University with bad GCSES

GCSES : 77776653 + Distinction
Interested Unis : UCL,KCL,UON,UOM,Bristol and Warwick for Law

I know my GCSEs aren’t necessarily terrible but I was wondering if they were enough to get me into these unis for law?

Reply 1

normaw

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Universities Forum Helper

Original post by Idigzz

If you meet the GCSE requirements for these courses (check the Entry Requirements section on the course web pages), and your predicted grades and personal statement are good enough, then you have a chance of an offer. Nobody can tell you if you will receive offers. Have a read of the following:

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/university/apply/how-to-avoid-getting-five-university-rejections

Reply 2

McGinger

Whilst many Unis will have either specific GCSE requirements (typically Maths and/or English or something like 'at least 5 GCSEs at grade 6 and above' etc etc) your A level grades are FAR more important - and for top Unis for Law, your LNAT score.

Bristol as one example scores Law applications as GCSE 20% | A-Level 40% | LNAT 40% - in this situation your GCSEs are not the deal-breaker but your LNAT score could be.

Finally - you will need to include one 'lower grade' Uni choice as 'all top Unis' for a competitive subject like Law is too risky.
Look at Liverpool, Sussex, Cardiff etc.

Reply 3

Lttale

Original post by Idigzz

GCSES : 77776653 + Distinction
Interested Unis : UCL,KCL,UON,UOM,Bristol and Warwick for Law
I know my GCSEs aren’t necessarily terrible but I was wondering if they were enough to get me into these unis for law?

Definitely have a look at whether unis look at GCSEs, I would say put one if not two safer ones in there.

I slightly disagree with the above comment - I think going for Bristol might be risky due to the weight they give GCSEs, not because yours are awful, because they're not, but because there's a lot of competition, so you'll probably need to outperform people in other areas by quite a way. It wouldn't be a deal-breaker, LNAT definitely would be, but because they place so much on grades, you'd need really good predicteds anyway, too.

Also, UCL requires at least a 6 in both maths and English, so if you don't have that, I wouldn't apply, unless there are extenuating circumstances or any contextual considerations, of course.

Just a further point, as well, these grades are unlikely to get you in to all these unis - I don't mean this in a demotivating way. There are lots of other factors, having a poor lnat can hurt your chances a lot, or you might not have quite the personal statement they are looking for. The unis that you are interested in are incredibly competitive and often get thousands of applicants for their law courses each year.

Your grades shouldn't do you a disservice for most of those unis - although many stipulate a 5/6 at least in maths and English, so that's worth checking if you don't meet that. Put a safer uni in the mix and you should do fine.

Best of luck with your choices.

Reply 4

Idigzz

Original post by Lttale

Definitely have a look at whether unis look at GCSEs, I would say put one if not two safer ones in there.
I slightly disagree with the above comment - I think going for Bristol might be risky due to the weight they give GCSEs, not because yours are awful, because they're not, but because there's a lot of competition, so you'll probably need to outperform people in other areas by quite a way. It wouldn't be a deal-breaker, LNAT definitely would be, but because they place so much on grades, you'd need really good predicteds anyway, too.
Also, UCL requires at least a 6 in both maths and English, so if you don't have that, I wouldn't apply, unless there are extenuating circumstances or any contextual considerations, of course.
Just a further point, as well, these grades are unlikely to get you in to all these unis - I don't mean this in a demotivating way. There are lots of other factors, having a poor lnat can hurt your chances a lot, or you might not have quite the personal statement they are looking for. The unis that you are interested in are incredibly competitive and often get thousands of applicants for their law courses each year.
Your grades shouldn't do you a disservice for most of those unis - although many stipulate a 5/6 at least in maths and English, so that's worth checking if you don't meet that. Put a safer uni in the mix and you should do fine.
Best of luck with your choices.

I have a 7 in mathematics and literature and a 6 in English language, I’m no longer considering Bristol due to the 20% weight they hold over GCSEs but still considering UCL. I also have extenuating circumstances for these results, would this impact anything? Additionally, I’m in a program with QMUL which gives me a guaranteed BBB offer whilst applying so I was thinking of making this my safety option and applying to Kings, Warwick, Nottingham and possibly UCL/Manchester as aspirations.

Reply 5

desperate-peculi

Original post by Idigzz

GCSES : 77776653 + Distinction
Interested Unis : UCL,KCL,UON,UOM,Bristol and Warwick for Law
I know my GCSEs aren’t necessarily terrible but I was wondering if they were enough to get me into these unis for law?

The competition for UCL and KCL is intense and a lot of their candidates apply with very high GCSEs, same with Warwick. Plus the added hurdle of the large number of international students that apply. That being said, it's not impossible for you to get an offer, but just know that you will be up against some strong competition. If you think you can bring up your A-level predicted grades to the grades that these courses ask for, and think you can get a good LNAT score, then it's definitely worth applying.

This spreadsheet has an extensive list of offers people have received for 2024 entry. It's worth having a look at the stats other people applied with (GCSE and A-level grades) to see what the competition is like.

Responses to r/6thform offers spreadsheet - Google Sheets

(edited 3 weeks ago)

Reply 6

Lttale

Original post by Idigzz

I asked about extenuating circumstances, because if you have proof, many unis note that this will be taken into account, and can mean that they won't hold you to as strict as standard, which is worth checking.

Does QMUL require you to put them as the firm in order to get that offer?

I think if QMUL can offer BBB, that's safe enough, just try not to stress yourself out. I'm currently at KCL for law, but all my applications were 3 A's and above, which really took a toll on me. Although, saying that, don't compromise, within reason, on where you want to go. It's advisable to put somewhere lower (as an offer of BBB would be from QMUL), but try to make sure it's somewhere you still actually want to go.

Best of luck with everything. Good luck for the lnat, too.