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Applying for PPE at Oxford

What would be the likelihood of me getting into Oxford for PPE studying Maths Physics and Economics?
I am planning to take a gap year and apply with my achieved grades would this affect my chances?

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Original post by zBreadboy
What would be the likelihood of me getting into Oxford for PPE studying Maths Physics and Economics?
I am planning to take a gap year and apply with my achieved grades would this affect my chances?

sorry, but can I ask how you'd apply?

I'm also gonna take a gap year, but is it your previous college that is responsible to sending it off?
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Original post by AsKim
sorry, but can I ask how you'd apply?

I'm also gonna take a gap year, but is it your previous college that is responsible to sending it off?

I think if you take a gap year you are responsible with dealing with all of that. If you talk to your school they may help.

Im gonna need to take a gap year. Messed up this year my predicted aren't looking good. Going for 3 A*s next year and apply with them.
Original post by zBreadboy
I think if you take a gap year you are responsible with dealing with all of that. If you talk to your school they may help.

Im gonna need to take a gap year. Messed up this year my predicted aren't looking good. Going for 3 A*s next year and apply with them.

ah okay cool, but will I need to get things like a buzz code from my previous code beforehand? and then obviously process it by myself right?
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Original post by AsKim
ah okay cool, but will I need to get things like a buzz code from my previous code beforehand? and then obviously process it by myself right?

im in the same position as you. Im not too sure myself. Definitely need to ask your school.
for PPE they view and weigh achieved A-levels equally with predicted A-levels unlike at Cambridge where irrespective of course if you get 3A*s achieved you must be interviewed and then pooled. So fyi if you are reapplying with 3 A*s achieved and had 3 A*s predicted then there won't be much of a difference if you couldn't get to interview (unless you do better on TSA). Just an FYI not saying you applied before or anything. gl
https://www.ppe.ox.ac.uk/files/ppeadmissions2020-21furtherstatisticsfinalpdf
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Original post by leviticus.
for PPE they view and weigh achieved A-levels equally with predicted A-levels unlike at Cambridge where irrespective of course if you get 3A*s achieved you must be interviewed and then pooled. So fyi if you are reapplying with 3 A*s achieved and had 3 A*s predicted then there won't be much of a difference if you couldn't get to interview (unless you do better on TSA). Just an FYI not saying you applied before or anything. gl
https://www.ppe.ox.ac.uk/files/ppeadmissions2020-21furtherstatisticsfinalpdf

Thank you for your reply. Im not applying for Oxford this year. I have only recently wanted to go Oxford. Started researching past few weeks. My predicted aren't the best right now. Im going for 3 A*s next year and applying with them.
(edited 2 years ago)
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Original post by leviticus.
for PPE they view and weigh achieved A-levels equally with predicted A-levels unlike at Cambridge where irrespective of course if you get 3A*s achieved you must be interviewed and then pooled. So fyi if you are reapplying with 3 A*s achieved and had 3 A*s predicted then there won't be much of a difference if you couldn't get to interview (unless you do better on TSA). Just an FYI not saying you applied before or anything. gl
https://www.ppe.ox.ac.uk/files/ppeadmissions2020-21furtherstatisticsfinalpdf

would my GCSEs be good enough for PPE. I got 9999887764. The 4 was in German and the 6 was in Art
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by zBreadboy
would my GCSEs be good enough for PPE. I got 9999887764. The 4 was in German and the 6 was in Art

I heard that GCSEs wouldn't matter once you achieve A-level grades, since it is only an indicator of whether achieving the predicted grades or not
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Original post by AsKim
I heard that GCSEs wouldn't matter once you achieve A-level grades, since it is only an indicator of whether achieving the predicted grades or not

oh alright thank you. Are you also looking to apply for Oxford?
Original post by AsKim
I heard that GCSEs wouldn't matter once you achieve A-level grades, since it is only an indicator of whether achieving the predicted grades or not

this is untrue, oxford uses GCSEs as a part of an algorithm for shortlisting in some subjects and is vital for others, please don't spread misinformation. Medicine for example, uses 50% GCSEs and 50% BMAT, they don't even consider what your A-level grades are for shortlisting to interview.
Original post by zBreadboy
would my GCSEs be good enough for PPE. I got 9999887764. The 4 was in German and the 6 was in Art

Short answer: Probably not. Long answer: Depends, if you meet any of the context flags you will get an interview if you do well enough on the TSA, also Oxford look at something called cGCSE which is a score for gcses depending on how your school performed. Read this: https://www.ppe.ox.ac.uk/files/ppeadmissions2020-21informationforapplicantsfinalv2pdf for more information.
Original post by zBreadboy
Thank you for your reply. Im not applying for Oxford this year. I have only recently wanted to go Oxford. Started researching past few weeks. My predicted aren't the best right now. Im going for 3 A*s next year and applying with them.

Having 3A*s achieved will help a lot and perhaps offset some of the GCSEs as long as you do really well on the TSA.
Original post by leviticus.
this is untrue, oxford uses GCSEs as a part of an algorithm for shortlisting in some subjects and is vital for others, please don't spread misinformation. Medicine for example, uses 50% GCSEs and 50% BMAT, they don't even consider what your A-level grades are for shortlisting to interview.

of course, very competitive courses like medicine would take them into account, but I've seen some people who got into Oxford with poor GCSE in less competitive courses
Original post by AsKim
of course, very competitive courses like medicine would take them into account, but I've seen some people who got into Oxford with poor GCSE in less competitive courses

Each department has their own shortlisting criteria (and also other factors like contextual gcses play a part too) some subjects are less GCSE heavy than others. PPE is one of the most GCSE-centric afaik, read the link i attached in my prev message, people with 5 A*s achieved or predicted didn't get interviews and for the sake of shortlisting oxford sees predicted A-levels as the same as achieved ones unlike Cambridge who guarantee you an interview with A*A*A* and guarantee pooling. Chemistry is one of the less competitive courses at Oxford and yet still uses GCSEs a fair bit, its one of the aspects that are used to score applicants out of 5: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/418434/response/1021097/attach/2/Pattison%20Ltr%20and%20Information.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1
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Original post by leviticus.
Short answer: Probably not. Long answer: Depends, if you meet any of the context flags you will get an interview if you do well enough on the TSA, also Oxford look at something called cGCSE which is a score for gcses depending on how your school performed. Read this: https://www.ppe.ox.ac.uk/files/ppeadmissions2020-21informationforapplicantsfinalv2pdf for more information.

Having 3A*s achieved will help a lot and perhaps offset some of the GCSEs as long as you do really well on the TSA.

I have seen somewhere that Oxford only look at the top 8 gcses. Wouldn't 99998877 be enough. Im also planning to do an epq. would this help my chances.
Original post by zBreadboy
I have seen somewhere that Oxford only look at the top 8 gcses. Wouldn't 99998877 be enough. Im also planning to do an epq. would this help my chances.

you saw wrong for PPE they count how many 8/9 grades you have. Top 8 gcses is used for other subjects. The epq won't help in terms of making you look any better but is a strong super curricular to put on your personal statement - this itself is a low priority for Oxford PPE. Did you read the links i posted? They're from oxford themselves.
this is kind of irrelevant point, but FYI for subjects like biology and geography, if you have A*AA achieved not predicted, you are automatically shortlisted irrespective of GCSEs, but this rule does only apply for a few subjects
Original post by azby1098
this is kind of irrelevant point, but FYI for subjects like biology and geography, if you have A*AA achieved not predicted, you are automatically shortlisted irrespective of GCSEs, but this rule does only apply for a few subjects

may I ask where I could find the information?
Reply 18
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Original post by leviticus.
you saw wrong for PPE they count how many 8/9 grades you have. Top 8 gcses is used for other subjects. The epq won't help in terms of making you look any better but is a strong super curricular to put on your personal statement - this itself is a low priority for Oxford PPE. Did you read the links i posted? They're from oxford themselves.

Okay thank you. Yes I read the link you sent. I wasn't too sure on the GCSEs though. So you think 3 A*s in a level and an epq. 9999887764 at GCSEs and reading numerous books (linked to PPE) and entering essay competitions. Doing societies at my school to put in my personal statement won't be enough to give me a chance at PPE at Oxford. Will a high score in the TSA help to compensate for my GCSEs if I don't have enough 8s and 9s.
Another question won't me applying with achieved grades change anything. If I have already met the entry requirements.

Sorry for so many questions. Just really want to get in. Thank you for your help
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by zBreadboy
Okay thank you. Yes I read the link you sent. I wasn't too sure on the GCSEs though. So you think 3 A*s in a level and an epq. 9999887764 at GCSEs and reading numerous books (linked to PPE) and entering essay competitions. Doing societies at my school to put in my personal statement won't be enough to give me a chance at PPE at Oxford. Will a high score in the TSA help to compensate for my GCSEs if I don't have enough 8s and 9s.
Another question won't me applying with achieved grades change anything. If I have already met the entry requirements.

Sorry for so many questions. Just really want to get in. Thank you for your help

Your personal statement is very low priority for PPE shortlisting - some colleges won't even bother reading it. As a result they won't know about these extra things unless they're on your teacher reference and even then, the grades are the most important factor so the reference won't even knock this out. Its just a very standardised and ordered application process to the point at which its almost robotic for shortlisting. Your TSA can, however, completely compensate for them - and it does for a lot of people i suspect. Problem is, the TSA can be incredibly difficult for some people, and easier for others but will require a lot of effort. As an A*A*A*A* student in STEM subjects, I can safely say that Oxbridge admissions tests are personally more difficult than anything I've encountered. Some will agree with me, some disagree, but do not bank on the fact that your TSA can bail you out as you will need an exceptionally high score. - if your cGSCSE score isn't positive enough, you have 0 context flags, you might need a TSA score close to the top 85-90% but this is completely baseless guesstimate but you will need a p high score since oxford have highlighted exactly how they shortlist.

Applying with achieved grades doesn't differentiate you over predicted grades at Oxford since they will view both the same (for shortlisting, post interview they could but you need to get to that stage first lol, it is entirely possible that your achieved 3 A*s will buy you a level of leeway at this point but getting here will be an issue.) Achieved grades only help you for shortlisting if you were predicted less than that and overachieved (oxford do see A*A*A* predictions as better than AAA as shown on the document and will weigh accordingly but more focus on GCSEs and cGCSEs/TSA)
If you can absolutely crush the TSA then yeah you got a good shot though, my main point is you're already at a disadvantage. But I'm just some guy, crush the TSA and prove me wrong lol - just wanted to give you the cold data. There are similar courses at Cambridge where 3 A*s achieved will get you far though: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/707794/response/1693277/attach/3/FOI%202020%20851%20Williams%20materials.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1

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