i applied in the late nineties... Believe me, it wasn't a complete walk in the park, but yes, it was different. Yes, there were no entrance tests. No, in fact work experience and volunteering were very much needed. I definitely needed more than 5Cs at GCSE - I remember all my my universities stipulating a certain number of As. Yes, my offers were lower - I got 4 offers, and 2 were AAB and 2 were ABB. I think A-levels were different then too - I wouldn't go as far as saying they were harder per se, but getting an A was a big deal and not many people got As. I got AAA at A-level and that was pretty unusual babck then, even in the selective school that I was in. I'm thankful that. although I paid tuition fees, it was £1k/yr rather than the current rates.
Interviews were still tough - can still remember parts of mine, 20 years on!
Remember too that 20 years ago, we didn't have the wealth of internet and forum resources that you have now - that was MUCH harder. Trying to do research on universities, their requirements, the hidden-between-the-lines stuff, getting others' opinions - it was a very differen time when you couldn't just search the internet and get piles of immediate, relevant information...
Different times, probably easier in some ways but harder in others.