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Are my GCSEs good enough for Oxford?

My GCSEs aren't amazing in all honestly and I had no drive or expectation for them and I have beyond stepped up my game for A Level. I feel as if my GCSEs were bad because I was came out as gay during the time of GCSEs and my life was shaky in general as well as my lack of focus and ambition at the time. However, I suppose that is no excuse compared to those who have extremely extraordinary circumstances and do amazingly.

Anyhow these are my GCES:
Additional Science: A*
Business Studies: A* (full marks)
Computer Science: A
Geography: A
Spanish: A
Maths: A
Further Maths: A
Core Science: B (literally don't ask?? 1 UMS from an A too)
RE: B (the only GCSE I revised for???)
English Lit + Lang: both B

With these GCSEs I am so unconfident in applying for Oxford however my school and uni scheme leaders have said they are good enough. I just don't want to waste an application.

I want to apply for either Economics or Chemistry and I currently study Chemistry, Maths, Biology and Spanish and I am currently predicted A*A*AA (not respectively and could change after AS results.)
Reply 1
From what I've read so far on this website, I would have to say no. The specifically require a high proportion of A*. You've still got a chance for Cambridge though.
Oxford put too much of an emphasis on GCSEs, what's stopping you from applying to Cambridge instead?
Original post by Aaron4president
My GCSEs aren't amazing in all honestly and I had no drive or expectation for them and I have beyond stepped up my game for A Level. I feel as if my GCSEs were bad because I was came out as gay during the time of GCSEs and my life was shaky in general as well as my lack of focus and ambition at the time. However, I suppose that is no excuse compared to those who have extremely extraordinary circumstances and do amazingly.

Anyhow these are my GCES:
Additional Science: A*
Business Studies: A* (full marks)
Computer Science: A
Geography: A
Spanish: A
Maths: A
Further Maths: A
Core Science: B (literally don't ask?? 1 UMS from an A too)
RE: B (the only GCSE I revised for???)
English Lit + Lang: both B

With these GCSEs I am so unconfident in applying for Oxford however my school and uni scheme leaders have said they are good enough. I just don't want to waste an application.

I want to apply for either Economics or Chemistry and I currently study Chemistry, Maths, Biology and Spanish and I am currently predicted A*A*AA (not respectively and could change after AS results.)


You could get into Oxford with those grades. It's not like anyone below 5 A*s has ever got an offer but as said above, you'd probably stand a better chance with other universities such as Imperial, Cambridge ect.
Reply 4
OP don't listen to these guys. They don't really look at your GCSE grades. I know more people with ok GCSEs than great GCSEs that went to Oxbridge.

So the post above is definitely not true. Nor is it true that Oxford looks at GCSEs more than Cambridge.
Reply 5
Original post by Aaron4president
My GCSEs aren't amazing in all honestly and I had no drive or expectation for them and I have beyond stepped up my game for A Level. I feel as if my GCSEs were bad because I was came out as gay during the time of GCSEs and my life was shaky in general as well as my lack of focus and ambition at the time. However, I suppose that is no excuse compared to those who have extremely extraordinary circumstances and do amazingly.

Anyhow these are my GCES:
Additional Science: A*
Business Studies: A* (full marks)
Computer Science: A
Geography: A
Spanish: A
Maths: A
Further Maths: A
Core Science: B (literally don't ask?? 1 UMS from an A too)
RE: B (the only GCSE I revised for???)
English Lit + Lang: both B

With these GCSEs I am so unconfident in applying for Oxford however my school and uni scheme leaders have said they are good enough. I just don't want to waste an application.

I want to apply for either Economics or Chemistry and I currently study Chemistry, Maths, Biology and Spanish and I am currently predicted A*A*AA (not respectively and could change after AS results.)


That's quite a difference...

Oxford doesn't have a straight Economics course - you have E&M (Econ & Management) or PPE (Politics Philosophy and Econ). For both you have to sit the TSA (Thinking Skills Assessment)

Cambridge does though. And has the EAA (Economics Admissions Assessment).

And then for Chemistry, yes, that's a course at Oxford, but Cambridge has NatSci (Natural Sciences) which is a broader course to start but you can specialise on chemistry modules as you progress. Cambridge has the NSAA (NatSci Admissions Assessment).

The admissions tests/assessments can help strengthen your application.

First thing to do is figure out if you want to do Econ or Chemistry. That's pretty fundamental... and then decide which university has the course you prefer.

Carefully check the entry requirements for each course - both universities provide lots of admissions information.

And visit on some Open Days - ideally both locations - it can be a big help to your decision making :smile:
Original post by Inker
OP don't listen to these guys. They don't really look at your GCSE grades. I know more people with ok GCSEs than great GCSEs that went to Oxbridge.

So the post above is definitely not true. Nor is it true that Oxford looks at GCSEs more than Cambridge.


Entirely untrue. Both the admissions rounds PDFs for PPE and E&M state GCSEs are 'high priority' only beaten by entance exams in priority, Medicine also pretty much have a GCSE cutoff. I've not read any other subject's data but you'd assume but there's little reason it'd apply especially to those three.

Cambridge state explicitly "our research shows that post-16 examination performance is a much better predictor of degree success" and don't place as high a focus on them. There are exceptions either way but it is a fact Oxford place a fairly higher emphasis on GCSEs than Cambridge.
Original post by urgurlbecca
Oxford put too much of an emphasis on GCSEs, what's stopping you from applying to Cambridge instead?


Honestly, nothing. I've been on a residential for a week at Oxford and I think that, most probably, is the reason I'm thinking about applying for Oxford. However after this thread I'm definitely considering Cambridge purely because of my GCSE situation.
Reply 8
Original post by NamesAreEffort
Entirely untrue. Both the admissions rounds PDFs for PPE and E&M state GCSEs are 'high priority' only beaten by entance exams in priority, Medicine also pretty much have a GCSE cutoff. I've not read any other subject's data but you'd assume but there's little reason it'd apply especially to those three.

Cambridge state explicitly "our research shows that post-16 examination performance is a much better predictor of degree success" and don't place as high a focus on them. There are exceptions either way but it is a fact Oxford place a fairly higher emphasis on GCSEs than Cambridge.


Not necessarily, I guess it depends on the subject but when I went to the open day for physics they said they pretty much only care about the PAT (entrance exam) and interviews.

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For physics and maths, everyone above a certain mark in their respective entrance tests will get an interview not matter about gcses, PS predicted grades etc. So it does vary massively based on the course
Reply 10
Original post by NamesAreEffort
Entirely untrue. Both the admissions rounds PDFs for PPE and E&M state GCSEs are 'high priority' only beaten by entance exams in priority, Medicine also pretty much have a GCSE cutoff. I've not read any other subject's data but you'd assume but there's little reason it'd apply especially to those three.


It *entirely* depends on the course at Oxford.

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