How important is it to have a "portfolio" of coding projects?

I have an A* in GCSE CompSci (which included coding projects), and A* in GCSE Maths. I'm predicted to get at least AAA in A Level - Maths, History and Physics or Further Maths depending on which of the two I choose to continue with for Y13. I'm planning on teaching myself the AS in CompSci this summer as it seems only a bit harder than GCSE and I have most of the knowledge already, so I don't really need a year of in-class time to get something like a B, I reckon.

How important is it to "wow" universities with extensive or above-average knowledge of coding? I know that usually no coding knowledge is assumed/required, but if I'm applying to a prestigious uni where most people will have grades as high as, or higher, than me, I assume it's almost essential to demonstrate some capacity for self-learning and proficiency within my chosen field. Question is, how essential is it really, and are there things apart from actually coding large projects, which I have very little time for, that I could do to show universities I am indeed a good candidate?

Not important for uni applications but for jobs or internships, it would help significantly if you had a github with some personal projects.

I guessed it's quite necessary for jobs and vocational education, but do Unis really not care that much about coding experience/ability?

Also, I assume you're speaking from experience - if I am correct and you did indeed apply for a CompSci or similar course, could you please share any tips on things I could do between now and next November to really make my application stand out? Any super/extra curricular things?

Thanks.

Many unis don't assume (and they specify as such) any prior programming knowledge.

I guessed it's quite necessary for jobs and vocational education, but do Unis really not care that much about coding experience/ability?

Also, I assume you're speaking from experience - if I am correct and you did indeed apply for a CompSci or similar course, could you please share any tips on things I could do between now and next November to really make my application stand out? Any super/extra curricular things?

Thanks.

Yeah, for jobs after uni and for summer internships during uni it's pretty important.

Nope they don't, pretty much all universities start from scratch in ther CS courses - you aren't assumed to have any knowledge. Also because CS unlike say Medicine is largely a theoretical subject (that just so happens to be loosely connected to programming), practical experience isn't crucial to learn the concepts. What would make your UCAS stand out would be reading books on CompSci - e.g. New Turing Omnibus, Code, Computational Fairy Tales etc - and commenting on them in your PS.

Indeed I did. Not much tbh, just make sure your Personal Statement is up to scratch and that you don't piss off your teachers so they don't give you a poor reference. If you're really inclined, maybe do a few codecademy courses just to get a feel for programming.

Good examples of maths ability and logic plus good results in both Maths and Further Maths would enhance your application. The best A level combination to get on to a good CS course would be Maths, Further Maths and Physics.

For application purposes actual achievement counts for more than knowledge although it wouldn't hurt your application if you self teach yourself a small amount of Java or Python.

I have an A* in GCSE CompSci (which included coding projects), and A* in GCSE Maths. I'm predicted to get at least AAA in A Level - Maths, History and Physics or Further Maths depending on which of the two I choose to continue with for Y13. I'm planning on teaching myself the AS in CompSci this summer as it seems only a bit harder than GCSE and I have most of the knowledge already, so I don't really need a year of in-class time to get something like a B, I reckon.

How important is it to "wow" universities with extensive or above-average knowledge of coding? I know that usually no coding knowledge is assumed/required, but if I'm applying to a prestigious uni where most people will have grades as high as, or higher, than me, I assume it's almost essential to demonstrate some capacity for self-learning and proficiency within my chosen field. Question is, how essential is it really, and are there things apart from actually coding large projects, which I have very little time for, that I could do to show universities I am indeed a good candidate?

At uni CompSci is more about the mathematical and theoretical side of it rather than your programming skills. However, that doesn't mean you should't learn a programming language, because when you come to apply for a computer science related job you would need to proficient in at least 2 languages to stand a chance. So i recommend, as well as focusing on getting into Uni(by showing your passion and ability in CompSci), you should learn a programming language to enhance your problem solving abilities in which you can showcase on github to impress employers.

Hope this helps