HELP: Magic Circle / Silver Circle firms and GCSE Results

Do Magic Circle and / or Silver Circle firms ask applicants to disclose GCSE results?? If so, is there any sort of filter as there is with A-Level results?

At GCSE I have:
History - A*
English Literature - A*
English Language - A
R.S - A
Sytems and Control - A
Biology - A
Chemistry - A
Physics - A
Maths - B
Statistics - B

A-Levels: A*A*A
Degree: Oxford University (BA History), starting this October

Is my academic record thus far acceptable? Any advice would be very well received, thanks :smile:

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 1

colourtheory

Original post by J-SP

Depends on the firm. Some do, some don't!

And you will be more than fine....

Posted from TSR Mobile

Thanks for your advice, looking at some of the training contracts within the Magic Circle is somewhat daunting! I can imagine that I'm not the only panicking :biggrin:

Reply 2

Le Nombre

They'll ask, they'll look, they won't really care.

What I would advise is getting involved in extra curriculars and the like, everyone has excellent A Levels and a 2.1. If you get a First some firms (Slaughters particularly come to mind) might take a flyer on you regardless of the rest of your CV, but it's a gamble given the heavy emphasis on Finals.

Also, doing ECs you enjoy and make the most of will enhance your uni experience. I'm in no position to make hiring decisions, but my boss is on the TC panel and has similar views, and if someone has great academics but no outside interests I'll have no doubts about their capability as a lawyer, but I wouldn't want to be in a team with them, as they're liable to be dull.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 3

LawLad13

Original post by colourtheory

Do Magic Circle and / or Silver Circle firms ask applicants to disclose GCSE results??

Yes.

If so, is there any sort of filter as there is with A-Level results?

No.

At GCSE I have:
History - A*
English Literature - A*
English Language - A
R.S - A
Sytems and Control - A
Biology - A
Chemistry - A
Physics - A
Maths - B
Statistics - B

A-Levels: A*A*A
Degree: Oxford University (BA History), starting this October

Is my academic record thus far acceptable? Any advice would be very well received, thanks :smile:

No, your academic record isn't good enough. You only got a B in Maths, therefore I would advise dropping out of Oxford and spending the entire year retaking and revising to have another crack at GCSE Maths.

Yes... your academics are 'acceptable'. However, if I was you I would be pretty concerned that you have little to no perspective regarding this.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 4

Key123

Original post by J-SP

Give them a break - they are not even at uni yet!

It's difficult to have a perspective at that early stage of thinking about a career. It doesn't help when there are so many rubbish myths out there that you have to have a perfect academic record or that the career is beyond competitive.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Pretty sure I had a reasonable amount of perspective and self awareness at that stage. How anyone can worry over one grade defeats me.

(Yes the irony of my second sentence following my first is not lost on me either)

Posted from TSR Mobile

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 5

colourtheory

Original post by LawLad13

This thread wasn't meant to be show off or upset anyone, it just struck me that my GCSEs were pretty average when compared with other people gunning for top jobs in law. As has been mentioned, it's pretty difficult to find solid information about the required GCSE performance of applicants. I'm not the only one who has been told that applicants need an impeccable academic history and a suite of interesting yet unique extra curriculars to get to the interview stage. Your input, along with those of others, has helped to put my mind at ease though, so thank you :colondollar:

Reply 6

cf99

Hi Guys, I've just started Year 12 so received my GCSE results this summer.
These are my Gcse Results:
German A*
French A*
Spanish A*
English Lit A*
Math A*
Biology A*
Physics A
English lang A
History A
Psychology A
Chemistry B
WJEC Latin Level 1 (half a GCSE) A*

I've also done my German A-Level early and gained an A at AS and an A* at A-Level.

Do you guys know if these grades would be good enough to apply to do Law with a language at Oxford? I know you have probably heard loads of people ask that annoying question and yes I know other stuff is taken into account too...but I'm just quite worried because pressure from my parents and school - and loads of girls at my school are saying that they would only apply to oxford if they got 7/8A*s or more...

I also have work experience at a magic circle law firm and a law firm in Germany if that would help at all? :/

Any replies would be much appreciated