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exceeding predicted grades

hello
are predicted grades very important? if not, what will the tutors look at as the most SIGNIFICANT factor of an offer?

it seems very unfair, if a student gets rejected by oxbridge (or in fact any other university) simply because his predicted grades were not AAA, when in fact he gets AAA for the actual exams.
how is this situation dealt with, or is it just "tough luck" if a student has poor predicted grades?

Reply 1

Willa

11

candystrippa

hello
are predicted grades very important? if not, what will the tutors look at as the most SIGNIFICANT factor of an offer?

it seems very unfair, if a student gets rejected by oxbridge (or in fact any other university) simply because his predicted grades were not AAA, when in fact he gets AAA for the actual exams.
how is this situation dealt with, or is it just "tough luck" if a student has poor predicted grades?

they will look at what you got at AS Level, and how you perform at interview, and probably form their own predictions for your A Level results. If you dont have a straight A prediction, they'll judge that for themselves probably.

Reply 2

Camford

12

I've been told that the offers you receive, if you receive an offer, is something that you should be able to get. I guess that's kind of predicted grades.

Reply 3

grumballcake

8

candystrippa

what will the tutors look at as the most SIGNIFICANT factor of an offer?

It's all about what they perceive as your potential. Oxford did a study which showed that two things were the most significant for getting an offer: GCSE scores and performance in Oxford's own tests. However, around 33% was down to other factors, like the interview, school report etc. Oxford will use predicted grades because if your school doesn't think you'll make AAA after teaching you for a few years, how will Oxford guess so much better after an hour of interviewing?

If you don't get an offer, but score high AAA grades you could consider reapplying in the following year. You have a whole lifetime to go to university, it's not some terrible rush to get it over with as soon as possible.

Reply 4

Calvin

14

grumballcake

If you don't get an offer, but score high AAA grades you could consider reapplying in the following year. You have a whole lifetime to go to university, it's not some terrible rush to get it over with as soon as possible.

Agreed. If you get predicted low grades and do substantially better in exams you may want to consider reapplying next year when you have better grades. But by the time of interview you should have AS levels anyway so they can use those. If your predicted grades AND your AS levels are low, well then perhaps your college has a point or perhaps again consider reapplyng next year. I applied with my A-levels already finished which was great because my AS grades were AABA and I had predicted Cs in Maths (which was crazy, I kept getting As in Maths exams yet they insisted on predicting me a C!!)

So yeah, main point. If you don't get the predictions you need to get an offer then you can always reapply. But you need to seriously consider whether you want to take a year out just to reapply, there is always the possibility you will get turned down again so you would need to consider that possibility.

But wait and see, no point worrying about it until it happens. And like I say, you should have As grades by then which will be more important than predicted grades I would think.

Reply 5

silence

16

when reapplying, or applying with completed A levels, do they still request the ums scores out of 600?

Reply 6

grumballcake

8

silence

when reapplying, or applying with completed A levels, do they still request the ums scores out of 600?

The form will be exactly the same, so yes.

Reply 7

Lush Law

15

candystrippa

hello
are predicted grades very important? if not, what will the tutors look at as the most SIGNIFICANT factor of an offer?

it seems very unfair, if a student gets rejected by oxbridge (or in fact any other university) simply because his predicted grades were not AAA, when in fact he gets AAA for the actual exams.
how is this situation dealt with, or is it just "tough luck" if a student has poor predicted grades?

Well, to be fair, why should Oxbridge accept someone who isn't on course to achieve AAA? The majority of people who apply will be top of their classes at school, real academics who will easily meet and probably exceed the straight A requirements of their courses. It's Oxbridge for heavens sake, the candidate with predicted grades ABC, for example, isn't showing that they're an outstanding student at all.

I applied with predicted grades A, A, A/B, A/B and in my interview feedback letter it said "We were slightly concerned in our review of Matthew that he was not confidently predicted A's in all of his A level subjects". I applied thinking that I could get the grades and my school are known for being extremely pessimistic with their predictions. But still, I don't blame Cambridge for their comment in my feedback letter, it's fair enough really.

Reply 8

kellywood_5

17

If you apply before you've done your A-levels, predicted grades are quite important, but your AS and GCSE grades, interview performance, written work and tests will all be considered as well. If your predicted grades are low but you do well in your AS-levels, your teachers should increase your predicted grades anyway. If you don't do very well at AS and still have low predicted grades, you should probably think about whether applying to Oxbridge is really the right thing to do considering that almost everyone will be predicted AAA+, but if you're confident you can get those grades, there's no harm in applying. Just be aware that the rest of your application will have to be very strong to make up for it.

Reply 9

silence

16

grumballcake

The form will be exactly the same, so yes.

i was thinking that, but it seems only cambridge have a form (as far as i know). i applied to oxford this year for 05 entry, yet there were no forms for module marks, or even grades to fill in. it was just a "hello, this is my name and course" form.

Reply 10

Waldo

1) Only cambridge ask for module marks at the moment

2) it is NOT on the cambridge application form. they ask later.

Reply 11

dappleddawndrawndauphin

3

I think that basically it's always worth applying to a top university if you love your subject and think you'd truly benefit from that university's course and achieve well there as well as enjoying your time there. If you have below average GCSEs, or predictions of less than straight As at A level, these things may well work against you. If you have bad GCSEs *as well as* bad AS levels, bad A2 predictions and probably not outstanding references from your teachers, *then* perhaps you should give it up or work damn hard and apply post A levels. But if you're failing in just one of these aspects, it's still worth a try - e.g. Oxford's study may have shown that GCSEs play one of the most significant roles in deciding whether to accept candidates, yet you still hear the stories of people with 10A*s being rejected and people with just a few A*s or less getting a place.

Similarly, a good GCSE performance might make up for less outstanding A2 predictions. In the end, all you can do is go for it and hope for the best.

Reply 12

Waldo

As for the actual thread topic, seeing as most Oxbridge applicants, including many who get rejected, are predicted AAA or better, and you require AAA to get in (usually...) I would have thought anyone predicted less would face an uphill struggle.

Reply 13

dappleddawndrawndauphin

3

Waldo

As for the actual thread topic, seeing as most Oxbridge applicants, including many who get rejected, are predicted AAA or better, and you require AAA to get in (usually...) I would have thought anyone predicted less would face an uphill struggle.

Very true.

Reply 14

grumballcake

8

*Bethany*

Oxford's study may have shown that GCSEs play one of the most significant roles

Hang on, that's not what it strictly said. It said that GCSEs and internal tests were the only statistically significant predictors of who would get an offer. Thus, Oxford were considering whether to only interview the top slice and to save the effort of interviewing people who probably wouldn't get an offer.

It could be that people with excellent GCSEs will also do well in the internal tests and will perform well at interview. In other words, GCSE performance is an indicator of underlying ability, rather than being a decisive factor in itself.

The fact that 33% was due to other factors still allows a lot of scope for people to do well at interview, written work etc. It's also true that some people who do well as GCSE and AS are simply 'box-tickers' who know how to play the exam system, without having any real creative spark. They're the apparent all-stars who get turned down after interview.

Reply 15

grumballcake

8

Waldo

2) it is NOT on the cambridge application form. they ask later.

Agreed, it was sloppy composition on my part. The college will send you a form which asks for your module marks after you've submitted your CAF.

Reply 16

Sami C

1

AAA is not always needed. A guy in the year above me got an offer to study history at oxford of BBB. He was not the brightest guy with average results, but he obviously impressed. Granted that is exceptional, but don't let grades hold you back. If you have that killer first impression, you may get a pleasant surprise!

Reply 17

Zerforax

21

i think theres so many factors now...
GCSE grades
A-level marks
PS
interview
sometimes the other tests eg LNAT, BMAT
recommendations by teachers...
who looks at your application
when you send in your application
all luck of the draw?