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20,000 get AAA+ which is about the top 3% of 18 year olds and often includes soft A-levels.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6949084.stm

I would guess around 1000 people maybe?
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Kartace
I was predicted ABB and rejected from all my choices last year for dentistry because of it. I actually got A*A*A... something is very wrong with our predictions system and i've been on the crappy end of it, most of the time they're glorified guesses designed to tick a box in an application rather than be a true reflection of what the applicant in question is truely capable of.

Bring on the new system if you ask me.


I hope for your every success :smile:. What happened to you last year is out of order. :banghead:
Reply 42
Original post by 1platinum
Definitely not 1 in 1000! It's not that rare, maybe 1 in 200 is a little more realistic. :smile:



Original post by Deep456
20,000 get AAA+ which is about the top 3-5% and often includes soft A-levels.

I would guess around 1000 people maybe?


If we are generous and say 2000 get A*A*A*+, theres 650,000 applying to uni each year,

2000/650000 = 0.003 = 3 in every thousand

sounds about right :tongue:
Reply 43
guy i know got A*A*A*A*A (the A in genners) and he was rejected by ox after getting a prediction of 5A*s :O

he's doing med at imperial now though, so s'all good
Original post by Kartace
I was predicted ABB and rejected from all my choices last year for dentistry because of it. I actually got A*A*A... something is very wrong with our predictions system and i've been on the crappy end of it, most of the time they're glorified guesses designed to tick a box in an application rather than be a true reflection of what the applicant in question is truely capable of.

Bring on the new system if you ask me.


You've got my rep:smile:
Original post by Kartace
I was predicted ABB and rejected from all my choices last year for dentistry because of it. I actually got A*A*A... something is very wrong with our predictions system and i've been on the crappy end of it, most of the time they're glorified guesses designed to tick a box in an application rather than be a true reflection of what the applicant in question is truely capable of.

Bring on the new system if you ask me.


I will give you rep tomorrow. It shows that you can still achieve the highest grades possible despite lower predictions. You proved your teachers wrong! Well done.
Original post by Benniboi1
Is there any national table where you can find some stats like this?

On TSR if you look at the various uni applicants stalking pages, it seems like a significant percent get a couple of A*s or more (or at least predicted)

so is there any way of finding out what the national average is?


I can't remember where i read this, i think some paper published it, but in the old a levels, 30,000 people roughly used to get AAA or better. With the implementation of the A*, roughtly 3000 people get A*A*A* or better.
Nt many-
Reply 48
Original post by crazycake93
I can't remember where i read this, i think some paper published it, but in the old a levels, 30,000 people roughly used to get AAA or better. With the implementation of the A*, roughtly 3000 people get A*A*A* or better.


ahh thats more like it :biggrin: so thats about 4 or 5 in every thousandish
Original post by spocckka
I got 3A*s and a B, and I'm one of the worst of my year at uni, despite working harder. A-Levels mean nothing.


Totally agree with you :frown:

I got 3A* and an A and I am definitely no more than average in my year (btw engineering at Cambridge)
Reply 50
Original post by PUYOL-DCFC
A few virgins with really peado like mustaches


:wtf:
Original post by Got the tshirt
Totally agree with you :frown:

I got 3A* and an A and I am definitely no more than average in my year (btw engineering at Cambridge)


Well, if you're average in your year, than 1/2 of your year must be at oxbridge, or the equivalent.
Original post by crazycake93
Well, if you're average in your year, than 1/2 of your year must be at oxbridge, or the equivalent.


I'm at Cambridge!!
Reply 53
I achieved two A* at A-level in my first year, in chemistry(572/600) and in maths(575/600).

Now in my second year, i am doing physics and further maths, and am hopeful of another two or at least one A* this year.
Original post by crazycake93
I can't remember where i read this, i think some paper published it, but in the old a levels, 30,000 people roughly used to get AAA or better. With the implementation of the A*, roughtly 3000 people get A*A*A* or better.


I cannot see any figures for this but I would suggest 3000 is on the light side. The reason is that 3120 got an A* in further maths. Virtually all of these will be sitting on A*A* from maths and further maths and most will be doing at least two other A levels. 12.8% of A level candidates score AAA or better.
Reply 55
Original post by tehforum
So 3 A*s would be
(0.08*0.08*0.08)*100?

0.05% of the population?
1/2000?


That's just probability.

Original post by Benniboi1
I really doubt its anything like 1 in 100, I'd say more like 1 in 1000

A large percent of college's and sixth forms will have nobody who gets 3 A*s or more


True, but unrelated to the question.
Reply 56
Original post by PrinceyJ
That's just probability.



True, but unrelated to the question.


Yes I am using probability to answer the question.
Problem?

Because there are released public figures regarding this, then we can only speculate.
Reply 57
Original post by tehforum
Yes I am using probability to answer the question.
Problem?

Because there are released public figures regarding this, then we can only speculate.


It's not like rolling a dice 3 times though, IRL people who get 1 A* are more likely to be in A* territory for their other subjects than candidates who got an E.
Reply 58
Original post by Benniboi1
If we are generous and say 2000 get A*A*A*+, theres 650,000 applying to uni each year,

2000/650000 = 0.003 = 3 in every thousand

sounds about right :tongue:


About 3000 people get an A* in further maths A level. These students almost certainly get A*s in maths, and of these I'd say 1/2 would get A*s in Physics/ Chemistry/Biology too if taken. So at the the very least there are 1500 further mathematicians with 3a*. I'd say 5000 is a more reasonable estimate overall.

Also roughly half the students at Oxbridge get 3 A*s or better every year, so that's more like 6000/2=3000. I'd think you'd probably get another 2000 in total at other British universities with 3a*s at lse, ucl, imperial, warwick, Bristol, and durham combined.
So 5000/650000 = 0.769%
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 59
Can't find the actual answer to OP's question but...

The percentage of A-level students who achieved 3 or more A* or A grades was almost three times higher in independent schools compared to maintained schools (32.7 per cent compared to 11.0 per cent). The percentage achieving 3 or more A* or A grades in all FE colleges was 8.5 per cent, with a marked difference between sixth form colleges (10.2 per cent) and other FE colleges (4.9 per cent).

http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/s/sfr01-2012.pdf

and you can work out the national average for any subject http://www.jcq.org.uk/attachments/published/1297/JCQ%20GCE%20Results%202010.pdf

from which it seems that more Further Maths candidates get A* than any other grade