The Big "Are My Grades Good Enough for Cambridge?" Thread
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Original post by towerfury
x
most people who do really well at AS also did well at GSCE. However Cambridge is sensible enough to realise that sometimes people mature and work harder at AS and sometimes people are very good at a few subjects but not everything so do better when focused on one subject. Are you still doing 3 A levels in one sitting (they want this to show you can cope with the workload)? One is further maths, which is a bit dodgy as they may only count it as half, and it looks like you may only be doing History AS?. Still I think you'd still be interviewed if you got good AS UMS. There is a Cambridge admission tutor who posts on here so ask on their thread but I think they'll be quite interested in you, especially if you are doing other things relevant to economics apart from exams (work experience, read economics magazines etc).
If you are keener on Cambridge than economics apply for Land Economy, where there is less competition, and where they also study some economics.
Now you just have to think about what college test style would suit you http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/economics/index.php#Entry-Requirements
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by jcpimblett
Looking at applying for the Human, Social and Political Science course at Cambridge- with the aim of taking the Politics and IR route
GCSEs: 4A*, 5A, 1B, 1C (B in maths and C in French)
AS: Geography: A (100% UMS)
Govt and Politics: A (90% UMS)
English Literature A ( 93.5% UMS)
History: B (73% UMS with a C in one unit)
I've dropped History for A2, and I'm predicted A*,A*, A for my other three subjects, was just wondering if my average GCSE scores and my low B in AS history would seriously hinder my chance of an interview
GCSEs: 4A*, 5A, 1B, 1C (B in maths and C in French)
AS: Geography: A (100% UMS)
Govt and Politics: A (90% UMS)
English Literature A ( 93.5% UMS)
History: B (73% UMS with a C in one unit)
I've dropped History for A2, and I'm predicted A*,A*, A for my other three subjects, was just wondering if my average GCSE scores and my low B in AS history would seriously hinder my chance of an interview
Your GCSEs are fine and there is clear improvement from GCSE to AS. Your average is 94.5% which is over the autopooling threshold and thus you should get an interview
.Original post by towerfury
x
Your GCSEs are fine for Cambridge and you've shown clear improvement. I'm pretty sure that Cambridge do not count further maths as a 'half' A-level, as the poster above suggested, especially given its importance for economics.
Your chances of interview will largely depend on the percentages you got for the AS levels you've taken, so if you could provide those we'd be able to better assess your chances
.I think the fact you didn't do history in May/June may be a problem, however, there is a section in the SAQ where you can include difficulties in teaching that would definitely be worth doing in your case.
The poster above suggested applying for Land Economy, I wouldn't do this unless you want to do law and geography as well. Granted, the success rate is higher, but there's no point in applying for something you won't enjoy for 3 years, and if you've prepared for economics up until this point you won't have much extra reading to rely on for land ec.
(edited 9 years ago)
I got
279/300 for maths
277/300 for physics
247/300 for chemistry
197/200 for economics
Do I have a chance of an interview for physical natsci?
279/300 for maths
277/300 for physics
247/300 for chemistry
197/200 for economics
Do I have a chance of an interview for physical natsci?
Original post by ddss12
I got
279/300 for maths
277/300 for physics
247/300 for chemistry
197/200 for economics
Do I have a chance of an interview for physical natsci?
279/300 for maths
277/300 for physics
247/300 for chemistry
197/200 for economics
Do I have a chance of an interview for physical natsci?
93, 92.33, 82.33
You have a chance of interview yes
Original post by L'Evil Fish
93, 92.33, 82.33
You have a chance of interview yes
You have a chance of interview yes
Isn't my 89.22% too low for an interview?
Also if I do really good in my interview do I stand a chance of being made an offer, or do I stand no chance at all because of my low ums?
Original post by ddss12
Isn't my 89.22% too low for an interview?
Also if I do really good in my interview do I stand a chance of being made an offer, or do I stand no chance at all because of my low ums?
Also if I do really good in my interview do I stand a chance of being made an offer, or do I stand no chance at all because of my low ums?
You might still get an interview
You'd probably have to be very impressive at interview
Original post by ddss12
Isn't my 89.22% too low for an interview?
Also if I do really good in my interview do I stand a chance of being made an offer, or do I stand no chance at all because of my low ums?
Also if I do really good in my interview do I stand a chance of being made an offer, or do I stand no chance at all because of my low ums?
Someone at my college got AAB at AS and they got an interview. They got a D in one exam. All is still to play for.
Original post by ddss12
Isn't my 89.22% too low for an interview?
Also if I do really good in my interview do I stand a chance of being made an offer, or do I stand no chance at all because of my low ums?
Also if I do really good in my interview do I stand a chance of being made an offer, or do I stand no chance at all because of my low ums?
Hmmm I think you would get an interview unless it was an unusually competitive field. You would stand a chance of being made an offer, yes. If you take a look here, you'll see that people with UMS similar to yours have received offers, so an offer by no means out of reach.
Yes this is another 'are my grades good enough for Cambridge' thread, but any help would be appreciated.
And btw I'm also including Oxford(although less so due to their higher emphasis on GCSEs), UL, Durham, Imperial, Exeter and Edinburgh.
I'm hoping to read natural sciences/physics/computer science/maths
At GCSE I got 9As 2Bs, which I am aware is quite low for Oxbridge.
Maths- A
Physics A
Chemistry A
French A
Spanish A
Latin A
History A
English Lit A
English Lang B
Biology B
Religious studies A
FSMQ A
English Lang AS - B
Taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics, History all to A2. I know I'll need very high UMS, but with these GCSE results (relatively low in my class, with some people getting 11A*s, the majority getting about 4, but quite a bit above the average of my entire year) what are my chances?
Thanks
And btw I'm also including Oxford(although less so due to their higher emphasis on GCSEs), UL, Durham, Imperial, Exeter and Edinburgh.
I'm hoping to read natural sciences/physics/computer science/maths
At GCSE I got 9As 2Bs, which I am aware is quite low for Oxbridge.
Maths- A
Physics A
Chemistry A
French A
Spanish A
Latin A
History A
English Lit A
English Lang B
Biology B
Religious studies A
FSMQ A
English Lang AS - B
Taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics, History all to A2. I know I'll need very high UMS, but with these GCSE results (relatively low in my class, with some people getting 11A*s, the majority getting about 4, but quite a bit above the average of my entire year) what are my chances?
Thanks
I don't know whether or not I should apply to Cambridge for geography.
I'm from Trinidad and we do exams equivalent to A Levels and GCSEs but the grades are numerical. So a 1 in our exams is equivalent to an A at A level. I'm now on my gap year so I've completed both my as and a level. I did Geography, Biology, Environmental Science and the compulsory Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies. I got Grade 1s in all of them so in total I have 8 grade 1s. My problem comes with GCSEs, somebody was telling me that Oxbridge does pay attention to them and compared to what I've seen on TSR mine look mediocre. I got 6 1s and 2 2s so I'm not really sure how strong my chance of getting in is. My point is, should I bother applying? I know I won't know unless I try, but is it worth using up one of my options?
Also, my extracurriculars are decent, I joined a lot of school clubs and did some volunteering but I'm definitely not athletic so on that side, I have nothing.
Ps I did actually post this on a thread and I got a response but I'm looking for some more feedback
I'm from Trinidad and we do exams equivalent to A Levels and GCSEs but the grades are numerical. So a 1 in our exams is equivalent to an A at A level. I'm now on my gap year so I've completed both my as and a level. I did Geography, Biology, Environmental Science and the compulsory Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies. I got Grade 1s in all of them so in total I have 8 grade 1s. My problem comes with GCSEs, somebody was telling me that Oxbridge does pay attention to them and compared to what I've seen on TSR mine look mediocre. I got 6 1s and 2 2s so I'm not really sure how strong my chance of getting in is. My point is, should I bother applying? I know I won't know unless I try, but is it worth using up one of my options?
Also, my extracurriculars are decent, I joined a lot of school clubs and did some volunteering but I'm definitely not athletic so on that side, I have nothing.
Ps I did actually post this on a thread and I got a response but I'm looking for some more feedback
Original post by Platypus_on_fire
I don't know whether or not I should apply to Cambridge for geography.
I'm from Trinidad and we do exams equivalent to A Levels and GCSEs but the grades are numerical. So a 1 in our exams is equivalent to an A at A level. I'm now on my gap year so I've completed both my as and a level. I did Geography, Biology, Environmental Science and the compulsory Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies. I got Grade 1s in all of them so in total I have 8 grade 1s. My problem comes with GCSEs, somebody was telling me that Oxbridge does pay attention to them and compared to what I've seen on TSR mine look mediocre. I got 6 1s and 2 2s so I'm not really sure how strong my chance of getting in is. My point is, should I bother applying? I know I won't know unless I try, but is it worth using up one of my options?
Also, my extracurriculars are decent, I joined a lot of school clubs and did some volunteering but I'm definitely not athletic so on that side, I have nothing.
Ps I did actually post this on a thread and I got a response but I'm looking for some more feedback
I'm from Trinidad and we do exams equivalent to A Levels and GCSEs but the grades are numerical. So a 1 in our exams is equivalent to an A at A level. I'm now on my gap year so I've completed both my as and a level. I did Geography, Biology, Environmental Science and the compulsory Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies. I got Grade 1s in all of them so in total I have 8 grade 1s. My problem comes with GCSEs, somebody was telling me that Oxbridge does pay attention to them and compared to what I've seen on TSR mine look mediocre. I got 6 1s and 2 2s so I'm not really sure how strong my chance of getting in is. My point is, should I bother applying? I know I won't know unless I try, but is it worth using up one of my options?
Also, my extracurriculars are decent, I joined a lot of school clubs and did some volunteering but I'm definitely not athletic so on that side, I have nothing.
Ps I did actually post this on a thread and I got a response but I'm looking for some more feedback
Do you meet the requirements for your qualification type, for your chosen course ?
Also, the application deadline for Cambridge is October 15th incase you don't know
I'm about to start at Cambridge for MML.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Platypus_on_fire
I don't know whether or not I should apply to Cambridge for geography.
I'm from Trinidad and we do exams equivalent to A Levels and GCSEs but the grades are numerical. So a 1 in our exams is equivalent to an A at A level. I'm now on my gap year so I've completed both my as and a level. I did Geography, Biology, Environmental Science and the compulsory Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies. I got Grade 1s in all of them so in total I have 8 grade 1s. My problem comes with GCSEs, somebody was telling me that Oxbridge does pay attention to them and compared to what I've seen on TSR mine look mediocre. I got 6 1s and 2 2s so I'm not really sure how strong my chance of getting in is. My point is, should I bother applying? I know I won't know unless I try, but is it worth using up one of my options?
Also, my extracurriculars are decent, I joined a lot of school clubs and did some volunteering but I'm definitely not athletic so on that side, I have nothing.
Ps I did actually post this on a thread and I got a response but I'm looking for some more feedback
I'm from Trinidad and we do exams equivalent to A Levels and GCSEs but the grades are numerical. So a 1 in our exams is equivalent to an A at A level. I'm now on my gap year so I've completed both my as and a level. I did Geography, Biology, Environmental Science and the compulsory Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies. I got Grade 1s in all of them so in total I have 8 grade 1s. My problem comes with GCSEs, somebody was telling me that Oxbridge does pay attention to them and compared to what I've seen on TSR mine look mediocre. I got 6 1s and 2 2s so I'm not really sure how strong my chance of getting in is. My point is, should I bother applying? I know I won't know unless I try, but is it worth using up one of my options?
Also, my extracurriculars are decent, I joined a lot of school clubs and did some volunteering but I'm definitely not athletic so on that side, I have nothing.
Ps I did actually post this on a thread and I got a response but I'm looking for some more feedback
Go for it, you have a pretty good chance because of all those Grade 1's!
I do wish you all the best in that and hope you're successful.(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by polymath98
Yes this is another 'are my grades good enough for Cambridge' thread, but any help would be appreciated.
And btw I'm also including Oxford(although less so due to their higher emphasis on GCSEs), UL, Durham, Imperial, Exeter and Edinburgh.
I'm hoping to read natural sciences/physics/computer science/maths
At GCSE I got 9As 2Bs, which I am aware is quite low for Oxbridge.
Maths- A
Physics A
Chemistry A
French A
Spanish A
Latin A
History A
English Lit A
English Lang B
Biology B
Religious studies A
FSMQ A
English Lang AS - B
Taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics, History all to A2. I know I'll need very high UMS, but with these GCSE results (relatively low in my class, with some people getting 11A*s, the majority getting about 4, but quite a bit above the average of my entire year) what are my chances?
Thanks
And btw I'm also including Oxford(although less so due to their higher emphasis on GCSEs), UL, Durham, Imperial, Exeter and Edinburgh.
I'm hoping to read natural sciences/physics/computer science/maths
At GCSE I got 9As 2Bs, which I am aware is quite low for Oxbridge.
Maths- A
Physics A
Chemistry A
French A
Spanish A
Latin A
History A
English Lit A
English Lang B
Biology B
Religious studies A
FSMQ A
English Lang AS - B
Taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics, History all to A2. I know I'll need very high UMS, but with these GCSE results (relatively low in my class, with some people getting 11A*s, the majority getting about 4, but quite a bit above the average of my entire year) what are my chances?
Thanks
If you do well and get high UMS in your AS levels, I say go for it. If you show improvement upon your GCSE results, you have a better chance.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by AZ_97
Hi
The Cambridge Architecture website states that a candidate's average UMS score at AS level should be around 90% to be called for interview, and if it averages 85% or less, then they are 'very unlikely' to be called for interview.
Please let me know if you had an average of 85% or less, but still managed to get an interview (and at which College).
My average is 85%, though am predicted A*A*A at A level (at GCSE I achieved 8A* and 3A). I am confident about my personal statement, the quality of my Art portfolio and being able to demonstrate my enthusiasm for Architecture; but all this will count for nothing if the Admissions process means my AS scores prevents me from being called for interview.
I would also like to know if the Cambridge Architecture course is all you had hoped it to be.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Many thanks
The Cambridge Architecture website states that a candidate's average UMS score at AS level should be around 90% to be called for interview, and if it averages 85% or less, then they are 'very unlikely' to be called for interview.
Please let me know if you had an average of 85% or less, but still managed to get an interview (and at which College).
My average is 85%, though am predicted A*A*A at A level (at GCSE I achieved 8A* and 3A). I am confident about my personal statement, the quality of my Art portfolio and being able to demonstrate my enthusiasm for Architecture; but all this will count for nothing if the Admissions process means my AS scores prevents me from being called for interview.
I would also like to know if the Cambridge Architecture course is all you had hoped it to be.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Many thanks
I'm about to start studying MML so I can't give subject specific advice, but that is really quite low as a percentage. I say by all means try and apply, as you never know if you'll succeed, but don't hold your hopes up. The other option is to wait and see what you get at the end of A-Levels and apply then - bearing in mind that for science subjects, the requirements are now A*A*A and A*AA for arts, and that you really ought to have one more A* than the requirement to have a far better chance of an offer. They also still look at your UMS even after completing A-Level.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by SParm
I am; I do maths at Cambridge.
I am; I do maths at Cambridge.
Errrrr dubious statement, from what I've gathered you mostly sleep and refuse to answer when I try and get ahold of you...
Original post by ZaynahM
Right, I'm very intimidated by all of your grades! I'm applying to PBS
Mine are
English Lit: 181/200
Sociology: 162/200
Psychology: 145/200
Maths: 210/300 (I'm resitting a module)
I'm going to submit an extenuating circumstances form also, so my grades aren't the best they could be but I'm aiming for A*A*AA at the end of this year (ambitious yes, but oh well)
Mine are
English Lit: 181/200
Sociology: 162/200
Psychology: 145/200
Maths: 210/300 (I'm resitting a module)
I'm going to submit an extenuating circumstances form also, so my grades aren't the best they could be but I'm aiming for A*A*AA at the end of this year (ambitious yes, but oh well)
The ums average of your top three is only about 80%, which is low compared to most applicants. If your circumstances are really exceptional it might be worth a shot, but I wouldn't get your hopes up.
Sorry to not have good news
Original post by Veni Vidi Fugi
The ums average of your top three is only about 80%, which is low compared to most applicants. If your circumstances are really exceptional it might be worth a shot, but I wouldn't get your hopes up.
Sorry to not have good news
Sorry to not have good news
My circumstances have caused pretty severe disruption to my education in my ability to study and coping with school and exams so yeah
I'm considering applying for economics and was wondering what my chances of an interview would be , I have extremely weak gcse's compared to many applicants , with mostly B's and only a few A/A*. My as results on the other hand are 4 A's, in maths, further maths, economics and history (dropped history for A2). My average ums including history is 90 and excluding history is 91.2.
Original post by AF1997
I'm considering applying for economics and was wondering what my chances of an interview would be , I have extremely weak gcse's compared to many applicants , with mostly B's and only a few A/A*. My as results on the other hand are 4 A's, in maths, further maths, economics and history (dropped history for A2). My average ums including history is 90 and excluding history is 91.2.
You should get an interview with that average. Your GCSEs are on the low side, but you have shown clear improvement from GCSE-> AS which would count in your favour.
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