Declaring Grades on UCAS Applications **UPDATED for 2014-15**

Do Teachers ever predict A*s at A2?

If the universities don't consider your AS grades doesn't that put those who got average GCSE's but stepped it up at AS (4a's) at a disadvantage?

UCL emailed me saying that they'd like Economics applicants give a breakdown of UMS for all modules. When I asked where these should be detailed, they weren't sure and thought there would be a place on the UCAS application. I said there wasn't so they said to ask the referee to mention them all. However, I know the reference has a character limit, so surely it wouldn't be in my best interest to waste quite a lot of space on all these results.

Do you think it'd be suitable to email UCL soon after my application with my UMS results?

If UCL want them on UCAS, that's where they'll want them. Many of us put individual module scores into our references anyway. It's not a problem.

Thank you for your help. Another thing: as I studied in a foreign language I passed the subjects but didn't attain anywhere near straight A equivalents. Will universities look at my Spanish GCSE equivalents and view them with the same judgement as they would judge GCSE's, or would they be more lenient with grades from a foreign system?

I thought other universities didn't like you putting UMS scores in the Other box when entering qualifications?

No, they go in the reference, which your teachers write. Your subject teachers will include them in what they say about you. You said UCL said to put them in the reference, and that's where they go. You don't put them in yourself. I think you might have got reference and personal statement mixed up.

Hello Quick question: I sat one Critical Thinking unit (half an AS) this summer and got my result yesterday. Am I obliged to put the result on my UCAS or do I only have to mention that I am currently studying Critical Thinking?

UCL emailed me saying that they'd like Economics applicants give a breakdown of UMS for all modules. When I asked where these should be detailed, they weren't sure and thought there would be a place on the UCAS application. I said there wasn't so they said to ask the referee to mention them all. However, I know the reference has a character limit, so surely it wouldn't be in my best interest to waste quite a lot of space on all these results.

Do you think it'd be suitable to email UCL soon after my application with my UMS results?

As per post #3, is there a way of stopping your school from certificating your AS results at the time you have taken them? Is there a date by which schools have to submit their results for publishing in gov league tables?

I thought other universities didn't like you putting UMS scores in the Other box when entering qualifications?

If college puts my predictions as AAC and im aiming for unis with AAA requirements, would they not even consider me/give me a conditional offer???

No, no. I haven't got them mixed up. UCL originally thought there was a space on the actual UCAS application for a student to input them, I said no, so they said get the reference to write them. Surely having all my modules and their UMS would waste space where my referee could be talking about myself?

Your module titles are on the qualifications section, so a simple 'Unit 1' type reference is all that is needed anyway in the reference. Teachers will usually say something like 'Groat is an extremely able student of Hamster Husbandry whose ability was demonstrated by obtaining full marks in Unit 1 and 80% in Unit 2.' We have the same amount of space as you do, but we can be pretty economical in our ways of saying 'Groat is fab' because universities tend to take our word for it and we can rattle off a list of wonderful Hamster Husbandry things Groat does brilliantly quite easily and succinctly. If Groat is a lousy student, then there's even more space left to us, because referees tend to abide by the rule of 'If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.' Trust me, it won't be a problem, and if UCL want your UMS marks, they will get them. Would you rather they left them off?

Oh goodness, I would chuckle if Groat was my real name in my reference.

No, I am very proud of my UMS, I was just thinking about space. But I guess you're right and it won't take up much space in the reference!

I think Groat is a fab name and if it's not your real one, you should consider changing it. I would certainly give an offer to someone called Groat.

Unlikely, to be frank, unless there is some seriously individual positive feature of your application. Unis with AAA requirements are swamped with people predicted AAA grades who already have AAAA at AS level - or better, so a candidate with AAC predictions - unless there is good reason for this - is going to be at a major disadvantage.

How about AAB and a realllyyyyy good reference???

When you are sorting through 100s of applications where nearly everyone meets or is predicted to meet the entry requirements, one of the easiest ways of whittling the numbers down is to remove everyone who isn't predicted at least the minimum requirements. That could happen before they even get to your reference.

Would they not check your reference for any extenuating circumstances? I am applying for an AAA course with predicted grades A*AB, but the B is due to extenuating circumstances which are noted in my reference

You will be expected to declare all your resit plans: yes, this does mean entering things twice, once with a result and again with a pending result.