What do Cambridge consider a bad GCSE pass rate?

Hey!

Here's the thing. I had my mind set on Cambridge and I was absolutely gutted when I got my results to find I had only gotten 2A*s, but I did get 8As and a B (literature). My schools pass rate including English and Maths was 74%, and 98% excluding them.

I didn't do as well as I really should have because of my rebellious teenage phase: no homeworks, no revision and all that. It was in my 5th year I decided I wanted Cambridge after I was sort of coming out that stage. My 4th year dragged them down though. I'm not trying to make excuses, and I know obviously that doesn't make the slightest bit of a difference to Cambridge, because we could all say that to them...

Anyway, I was the highest in my year in terms of getting the most As and A*s in my school. There was one girl who had 6A*s, but I believe she had like 1A, 2Bs and a C then.

I'm really determined to work hard this year, and if I still have a reasonably good enough chance I will work my butt off to get to Cambridge. Though, as much as I would love to go, I don't want to be aiming there only to be inevitably let down.

This isn't really an "is my grades good enough?" thread; its more of a question about how that looks considering the pass rate of my school.

Appreciate all (honest) posts.

Not good enough, sorry to disappoint- the average of A*'s last year was 10.2 (for medicine but it gives you an idea of what they are looking for). You could still get into a good uni though, just not Oxbridge.

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I don't know where this guy...



... gets his information, but it doesn't really match up with what I have heard.

I think it will be slightly more difficult for you to make it in than others, but as long as your AS results are good I can't see it being a tremendous roadblock. It really depends on your subject (you would have no chance for medicine), but for most I think you would be absolutely fine, however you would probably have to smash AS and A2.

I'm not trying to make excuses, and I know obviously that doesn't make the slightest bit of a difference to Cambridge, because we could all say that to them...

Hey!

Here's the thing. I had my mind set on Cambridge and I was absolutely gutted when I got my results to find I had only gotten 2A*s, but I did get 8As and a B (literature). My schools pass rate including English and Maths was 74%, and 98% excluding them.

I didn't do as well as I really should have because of my rebellious teenage phase: no homeworks, no revision and all that. It was in my 5th year I decided I wanted Cambridge after I was sort of coming out that stage. My 4th year dragged them down though. I'm not trying to make excuses, and I know obviously that doesn't make the slightest bit of a difference to Cambridge, because we could all say that to them...

Anyway, I was the highest in my year in terms of getting the most As and A*s in my school. There was one girl who had 6A*s, but I believe she had like 1A, 2Bs and a C then.

I'm really determined to work hard this year, and if I still have a reasonably good enough chance I will work my butt off to get to Cambridge. Though, as much as I would love to go, I don't want to be aiming there only to be inevitably let down.

This isn't really an "is my grades good enough?" thread; its more of a question about how that looks considering the pass rate of my school.

Appreciate all (honest) posts.

I got the exact same GCSE results and now I go to Oxford :/ #inadiquacyissues

Actually, in a sense, it does. It's obviously not enough to say that, but if you can show them that you are on an upward trajectory that won't be ignored. I did basically the same thing as you, but with worse grades and at a better school. I got top AS grades and got in. I don't know what effect your grades would have if you won't have AS scores (I'm not really following what's going on with the changes too closely), but if you applied with your A2 grades and took a gap year you'd be fine.

I have no answer to the actual question, though

How did your school perform though?

Just over 50% A* to C grades, including Maths and English. I don't know how bad that is though.

Ah well I'm from Northern Ireland, so I will still get an AS grade and and A2 grade. Would you mind me asking what course you are studying and what you got? If you don't mind.

I'm sorry if people find this really irritating, because I know a lot of these threads pop up.

Cambridge really only uses GCSEs as part of the context of your application for most courses (including CompSci). i.e. have you done better or worse than your school's typical result (which you have), and how does your school rank nationally. So if you've done well in a less good school that's a good thing, even if your grades aren't "stellar" compared to applicants from "better" schools.

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/admissions/handbook/section1/1_4.html

Fundamentally you don't need 10 A*s.
http://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/entrance-requirements/gcse-and-a-level-requirements-facts

Also they give some weight to seeing an upward academic trajectory. So, if you can turn your GCSEs into very strong AS/A2 results then, again, that's a good thing.

But don't underestimate the work involved - and I'd question the wisdom of taking so many A-levels. Many succesful applicants only have 3 A-levels, although for Sciences 4 is most common. It's fairly rare, and unnescessary, to have 5... I'd advise dropping SSD and/or Biology. CompSci at Cambridge is heavily mathsy, you don't need a CS or similar A-level.

Not at all. I got 2 A*, 2 A, 4 B, 1 C at GCSE, and a 92% UMS average over four AS subjects, very slightly higher over three. I studied law -- I graduated last year

I went through all this with my son who is starting at Cambridge this year. He had a not particularly imposing set of GCSEs (A* x 2, assorted As, a couple of Bs and a C - which is not rubbish, but took him firmly out of the school's Oxbridge reckoning). This was followed by a pretty disastrous set of AS levels. He changed sixth forms, re-did Y12 and produced an amazing second set of AS levels, including an A at A2 from the remnants of the first set. He applied, got a an offer and made it.

Cambridge said when he first considered applying that they were looking for evidence of improvement, so his poor first GSCEs and AS round 1 didn't in the end count against him as he proved he was able to improve hugely and work under pressure in his A2 year.

The nutshell version of all this is, if you want to go for it, do it. Prove you're improving and they'll be interested. I've no idea how this will work now that ASs are being decoupled, as based on his GSCE and first round AS, there is no way he would have been considered a candidate.

Hey!

Here's the thing. I had my mind set on Cambridge and I was absolutely gutted when I got my results to find I had only gotten 2A*s, but I did get 8As and a B (literature). My schools pass rate including English and Maths was 74%, and 98% excluding them.

I didn't do as well as I really should have because of my rebellious teenage phase: no homeworks, no revision and all that. It was in my 5th year I decided I wanted Cambridge after I was sort of coming out that stage. My 4th year dragged them down though. I'm not trying to make excuses, and I know obviously that doesn't make the slightest bit of a difference to Cambridge, because we could all say that to them...

Anyway, I was the highest in my year in terms of getting the most As and A*s in my school. There was one girl who had 6A*s, but I believe she had like 1A, 2Bs and a C then.

I'm really determined to work hard this year, and if I still have a reasonably good enough chance I will work my butt off to get to Cambridge. Though, as much as I would love to go, I don't want to be aiming there only to be inevitably let down.

This isn't really an "is my grades good enough?" thread; its more of a question about how that looks considering the pass rate of my school.

Appreciate all (honest) posts.

Go for it! Don't be put off by all the people on here that have loads of A*s, plenty of successful applicants only have a few. As far as pass rates, 98% is very high. My school's GCSE pass rate for my year was something like 45% A*-C.