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Are my GCSE grades good enough for me to study law at uni/become a lawyer?

First off, this is my first post on here. I have no idea what I'm doing or whether I'm doing it right, but I'm going with it anyway...

So, on Thursday I recieved my GCSE results. In total I got 7As, 1B and 2Cs. Obviously this is a decent set of results, but I know that law is a competitive field. I was wondering whether I'd be required to have A*s/ no Cs to be accepted to do law? Overall, how high do you think my chances are of it happening? My grades were:

A - English Language
A - English Literature
A - Maths
A - Additional Science
A - History
A - Ethics
A - Art
B - Core Science
C - Spanish
C - Drama

Right now I'm planning on doing combined English, History, Psychology and Drama at A-Level. You may find it strange that I'm taking Drama despite my average grade (when I could be taking a subject I got an A in) but I really enjoy drama and I do want to take a 'soft' subject that I know I'll enjoy. (Obviously, if I don't do very well at it I'll drop it, because you only need 3 A-Levels anyway). So yeah, any advice on this would be very helpful :smile:


Posted from TSR Mobile
I'd be interested to know what people think but I think that these grades are pretty good. Are you hoping to get accepted into Oxbridge ?


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Reply 2
I'd consider Oxbridge but I'm not set on it, I'd be happy with any Russell Group university. I've heard that you need real top GCSEs, mostly A*s-As to get into Oxbridge so I doubt I'd make the cut but it may be that GCSE results aren't all that important in the grand scheme of things if you do well in A-Levels. Thanks for the response!


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(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 3
Original post by MR.ANONYMOUS 786
I'd be interested to know what people think but I think that these grades are pretty good. Are you hoping to get accepted into Oxbridge ?


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Sorry, just posted a response to this without quoting as I didn't realise I could. Still figuring this thing out haha...


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Original post by anna.fray
First off, this is my first post on here. I have no idea what I'm doing or whether I'm doing it right, but I'm going with it anyway...

So, on Thursday I recieved my GCSE results. In total I got 7As, 1B and 2Cs. Obviously this is a decent set of results, but I know that law is a competitive field. I was wondering whether I'd be required to have A*s/ no Cs to be accepted to do law? Overall, how high do you think my chances are of it happening? My grades were:

A - English Language
A - English Literature
A - Maths
A - Additional Science
A - History
A - Ethics
A - Art
B - Core Science
C - Spanish
C - Drama

Right now I'm planning on doing combined English, History, Psychology and Drama at A-Level. You may find it strange that I'm taking Drama despite my average grade (when I could be taking a subject I got an A in) but I really enjoy drama and I do want to take a 'soft' subject that I know I'll enjoy. (Obviously, if I don't do very well at it I'll drop it, because you only need 3 A-Levels anyway). So yeah, any advice on this would be very helpful :smile:


Posted from TSR Mobile


These aren't stunning but they're probably good enough. I think your A-level predictions / final A-level grades will be more important to getting on to an LLB programme / getting a job, respectively.*
Reply 5
Original post by anna.fray
First off, this is my first post on here. I have no idea what I'm doing or whether I'm doing it right, but I'm going with it anyway...


Welcome to The Student Room! I hope you enjoy your stay.

Original post by anna.fray
I was wondering whether I'd be required to have A*s/ no Cs to be accepted to do law? Overall, how high do you think my chances are of it happening?


GCSE results are not commonly used for university offer's - in fact, they are rarely used to distinguish top candidates.

GCSE results are used for sixth form's, or colleges, to determine whether you have the motivation and knowledge to progress further to A-level study. Essentially, the largest influence on your university's offer is your A-level grades.

Think of GCSE results as a stepping stone. They are used to move closer to university, by first, studying A-level. The purpose of GCSE results is to determine what options are available to you at A-Level. So, as long as the options you want to study at A-level is available from your GCSE results - then you're fine.

Oxbridge, as an example, can consider GCSE results - but that is only if you do not meet your A-level offer, or, if there are many competitive places - where they can distinguish candidates by their GCSE results.

In my experience, I am shortly applying for a Master's at Oxford - and they require no knowledge of GCSE's or A-levels, because my degree is the most important at that stage.

Now, to reinforce my point above, here is a direct quote from Oxford's website regarding GCSE results - which I assume is the same for all universities. (Link: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/entrance-requirements?wssl=1).

From Oxford's Website: "We do not have any specific requirements for GCSE grades, though higher grades can help to make your application more competitive".

In summary, the A-level results that you achieve will be the largest factor in the university's offer; where your GCSE results determine what A-levels are available for you to choose. Think of it as your most recent, and highest qualification achievement, is the one that forms the basis of your university offer.

Hope this helps.
(edited 7 years ago)

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