Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Applyer from GERMANY

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hi. nice to see you. if you have an 2.6 average now, you'll be better at the end, because the marks in the school leaving examination (abitur) farther enhace your average score.

what is IELTS?

my english mark was around 2. comparable to score nine to ten. furthermore i'll have to succeed in an standard english qualification test.

Reply 21

Freckles

IELTS - International English Language Testing System (I think)

It's an English examination done by the British council and accepted by every uni in the UK and a lot of institutions in the US and Australia.

Reply 22

Niklas85ger

oh that's fine. i'll ask our civic adult education centre.

Reply 23

BenVS

That's it indeed. The test can be taken in quite a few german cities - for further information you may want to check http://www.britishcouncil.de/d/english/ielts.htm

"Oh and I didn't have to predict grades as I applied after I graduated. I guess you should just predict the highest mark you think you could possibly achieve and then if you don't make it - you don't make it, but if you do - good"

Don't think that's too much of a good idea to be fair - assume you get an conditional offer.. wouldnt be too cool to get turned down because not everything went as well as you would have expected. I'll just have to make a compromise somehow.

"hi. nice to see you. if you have an 2.6 average now, you'll be better at the end, because the marks in the school leaving examination (abitur) farther enhace your average score."

Unfortunately that is not based on my latest results but this is what I have predicted with a tool my friend has developped for our school.

"I do, however, wonder why you're all leaving applying until the very last minute here."

Well in my case it took me quite a while to convince my parents of the idea. Additionally, I wasn't aware that Unis reviewed the applications before the deadline and give out offers already. Shame on me.. :frown:

Reply 24

Freckles

Yeah, I wasn't aware of that either until I came here :frown:

But they do have to consider all app received till January 15th the same way, so you're not out of the run yet :biggrin:

Just get it sent asap now!

About the predicting of grades, I didn't mean they should say you'll make 15pts in each class. But if they think you can achieve, let's say 12, but you might just get 10, I'd rather put 12 down. Of course you should put grades you think you will be able to get! I'm quite sure the teacher can also say predicted grade: 9-11 pts or something. They aren't that strict with it. Also, if you get a conditional offer, you'll just be really motivated to achieve those grades :smile:

They shouldn't be out of reach tho, I agree.

What are you applying for and where to?

Reply 25

Jammertal

I'm a German applicant, too. I predicted my grades myself: Take the highest grade achievable that doesn't differ too much from your achievements (e.g 2.0 if you got 2.5 in year 12) and put another grade down that is slightly higher than the mark you expect to get in the worst case (e.g. 2.7). You get a prediction like 2.0- 2.7 and most of the unis won't make you an 2.0 offer if there standard offer is like 2.5.

Reply 26

Freckles

Will they general make you a band score offer? Like an overall grade of 2.3 or something? Isn't it possible for them not to care about your average but rather say that you need to get 12 points in English or something? Just wondering ...

Well, good luck everyone :biggrin:

Reply 27

Jammertal

I think most offers will be (comparable low) band score offers with specifications on your English grade and/ or special requirements in the subjects related to the area you wish to study (e.g. 13 points in Physics if you apply for a Physics degree).

Reply 28

Freckles

Ah, okay, thanks :wink:

Most conditions will also include a certain band score in your IELTS exam, if you haven't taken it yet, I think.

Reply 29

Jammertal

If the universities ask you to take it. Fortuinately, most unis I've applied to don't. :P

Reply 30

Freckles

Really? I think I sorta had an advantage because I already took it. Bet they liked that :biggrin:

Reply 31

BenVS

Right, that makes sense to me.

However, not sure if I got this right. So you did not put predictions for all your subjects seperately but rather the overall predicted average?

This all happens in the Reference part of UCAS, correct? So what, if at all, do I enter after I added my School and then qualification (abitur) in the Education section? For the modules/grades that is.

I am looking at Business/Management courses. Tho, I'm not sure what Unis I will be applying to - still waiting for replies from many unis regarding entry requirements for the Abitur. If any of you have a clue what UK grades equal a 2.5-2.9 average in the Abitur, give me a shout. Would allow me to strike some unis off the list already.

So scared I won't make it into a uk uni at all :P

Anyone bothered reading my Personal Statement as I'm not quite sure what it should look like.

Thanks already, you lads help me a lot :smile:

Reply 32

Jammertal

I put the grades of year 12 in the Education section (single modules of the qualification). And there also is a prediction of the four examination subjects of the Abitur in the predicted grades section on the UCAS form.

Reply 33

Freckles

You can post your ps in the Ask a Helper forum, it's what it's there for :smile:

Qualified ppl will look at it there and give you advice!

Reply 34

santogold

Hi fellow Germans :p:

If you want to take the IELTS or similar, and don't feel very confident, then I suggest you go to your local VHS and tell them you want to take an "Einstufungstest". Most of those are based on the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English, which is pretty good.
Then tell them you want to do the IELTS and they will point you into the right direction as to what you should brush up on.

Grades are indeed not everything, but trust me, some universities (more in England than in Scottland) won't even consider your application unless you have a 1.4 minimum average. That normally applies to schools like Oxbridge and LSE.
However, you still stand a good chance to be accepted somewhere. In most cases, it is easier to get into university in the UK rather than Germany, as the NC system is outdated. Even though German universities introduced the AdH (Auswahlverfahren der Hochschulen), which include you being called for an interview, they still don't give you the opportunity to shine through extra-curricular activities or anything else, like experience abroad.

Ben, I'm sure foreign students' PS and ref count a lot more than home students'. After all, they are entering from a different education system. Make sure your teacher mentions that he trusts you will cope well in the UK, and that he talks about your ability to speak/write in English.
In your PS, talk about WHY you want to study in England (or whereever you want to apply). Do you have a passion for the English language? Culture? What experience do you have in English-speaking countries? Have you done a high school year in the US or a year in England?
Are you attending a bilingual option at your school? Are you doing English LK? If not, why not?
...
Hope that helps. As far as predicting grades go, I really don't know. Check with the British Council in Germany. They may be able to point you and your teacher/principal in the right direction. I already had my grades when I applied.

Good luck everyone! Don't forget the deadline is Jan 15th!
Late applications will be considered by some unis, but now all.

Reply 35

santogold

Also wanted to say: Some universities won't ask you to take the IELTS or similar if you have 13-15 points in English (LK only).
My Abitur was bilingual, so I didn't have to take it either.

If they ask you to take it, and you think you have a suitable equivialent, then don't hesitate to contact them and ask if they accept it.

Reply 36

Jammertal

They sometimes don't even ask you to sit a language test if you take English as any other exam subject in the Abitur (P3 or P4). That was at least what Durham, York, Oxford and KCL told me when I asked them.

And the AdH is in most cases based on the NC. Additional credits are given to those who did well in the area related to course they want to study, or in German, Maths and languages. They only interview borderline candidates.

Reply 37

VICKYPOLLARD

Niklas85ger

thanks for these flowers... :-)

i've checked all universities in scotland and i'm astonished about the requirement for political studies in aberdeen (a top uni): it's a CCC-grade. WOW :-)

ps: anne, thanks for your email benefit.

You should consider applying to Durham. There are a lot of Germans here already and the university is generally Germanophile.

Reply 38

t0xy

es kommt ganz drauf an wo du dich anmeldest, bei guten unis wirds eher schwer mit einem 3er schnitt durchzukommen. Dein statement sollte auch gut sein, lass es dir daher von deinem lehrer ausbessern!

lg

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