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Will this be okay?

Hello, I also want to go to Cambridge University to study Computer Science.... but...

I'm resitting Core Science GCSE (I got a B and wasn't happy) and I do have a valid reason, can I make up bad GCSE grades with brilliant A-Level results, awesome personal statement and great interview? Also, do predicted grades matter? What if you were predicted a D grade but got an A* as an actual grade ? Then what?

Also, I'm planning to do 6th form, at my little sister's grammar school in Physics, Maths & Further Maths along with an EPQ :smile: I'm currently Y11, joining Y12 in Sept 2017.
Hiya! Some of us had a conversation recently about GCSE grades and Cambridge applications - take a look here. The tldr conclusion seems to me to be that GCSE grades are only one consideration among many when applications are considered, except where there are specifically stated GCSE requirements, which CompSci doesn't appear to have.

Over the time I was there Cambridge began to move away from relying as heavily on grade predictions and towards more widespread admissions testing - you'd sit the CSAT at interview and your results from it would be one of the several things used to assess your application.
I suspect if your predicted grades were below the usual A*A*A offer for CompSci it would harm your chance of being called for interview, but my experience here is limited since I already had my A2 results when I applied. It's a certainty that you won't get in if you don't apply, though :smile:

I'm tagging @jneill who is a Cambridge wizard and might be able to help you more than I can.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 2
Original post by ShiawaseNekox3
Hello, I also want to go to Cambridge University to study Computer Science.... but...

I'm resitting Core Science GCSE (I got a B and wasn't happy) and I do have a valid reason, can I make up bad GCSE grades with brilliant A-Level results, awesome personal statement and great interview? Also, do predicted grades matter? What if you were predicted a D grade but got an A* as an actual grade ? Then what?

Also, I'm planning to do 6th form, at my little sister's grammar school in Physics, Maths & Further Maths along with an EPQ :smile: I'm currently Y11, joining Y12 in Sept 2017.


Original post by radarmaker
Hiya! Some of us had a conversation recently about GCSE grades and Cambridge applications - take a look here. The tldr conclusion seems to me to be that GCSE grades are only one consideration among many when applications are considered, except where there are specifically stated GCSE requirements, which CompSci doesn't appear to have.

Over the time I was there Cambridge began to move away from relying as heavily on grade predictions and towards more widespread admissions testing - you'd sit the CSAT at interview and your results from it would be one of the several things used to assess your application.
I suspect if your predicted grades were wildly below the usual A*A*A offer for CompSci it would harm your chance of being called for interview, but my experience here is limited since I already had my A2 results when I applied. It's a certainty that you won't get in if you don't apply, though :smile:

I'm tagging @jneill who is a Cambridge wizard and might be able to help you more than I can.


Thanks for the tag:smile:

I think I've already answered at least some of the OP's queries before in other threads. e.g. https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4381744

But for completeness:

* Yes good A-levels more than make-up for "poor" GCSEs. Retaking a GCSE is unnecessary if the grade achieved is already above Cambridge's minimum requirement (which it is).

* An A-level with a predicted grade below the typical course requirement is likely to disadvantage an applicant. Most applicants have predictions that exceed the requirement, or at least meet it. And if the subject is important to the course (e.g. maths or fm for CompSci) then a low prediction would almost certainly mean a rejection.

* If you have poor predicted A-levels then the realistic option may be to do well and re-apply the following year with the grades achieved. To be competitive you may need to exceed the typical requirement - i.e. achieve A*A*A* for CompSci.
Reply 3
Yeah, Cambridge in particularly really focus on AS grades, and the CSAT now that UMS has been taken away in England. (The CSAT is the Computer Science Admissions Test).

Having good GCSEs is of course a good thing and will look good on your application, but it's no deal breaker as far as I know. Oxford look more heavily at GCSEs for what it's worth.

I'm not sure they put too much emphasis on predicted grades either as they can be over/underestimations, but they'd probably be looking for you to be predicted to meet their standard offer (A*A*A). If you had a D as a predicted grade in one of your A-levels it would probably hurt your chances quite severely.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 4
Original post by jpxw
Yeah, Cambridge in particularly really focus on AS grades, and the CSAT now that UMS has been taken away in England. (The CSAT is the Computer Science Admissions Test).

Having good GCSEs is of course a good thing and will look good on your application, but it's no deal breaker as far as I know. Oxford look more heavily at GCSEs for what it's worth.

I'm not sure they put too much emphasis on predicted grades either as they can be over/underestimations, but they'd probably be looking for you to be predicted to meet their standard offer (A*A*A).


The ATs on TSR have said they take predictions with a pinch of salt (rightly, given the high % of students who are over predicted)... BUT they've also said a prediction below the typical offer would be a problem.

And yes CSAT and the other AAs (Admissions Assessments) are there to provide additional information to the application, and somewhat in response to the dropping of UMS.

Also, The Other Place is much more interested in the MAT than GCSEs for CompSci.

:smile:
(edited 7 years ago)

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