Which Universities put more emphasis on A levels rather than GCSE?

Original post by threeportdrift

All of them do!

As if a uni would say 'Ok so I see here you have DDE that doesn't match our A-level requirement of A*AA, but hey — you got all A*s and As at GCSE so welcome!'

I wish!

(But being serious - bad GCSE results don't mean you won't get into university as long as you get great A-levels!)

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 4

Marked Target

Uhhhh, all of them?

Honestly, unless your GCSES are like CCCCDDDEUU then i don't think most of them will be that bothered. As long as you did well in what you want to apply for and you do well at A level then i don't think it matters much.

Reply 5

OP

Original post by AGBF

Title

Would be nice if you suggested 5 Universities(since that's the amount you apply to UCAS right?)
EDIT:I am aware that Unis regardless of which take GCSE's into consideration.I am just asking which universities place more emphasis on good A levels,rather than GCSE primarily(IE the general trend,not the exception)

Original post by JourneyToSuccess

All of them? I mean, Oxford takes GCSE results seriously, but at the end of the day, if you don't have the A-Level requirements, it's a bye-bye for you. :giggle:

Original post by meandegreen

As if a uni would say 'Ok so I see here you have DDE that doesn't match our A-level requirement of A*AA, but hey — you got all A*s and As at GCSE so welcome!'

I wish!

(But being serious - bad GCSE results don't mean you won't get into university as long as you get great A-levels!)

Original post by threeportdrift

All of them do!

Original post by Marked Target

Uhhhh, all of them?

Honestly, unless your GCSES are like CCCCDDDEUU then i don't think most of them will be that bothered. As long as you did well in what you want to apply for and you do well at A level then i don't think it matters much.

Thanks for the replies guys,but assume someone has average GCSE grades(not bad,but not excellent.In my case 1 A*,2 A's 3 B's 2 C's) ,but they achieve A*A*A(or similar) at A level.With that situation in mind,which Unis then consider A levels Much more than GCSE.I know Oxford do not
Sorry if i wasn't clear.Yeah ovbiously Unis take A levels more into consideration,however with AS being scrapped idk if my GCSE's are good enough.

Reply 6

Marked Target

You might not even have to rule Oxford out.

If the high school you went to was poor then they will still look favourably upon your results. Of course, idk your exact situation and, I mean no offense (this applies to me and over 99% of the world as well), the likelyhood of you being Oxford material is small.

Only 8 GCSEs? Or are you omitting those which you got less than a C in? I did 13 (though I'm always told that's a lot) so 8 seems like really few.

That said, provided your A* and As are in the relevant subjects I don't see this being a barrier to going to top Russel group universities. You'll still get predicted grades which are supposed to effectively indicate what you'll get at A2.

Reply 7

OP

Original post by Marked Target

You might not even have to rule Oxford out.

If the high school you went to was poor then they will still look favourably upon your results. Of course, idk your exact situation and, I mean no offense (this applies to me and over 99% of the world as well), the likelyhood of you being Oxford material is small.

Only 8 GCSEs? Or are you omitting those which you got less than a C in? I did 13 (though I'm always told that's a lot) so 8 seems like really few.

That said, provided your A* and As are in the relevant subjects I don't see this being a barrier to going to top Russel group universities. You'll still get predicted grades which are supposed to effectively indicate what you'll get at A2.

My school is bad,their Results are under the national average.
The area is bad too,with low levels of those going into higher education

BTW i dont wanna go Oxford.Just cambridge or an RG group(or Bath/Bristol).SO don't worry.not offended cuz i never want to go Oxford(not saying this out of bitterness lol))

Reply 8

Marked Target

Original post by AGBF

My school is bad,their Results are under the national average.
The area is bad too,with low levels of those going into higher education

BTW i dont wanna go Oxford.Just cambridge or an RG group(or Bath/Bristol).SO don't worry.not offended cuz i never want to go Oxford(not saying this out of bitterness lol))

Haha, I don't want Oxford, JUST Cambridge. Dude, I'd say its harder to get into Cambridge than it is Oxford (based on STEP and MAT at least).

You'll be more than capable of getting into a Russel group uni (Bath & Bristol are Russel group aren't they?)

If your school gets bad results and you're from a bad area then your results will be viewed in a different light by many universities. If your college is bad as well and you still get A*A*A then it will be looked very favourably upon.

Honestly, you could probably apply to almost any university and get an offer if your predicted grades and personal statement are good.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 9

OP

Original post by Marked Target

Haha, I don't want Oxford, JUST Cambridge. Dude, I'd say its harder to get into Cambridge than it is Oxford (based on STEP and MAT at least).

You'll be more than capable of getting into a Russel group uni (Bath & Bristol are Russel group aren't they?)

If your school gets bad results and you're from a bad area then your results will be viewed in a different light by many universities. If your college is bad as well and you still get A*A*A then it will be looked very favourably upon.

Im going to a good college

I want cambridge too,however ik they prefer A levels and don't focus too much on GCSE hence why its a viable option.But ,i also wish to know which other RG group is kind of like Cambridge,focusing mainly on A levels/PS/Interview,rather than GCSE (for eg Oxford,GCSE heavy)

PS:I don't want to do degrees which need STEP or MAT

Reply 10

NinjaOtter

6

Original post by Marked Target

Haha, I don't want Oxford, JUST Cambridge. Dude, I'd say its harder to get into Cambridge than it is Oxford (based on STEP and MAT at least).

You'll be more than capable of getting into a Russel group uni (Bath & Bristol are Russel group aren't they?)

If your school gets bad results and you're from a bad area then your results will be viewed in a different light by many universities. If your college is bad as well and you still get A*A*A then it will be looked very favourably upon.

Honestly, you could probably apply to almost any university and get an offer if your predicted grades and personal statement are good.

Just an FYI- Bath isn't a RG, but Bristol is.

Reply 11

OP

Thanks^

Anymore contributions?

Reply 12

kkboyk

21

Original post by AGBF

Thanks for the replies guys,but assume someone has average GCSE grades(not bad,but not excellent.In my case 1 A*,2 A's 3 B's 2 C's) ,but they achieve A*A*A(or similar) at A level.With that situation in mind,which Unis then consider A levels Much more than GCSE.I know Oxford do not
Sorry if i wasn't clear.Yeah ovbiously Unis take A levels more into consideration,however with AS being scrapped idk if my GCSE's are good enough.

As long as you meet the GCSE requirement for English and Maths, there really isn't any reason to worry. My school was pretty bad, most people in my year got B's and C's but did well in their A-levels and managed to get into good unis (one of them got A*A*A and is doing Chemistry at Newcastle, the others also managed to get into good courses at good unis).

Even if your GCSEs aren't amazing, try to stand out in your personal statement and also do things outside school to stand out e.g. summer schools, research programmes, work experience.

Reply 13

rolaah

As long as your GCSE's are at least half-decent, every uni, even Oxford, care way more about A-Levels than GCSE. I know that Cambridge is very adamant on good A-Level results, as well as most unis in London (except King's).

Reply 14

Flame Alchemist

The vast majority of unis simply say something along the lines of 'B at GCSE Maths' and leave it at that. Honestly, it's really all about A-levels. GCSEs will be more of a stepping stone to A-levels, with A-levels then leading to uni.

Oxbridge will often want strenuous interviews and additional exams. Don't limit yourself to RG unis only: there are a number of extremely high-ranking unis which don't belong to the RG for various reasons, such as simply being too recent. Remember, RG is primarily just about funding. Don't forget about those unis which don't belong to the RG yet rank higher than a majority of those which do.

Reply 15

OP

Original post by Flame Alchemist

The vast majority of unis simply say something along the lines of 'B at GCSE Maths' and leave it at that. Honestly, it's really all about A-levels. GCSEs will be more of a stepping stone to A-levels, with A-levels then leading to uni.

Oxbridge will often want strenuous interviews and additional exams. Don't limit yourself to RG unis only: there are a number of extremely high-ranking unis which don't belong to the RG for various reasons, such as simply being too recent. Remember, RG is primarily just about funding. Don't forget about those unis which don't belong to the RG yet rank higher than a majority of those which do.

Hmm.Thank you(and everyone)

Reply 16

Abstract_Prism

20

I can't believe that no one knows what OP meant.

OP was obviously referring to universities like LSE and Oxford where excellent A-level results don't matter if you don't have excellent GCSE results. Come on, you didn't really think that OP thought he could get away with not meeting the A-level entry requirements by having great GCSEs, did you?

Reply 17

OP

Original post by Abstract_Prism

I can't believe that no one knows what OP meant.

OP was obviously referring to universities like LSE and Oxford where excellent A-level results don't matter if you don't have excellent GCSE results. Come on, you didn't really think that OP thought he could get away with not meeting the A-level entry requirements by having great GCSEs, did you?

THANK YOU.But yeah,i guess i could have explained better.

So,could you answer my query lols.Yeah.So could you name Unis like Cambridge who do not focus on GCSE and rather on A levels.

Thank you,and which unis do you have in plan?Good luck,and which A levels do you do if you don't mind me asking

Reply 18

OP