Extenuating Circumstances.

So in 2017, my brother was diagnosed with a mental illness (mania) and sectioned a few months prior to my GCSE examinations─ He was doing drugs and partying constantly. Naturally, the situation at home wasn't very good. I myself started to feel depressed following what happened and my mother wasn't doing so well . I had lost motivation to do work and the environment at home was grim. But i kept going... However, around April/May he was released and moved back in. He came back on medications such as anti-depressants and sleeping pills and so he drifted into this phase of depression and staying in the room all the time, in the dark. At the time, I shared a room with him but couldn't say anything since I felt sorry for my brother and it was taboo to talk about such things in my family which was very religious. I remember in May, going into exams feeling depressed and not revising as much as I should have.

I was a student predicted Straight A*s/8s and 9s but I ended up achieving 8,7,7,a*,a,a,a,a,b,b which isn't bad, however, any hopes of getting into medical schools such as Oxford or Birmingham have been shattered.

I feel as though my performance was not representative of what I could have achieved, and I'm not sure if this counts as an extenuating circumstance─ i can provide all the evidence needed.

It's a situation which carries on even until this day, my brother was sectioned once again in April.

Any information on how extenuating circumstances work would be valued.

Thank you.

So in 2017, my brother was diagnosed with a mental illness (mania) and sectioned a few months prior to my GCSE examinations─ He was doing drugs and partying constantly. Naturally, the situation at home wasn't very good. I myself started to feel depressed following what happened and my mother wasn't doing so well . I had lost motivation to do work and the environment at home was grim. But i kept going... However, around April/May he was released and moved back in. He came back on medications such as anti-depressants and sleeping pills and so he drifted into this phase of depression and staying in the room all the time, in the dark. At the time, I shared a room with him but couldn't say anything since I felt sorry for my brother and it was taboo to talk about such things in my family which was very religious. I remember in May, going into exams feeling depressed and not revising as much as I should have.

I was a student predicted Straight A*s/8s and 9s but I ended up achieving 8,7,7,a*,a,a,a,a,b,b which isn't bad, however, any hopes of getting into medical schools such as Oxford or Birmingham have been shattered.



I feel as though my performance was not representative of what I could have achieved, and I'm not sure if this counts as an extenuating circumstance─ i can provide all the evidence needed.

It's a situation which carries on even until this day, my brother was sectioned once again in April.

Any information on how extenuating circumstances work would be valued.

Thank you.

Cambridge does not mind how you do in GCSEs if there is a good reason