I’m not against scrapping all entry requirements for all uni’s and just letting everyone and their dog into oxbridge, but I think I get OP’s point.
Not everyone had the ability to have traditional education (gcse-alevel-uni) due to health issues, family issues, having to care for others. That doesn’t make them stupid. We should assess people on their ability to learn, rather than just their exam results.
There are foundation and access courses, and options to do A levels later on, but it’s frustrating when you’re an adult who has done independent study or an alternative, and you know you have to ability to learn, but you don’t have the tick boxes to prove it. It’s frustrating that you don’t even get a chance to prove yourself or have your work experience etc valued as an asset.
Lack of qualifications doesn’t equal lack of intelligence.