-interview aptitude tests are much more common, and provide a way to shine without so good grades. Of course the typical student's grades are still very high.

Regardless, was the poster's point not fair? Achieving 2A* at GCSE does (causally or otherwise) relate to a low success rate at Oxford. In the same way that it would be remiss of me to refer to 'that guy from my year who got in with 82% UMS' to bolster the hopes of someone applying to Cambridge with low UMS.

But perhaps Oxford don't have as strict a mandate on GCSEs (excluding medicine) as Cambridge do on UMS, in which case fair enough.

Gcses?

It's recommended that you do at least AS Maths - although it's not compulsory.

PPE is very competitive, but it will depend on your TSA on the day, gcses, and interview if you get one.

Hello, I want to do PPE at Oxford, I'm currently taking Politics, Economics, History and English Lit. If I achieve, say A*AAB in A2, then would it worth taking a gap year and doing AS in Maths and Critical thinking?

I would be doing more A levels but the college I'm at has limit of only taking 4 A levels.

Thanks. Oh, also how much emphasis do Oxbridge put on gcses? Be honest, but don't over exaggerate, I was told that my a levels were hard, but I'm finding them extremely easy.

GCSEs are a bit of a weak point for me - 1A*, 7As, 2Bs, was a bit under the weather with a few things at the time.

They are a bit low, but with all the other factors you still have a chance. No one can really say how big or little it is!

If you think you can do well on the TSA and at interview then give it a go, it's only one of five choices