I was predicted 3xA*, A*A*A seems doable but got rejected from all my choices but York Uni (offer is 3 As), which is understandable as I made some (in hindsight) poor choices. (Applied for Computing at: Cambridge, St Andrews, ICL, Edinburgh, York).
If I were to take a gap year and reapply, I'd apply to some easier to get into places and redo my personal statement but York does seem like a good university. To be honest, I'd rather not wait another year before starting uni but I feel I could've applied somewhere better such as Durham, Exeter or Bristol.
If you took a gap year for a similar reason I'd be grateful if you could share your experience, advice etc. Did you do a work placement during it and/or spend a long time working on things to add to your personal statement? Did you still feel motivated to study after a year away from it all? Did you manage to get into somewhere better?