Do universities look at A level results?

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I think only one university (KCL) asked me to list my A-levels. Otherwise Cambridge, Imperial, UCL and QMUL did not ask for any other detail beyond my degree.

If a university does ask for it, I doubt it would have much bearing on the outcome of your application.

Oh yeah, KCL had this annoying thing where you had to fill all your subjects + marks you took at school. It really pissed me off cause in my country we had 18 modules and I could not even remember my marks in every single one of them so I just put my average mark and wrote "variety of subjects including ... " and listed the most important ones...

Reply 21

Nero213

Not really but they can affect your placement. Best to meet the uni`s requirment grades, therefore you won't need to worry :smile:

No.

Original post by Nero213

Not really but they can affect your placement. Best to meet the uni`s requirment grades, therefore you won't need to worry :smile:

What??

As far as I can make out we have at least two high school kids here answering questions about postgrad admissions...

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 24

lucas13

maybe but it mostly depends on your undergraduate result

Reply 25

nulli tertius

Original post by hobnob

Apart from the residency / nationality stuff, though, which is obviously visa-related, can you seriously imagine any university collecting this kind of information for any other reason than to compile statistics about the sort of applicants they get?

No I can't, though surprisingly they don't ask the selective/non-selective/private/overseas question, the answer to which won't be obvious when one is dealing with mature students and defunct/merged schools.

Reply 26

Nero213

Original post by sj27

What??

As far as I can make out we have at least two high school kids here answering questions about postgrad admissions...

Haha it was worth a shot :smile:

Seriously thought, they do consider your A level results. They are important in showing your meeting the requirments of the university and are the background to support your UCAS form with your college`s reference and your P.S.

Reply 27

sj27

Original post by Nero213

Haha it was worth a shot :smile:

This is postgraduate, not undergrad. You don't apply via UCAS and most postgrad application forms don't even ask for A-level/high school grades. You are required usually to provide undergrad transcript (and masters if applicable), academic references from university professors/tutors and often a research proposal (always for PhD, sometimes for master's) as well as a personal statement. Academic requirements are set by what you obtained in your undergrad/master's degree, not A-levels. So seriously, no they don't!

Reply 28

AishaTara

They may. My mum who has a PhD (got it from Cambridge) when she applies for research based jobs or lecturing posts she has had to state even her gcse grades :/ which I find irrelevant but they do not sure why, I think its just to see subjects she studied, maybe a long term strong academic application or something :s-smilie:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 29

Nero213

Original post by sj27

Oh thanks for the information LOL! But they do consider your undergraduate degree such as a : 2:1 :wink:

Reply 30

sj27

Original post by Nero213

Oh thanks for the information LOL! But they do consider your undergraduate degree such as a : 2:1 :wink:

Yes

. That will be the academic requirements they look at.

Reply 31

hobnob

Original post by AishaTara

I'd like you to show me one ad for a lecturing post that specifies applicants need to state their GCSEs. :s-smilie:

Reply 32

AishaTara

Original post by hobnob

I'd like you to show me one ad for a lecturing post that specifies applicants need to state their GCSEs. :s-smilie:

dunno it was for UCL uni
I'm not going to search for a lecturing post im just stating what my mums experience had
even my dad has to show his o-level english ( as he dropped it after 16) and he did at cambridge

Reply 33

sj27

Regardless of what certain lecturing posts apparently ask for, the OP's question was for postgrad admission. It stands to reason that if the application forms don't ask for A-levels they don't care about them.

Edit: wasted some time googling UCL lectureships. They generally asked for a PhD, publications, cv, sometimes referees. Found the job application form http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/docs/download_forms/job_app.doc. If you look at the educational qualifications section, it asks to list these relevant to the application. I can't think many people would consider high school relevant here?

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 34

poohat

No university lectureship is going to even care what you got in your undergraduate degree (2:1 vs first etc) unless you were something ridiculous like Senior Wrangler at Cambridge, let alone about your high school grades

Its possible that an application form will have a section for grades, but noone who is interviewing you is going to bother looking at it. That UCL application form above is a generic one which will be given to anyone applying to any position at UCL, probably including secretaries and admin staff. Your lectureship application would be judged purely based on your academic CV, and noone will mention their high school background on this.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 35

nulli tertius

Original post by poohat

This is the curse of the HR department.

However if a form asks for them, I don't think many will be brave enough to omit the details just in case HR filters for compliance before the paperwork gets anywhere near an academic recruitment panel.

Reply 36

Hanshen

Original post by hobnob

I'd like you to show me one ad for a lecturing post that specifies applicants need to state their GCSEs. :s-smilie:

This.

My mother is a clinical professor and I have a copy of her CV (she's applying for a new job at the moment funnily enough). It definitely doesn't include anything prior to her first degree. I think at that level, teaching/clinical experience, specialisation, fellowships, memberships, awards, publications, and PhD/MD research matter a tad more than O-levels.

Reply 37

hobnob

Original post by AishaTara

What I meant was that (as nulli tertius indicated in his last post), there's a difference between having a generic application form that allows you to state GCSEs (among other things), and explicitly asking someone in their mid- to late thirties, who has done a great deal of far more relevant things since, to put down grades for a qualification they took some 20 years earlier. I can believe that your mother stated her GCSEs in her application for a lecturing post, but I don't for a moment believe that UCL ever actually wanted them.

Reply 38

abdullahmir10

Thank you so much everyone for all your input. Really appreciate it. :smile:

The thing is that i got an AABB in my AS. And i have now got an unconditional offer to do my undergraduate, which i have firmed. I am still sitting for my A2 exams, but to be honest i am not at all motivated to study for them.

Its probably because i know that there's a university i will be going to for my undergrad regardless of what i get now. Which is why i am not as motivated as i was last year.

I just wanted to know if, me not really studying as much for A2 is justifiable?

From all your comments i understood that Postgraduate universities don't look at A level results. So even if i don't get good grades in A2, they won't come back to haunt me. I can give it my all at undergrad then.

Had my offer been conditional rather than unconditional, i would have definitely been motivated!

I wanted to ask you to make sure because i just can't get myself to study for these exams.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 39

flying plum

Do them just in case. Not because of postgrad, but other things. I have heard stories - though on this board so who knows if it's true - of some overly competitive grad schemes using a levels as an additional hr filter. You don't know what you're going to want to do in three years time. Use your uncond offer (congrats) to take the pressure off, and just do your best :smile:

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