worried about uni please help

hi so during my gcses i had terrible exenuating circumstances which include personal illness and surgery as well as bereavement during my exams so i got lower than predicted how i still got Bs and above but i was predicted all A*s and for my AS i've gotten all As and im predicted 4 A*s at a2 ik this seems good but im worried about my gcses holding me back as i want to apply to really competitive unis but if i mention my circumstances during my gcses what are the odds? sorry if i seem ungrateful or like im bragging btw that really isnt my intention i guess im just overthinking

hi so during my gcses i had terrible exenuating circumstances which include personal illness and surgery as well as bereavement during my exams so i got lower than predicted how i still got Bs and above but i was predicted all A*s and for my AS i've gotten all As and im predicted 4 A*s at a2 ik this seems good but im worried about my gcses holding me back as i want to apply to really competitive unis but if i mention my circumstances during my gcses what are the odds? sorry if i seem ungrateful or like im bragging btw that really isnt my intention i guess im just overthinking

If you do have extenuating circumstances for GCSE's, then that part shouldn't matter that much. As you know, by far A-Levels matter a lot more and all A*s at A2 does give you a better chance. Other factors like where to applied and for what course also have to be considered, as well as the general strength of your application.

Your referee can mention it. Only a few Unis have a GCSE policy beyond Maths and English.

thank you