GCSE Grades

Hiya I am considering applying to oxford to study chemistry but am a little worried that my gcse grades r a little low. Can e 1 please tell me what kind of grades they got in with(especially if they included one or two B's). Please help. Thanks meawinner

Reply 1

RxB

1

I got a D. So presumably a couple of Bs wouldn't matter.

4A*s, 5As, 2Bs, 1D.

5 A*, 3A, 1B but one of the A*s was a short course (religious studies) and one of the As was in IGCSE english, which means they don't really count (I think)
Also, a lot of my friends got in without doing GCSEs (since we all are international students...)

Reply 4

mrs_bellamy

18

changin the subject a bit but wot are IGCSEs?

Reply 5

Fiona87

Marvi

changin the subject a bit but wot are IGCSEs?

I looked it up on Google and it said:

"The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) has been designed for 14 to 16 year olds. Students who obtain an IGCSE qualification from Cambridge are prepared for further academic success, including progression to A and AS Level study, and equip students will the skills needed for immediate employment. IGCSE is recognised as evidence of ability by academic institutions and employers around the world.

IGCSE provides a broad study programme by drawing subjects from five areas: Languages, Humanities, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Creative, Technical and Vocational. Within the curriculum there is a balanced mix of practical experience and theoretical knowledge. With a choice of Core and Extended papers in most subjects, the IGCSE is suitable for students with different levels of ability.

The IGCSE is an internally based curriculum allowing teaching to be placed in a localised context, making it relevant in different regions. It is also suitable for students whose first language may not be English and this is acknowledged throughout the examination progress."

On another part of the site, it says:

"Grade C in IGCSE English (both First Language and Second Language) satisfies the English proficiency requirements of many universities in the UK and other anglophone countries."

2 A*s, 5 As, 3 Bs

i got 4A*s 3As 1 B and 2Cs and still got an offer from oxford so you should be fine..

Reply 8

hazzie1

1

1 a*, 2 A, 5 B, 2 c. Don't worry!

Reply 9

coldfusion

2

so would having no or few GCSEs drastically affect my chances

Reply 10

ThePants999

14

If by "few" we're talking fewer than five, I expect they'd need a decent reason to be provided.

Reply 11

Michelle2

3

I got into Cambridge with 3A*, 5A, 1B

Reply 12

Hoofbeat

14

coldfusion

so would having no or few GCSEs drastically affect my chances

I agree with ThePants999 - any less than 5 would require a pretty damn good reason (unless of course you're an international student and have equivalent exams). In my opinion, I think GCSE's are fairly important in suggesting how 'believeable' your predicted A2 Grades are (particularly if you haven't cashed in your AS) as I know many teachers will predict AAA even if you're not really online for such grades, However, AS results and interview performance are by far more important and ultimately they are looking for 'potential' rather than what you already know!

Reply 13

hubarabsprog

At my school you weren't allowed to apply unless:
You had 3 As at AS
You were predicted 3 As at A2
You had at least 60% A/A* at GCSE
Your lowest grade at GCSE was a B

This was harsh, I know ppl here with much less than that nonsense.

Reply 14

shyopstv

15

On the Physics department site it says something along the lines of "Applicants who are invtieded to an interview normally have at least 5As/A*s at GCSE". Depending how you interpret that that could be a good indicator of what you need especially seeing as Physics is not the most competitive subject in the world.

Oh and surely AAA at AS should = predicted AAA at A2? If not then surely your school is basically saying that you was lucky to have got those AS grades and you probably won't get them at A2? If so that is a bit mean lol

Reply 15

theotherF.Poste

shyopstv

On the Physics department site it says something along the lines of "Applicants who are invtieded to an interview normally have at least 5As/A*s at GCSE". Depending how you interpret that that could be a good indicator of what you need especially seeing as Physics is not the most competitive subject in the world.

I have 1 A* and 1 A at GSCE and I study English which is considerably more competitive.. so I'm proof that you don't need that many but on the other hand I had exenuating circumstances :smile:

Reply 16

Bezza

2

shyopstv

seeing as Physics is not the most competitive subject in the world

theotherF.Poste

and I study English which is considerably more competitive

It's all lies - physics beats english any day of the week! I mean, any little kid can read a few books :rolleyes:

Reply 17

theotherF.Poste

Bezza

It's all lies - physics beats english any day of the week! I mean, any little kid can read a few books :rolleyes:

But you need to be studying for a Physics degree to miss the point :p:

Oxford let under 1/4 of all applicants in to read English, whereas they let in over 1/3 of all applicants for Physics.. in that way it's more competitive to gain entry.

Reply 18

Bezza

2

theotherF.Poste

But you need to be studying for a Physics degree to miss the point :p:

Oxford let under 1/4 of all applicants in to read English, whereas they let in over 1/3 of all applicants for Physics.. in that way it's more competitive to gain entry.

bugger, you're right. it must be because physics is a much harder degree than english so lots of people are put off applying :rolleyes:

1 of my best friends at uni is actually studying english and I often feel thick when he starts talking about his essays or the books he's reading - I've never heard of quite a few of the famous authors/poets he mentions!

Reply 19

theotherF.Poste

Bezza

bugger, you're right. it must be because physics is a much harder degree than english so lots of people are put off applying :rolleyes:

1 of my best friends at uni is actually studying english and I often feel thick when he starts talking about his essays or the books he's reading - I've never heard of quite a few of the famous authors/poets he mentions!

It's the artist's revenge- we get to feel far more cultured and creative, in opposition to you scientists who always claim we're dossers who have an easy ride and do nothing :p:

GCSE Grades

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