Deferred entry or Apply with actual grades

I got predicted AAB however the universities I want to apply to are A*AA-AAA and I want to take a gap year. Should I apply this year with predicted and defer my entry. Or should I re-apply next year with my actual grades. If I do reapply then I would also want to apply to Cambridge as that is a realistic option for me however if I defer I will not as I do not have enough time for early entry plus my predicted grades. I am definitely leaning towards reapplying as I believe I can get at least three A's in my final exam (so do my teachers) but I was just wondering if this is a foolish option. Should I just apply now and defer for safety/security reasons? Thank you for any replies!

If you’re dead set on Cambridge then I’d say apply next year with the grades already in hand. That way you know whether you’ve got what they’re asking for and it’ll also take some pressure off of you this year. The application process is very intense for Oxbridge.

I got predicted AAB however the universities I want to apply to are A*AA-AAA and I want to take a gap year. Should I apply this year with predicted and defer my entry. Or should I re-apply next year with my actual grades. If I do reapply then I would also want to apply to Cambridge as that is a realistic option for me however if I defer I will not as I do not have enough time for early entry plus my predicted grades. I am definitely leaning towards reapplying as I believe I can get at least three A's in my final exam (so do my teachers) but I was just wondering if this is a foolish option. Should I just apply now and defer for safety/security reasons? Thank you for any replies!

Apply next year with your actual grades. Then you will know whether applying to A*AA/AAA unis is realistic or unrealistic. At the moment there seems to be some doubt in the matter as it is curious that your teachers predicted you AAB if you are likely to get AAA or higher.
What you may not know is that the vast majority of teachers err on the side of generosity with predicted grades. They like to give their students the benefit of the doubt, which is why the A level results this year were the highest ever. So while it's possible to go from AAB predictions to A*AA, it more often goes the other way in the exams.

So I suggest that you either apply to predominantly AAB unis this year, or apply next year with actual grades if you have good reason to believe your predicted B grade is unfair.