Oxbridge plausible with bad GCSEs

With bad GCSES B's and C's and then good Alevels A*s and As could I take a gap year and have a good chance with Oxbridge?

What course?

Honestly, your chances are pretty low to none existent. Oxbridge looks for academic excellence throughout your education not just A levels.

Reply 3

Beth_H

A combination of excellent A-levels, a high admissions test score (if your course has one) and very good interview performance could give you a good chance, particularly if you apply to Cambridge, which tends to put less weight on GCSEs than Oxford. Some courses do look at GCSEs more than others, but all will view them in context, so if you went to an "underperforming" school, then this would put you in a better position than if you went to a high performing (especially private) school where it was common for students to get 10+ A*s, unless you had other extenuating circumstances.

Reply 4

Psaa

What about a top London University such as LSE OR UCL for management?

Reply 5

Beth_H

Original post by Psaa

What about a top London University such as LSE OR UCL for management?

If you haven't already, take a look at this, which is from the Cambridge website:

"There are no GCSE (or equivalent) requirements for entry to Cambridge. GCSE results are looked at as a performance indicator, but within the context of the performance of the school/college where they were achieved.
Applicants have generally achieved high grades in subjects relevant to their chosen course, and most students who apply have at least four or five As or A*s at GCSE (7 is considered equivalent to an A in the new grading structure; and 8 and 9 is considered equivalent to an A*). However, there are always exceptions and we don’t require a minimum number of As/A*s at GCSE. One of the strengths of the Cambridge admissions system is its ability to assess all applicants individually.
Our research shows that post-16 examination performance is a much better predictor of degree success at Cambridge. While GCSE results are looked at as a performance indicator, this is within the context of the performance of the school/college where they were attained, and strong performance in Years 12 and 13 can make up for a less stellar performance at GCSE."

Reply 6

Harriso1

Cambridge take applicants with B's and C's more often than Oxford. Going from B's and C's to A*'s is a massive progression and that looks good. If the tests and interview go well then sure.