"Are these GCSEs good enough for x" - the guide

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Quite often, the answer to these such threads is yes.
But there are inevitable asterisks. Read more for specific examples.

Are these results good enough for...

Cambridge:
Well, let's see what they say on their website about GCSE results as an entry requirement:

Things to take away from this:

•

There is no fixed requirement for GCSE results

•

If you do badly it's not the end of the world

•

They care more about A-level performance.

•

Good A-levels can compensate for "less than stellar" GCSEs, but not the other way around.

From personal experience: GCSEs do not act as a safety net if you badly mess up part of your application.

So chances are, your results are good enough.

Oxford:
The number of times I've heard "Oxford doesn't look at your application unless you have 8 A*s" (or something along those lines) is too damn high, because it is too damn wrong.

To read their full statement on how they view GCSE results, go here and scroll down. The most important takeaways from this are:

•

~~A*s, 8s and 9s are regarded as equal (for now). Someone with 10 8s is not disadvantaged against someone with 10 9s.~~ As of 2021 this appears no longer to be the case.

•

Like with Cambridge and every other university in the country, they care about a lot more besides GCSE results

•

There is a correlation between excellent GCSEs and application success. But then again, that's because of the much more obvious link between GCSE and A-level performance. Someone who excels at A-level, who would consider applying to Oxford or Cambridge would probably have excelled in their GCSEs as well.

Exception: Medicine at Oxford. When it comes to medicine, Oxford shortlist for interview based on your GCSEs and BMAT scores and they interview a fixed number of applicants every year. The standard of GCSE results for Oxford med is exceptionally high, and no set of results will ever guarantee you a place.
See here for statistics on GCSE and BMAT scores.

Possible exception: PPE. According to their admissions statistics which you can read here, when it comes to shortlisting applicants to interview, GCSE results are given a "high" importance, along with predicted grades and your TSA score.
GCSEs are regarded within the context of the school you were at - whether your results were below average or above average for your school.
But you can also see, the GCSE standards for shortlisting are nowhere near as high as for medicine. People can get in without any A*s at GCSE.

LSE:
LSE actually explicitly say what they're looking for in applicants' GCSE scores.
Let's start off with actual requirements. No matter what the course, they say that "Your GCSE (or equivalent) English Language and Mathematics grades should be no lower than B (or 6)".
However, they do prefer all-round strong performance at GCSE, but just how strong depends on how competitive the course is. For example, with Anthropology and Law they state that
"We are also looking for a strong pre-16 academic profile such as several GCSE grades of A (or 7) and A* (or 8-9) or equivalent, and you will also have achieved a good set of GCSE grades or equivalent across a broad range of subjects"
But with Economics, "Applicants should also have already achieved a strong set of GCSE grades including the majority at A (or 7) and A* (or 8-9), or equivalent."
However, your grades will be looked at in the context of the school where you attained them - if you went to an underperforming school for your GCSEs and your results were good relative to your school, even if it doesn't meet those preferences given above, you may still have good chance.

In summary;

•

Make sure you've got at least a 6 in English Language and Maths

•

It depends on the course

•

There's no strict cut-off

•

If the majority of your grades are 7-9 then relax

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If you went to an underperforming school for GCSE and didn't get those results, don't panic

Here's an interesting thing I've just found out - despite having lower preferences for GCSEs, anthropology and law actually has a lower offer rate than economics. Let this be a reminder that GCSEs still aren't all that matters.

Russell Group:
Yes. Your results are good enough, because the Russell Group isn't that special.

They may (and may not) ask for a specific grade in maths and/or English (usually between 4 and 6), but other than that they do not care. For most universities in the Russell Group, the vast majority of applicants get offers.

Medicine:
Delicate one this. Medicine is pretty consistent across the country with how hard it is to get in. You could get into Cambridge but be rejected by Anglia Ruskin. Depending on the medical school you apply to, GCSEs may be used (alongside your BMAT/UKCAT score) to shortlist people for interview, due to the generally high standard of A-level predicted grades among applicants. But it's a thorough process and you can expect all parts of your application to be looked at.

Furthermore there's a bit of variation among what med schools want from GCSEs. Some require five 7s/As minimum (e.g. Sheffield, St. Andrews), some only require passes, some don't have any fixed requirements (e.g. Imperial, Newcastle)

There are some pretty excellent resources on TSR about this already so I'll link them in this section:

GCSE requirements of medical schools: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/results/gcse/medical-school-gcse-requirements (working on a correct link to this)
"Are my grades good enough for medicine" megathread: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7233558

Dentistry & Veterinary Medicine:
Like medicine, hugely competitive courses. Each Vet / Dent school will have a different policy. Some may score GCSEs, others will just want passes in English & Maths.

You can find 2021 entry requirements for Dentistry here - https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/university/courses/dentistry/dentistry-entry-requirements
(Check uni's websites for up to date requirements, but they are likely similar.)

One aspect in which specific GCSE results are useful is when a 6th form places GCSE requirements on taking certain subjects at A-level, but that's up to the school.

In summary:

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Loads of A*s/8s/9s can't hurt

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But exceptional grades are not a requirement.

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Don't neglect the BMAT/UKCAT and don't think of your GCSEs as a safety net.

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GCSE requirements vary among medical schools. If your grades are on the edge, choose carefully.

Exception: Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health courses. GCSE requirements are set by the professional body, not the university, as the course involves a professional registration at the end of it. Therefore, the GCSE requirements are non-negotiable and must be attained.

Any other specified course:
In general: yes.
Unless, as mentioned already, there is a specific requirement for a particular grade in a GCSE subject. But if your query is "are these GCSEs good enough for STEM courses" or something along those lines, the answer is yes.
If in doubt, check the university website and check their course page. I get the feeling not enough people do that.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 40

Hydri

10

I chose english lit , rs and btec music tech , did i ruin my chances cause i chose a btec

Reply 41

04MR17

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

22

Original post

by Hydri

I chose english lit , rs and btec music tech , did i ruin my chances cause i chose a btec

Chances for what exactly? :smile:

Reply 42

Gone245

13

Is 8 9-7s and 2 6s good enough for oxbrige/ Russel group law or finance (haven’t really made up my mind yet)

Reply 43

04MR17

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

22

Original post

by Gone245

Is 8 9-7s and 2 6s good enough for oxbrige/ Russel group law or finance (haven’t really made up my mind yet)

Russel group easy yes. Cambridge: depends on everything else. Oxford: hopefully but read the OP in full.

Reply 44

Hydri

10

Original post

by 04MR17

Chances for what exactly? :smile:

Oh right , for doing law in oxbridge ?

Reply 45

04MR17

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

22

Original post

by Hydri

Oh right , for doing law in oxbridge ?

Check the websites and university policy on BTECs but I fear the answer may well be no. Other unis will take BTECs but I don't think Oxbridge regard them as equivalent. Other top unis may well do the same.

Reply 46

m_j_

11

How about 9999988876665 for Cambridge medicine ? 8a* 1A 3b and C in other words

Reply 47

04MR17

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

22

Original post

by m_j_

How about 9999988876665 for Cambridge medicine ? 8a* 1A 3b and C in other words

What's the 5 in?

Reply 48

mez_merising

20

hey for cambride med: i got 6 9s, 5 8s and a 6 (in art smh) was wondering if this is ‘competitive’ and if art will hold me back in any way? got all 9s in science and remarking two of my 8s to 9s hopefully. taking bio chem maths psych + epq next year too :smile:

Reply 49

04MR17

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

22

Original post

by mez_merising

hey for cambride med: i got 6 9s, 5 8s and a 6 (in art smh) was wondering if this is ‘competitive’ and if art will hold me back in any way? got all 9s in science and remarking two of my 8s to 9s hopefully. taking bio chem maths psych + epq next year too :smile:

Art won't hold you back and it is competitive. Those subjects look fab, but why are you doing 4?

Reply 50

mez_merising

20

Original post

by 04MR17

Art won't hold you back and it is competitive. Those subjects look fab, but why are you doing 4?

thank you! everyone kept telling me the same but I just needed reassurance. and my school makes us do four :/ but if we struggle we can drop to three

Reply 51

meemy123

13

maths 7
eng lang 6 - getting remarked as got 8 in mock
eng lit 8
chem 8
phy 7
bio 7
french 8
spanish 8
geog 8
comp sci 4 -eeekkk that exam went bad

Can i still apply for nedicine with these gcses , and as u said that cambridge dont rly look at gcses , could i try out or is there no point???

i didnt put a lot of effort in my gcses tbh (revising the night before) but i have learnt my lesson and am willing to put a lot of hard work into my a levels and will be aiming to achieve As and A*s

Reply 52

meemy123

13

Original post

by meemy123

maths 7
eng lang 6 - getting remarked as got 8 in mock
eng lit 8
chem 8
phy 7
bio 7
french 8
spanish 8
geog 8
comp sci 4 -eeekkk that exam went bad

Can i still apply for nedicine with these gcses , and as u said that cambridge dont rly look at gcses , could i try out or is there no point???

i didnt put a lot of effort in my gcses tbh (revising the night before) but i have learnt my lesson and am willing to put a lot of hard work into my a levels and will be aiming to achieve As and A*s

cambridge medicine***

Reply 53

04MR17

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

22

Original post

by mez_merising

thank you! everyone kept telling me the same but I just needed reassurance. and my school makes us do four :/ but if we struggle we can drop to three

That's a really crap policy for the school. :frown:

If you reach interview stage I'd say it's worth disclosing this then. :yep:

Reply 54

mez_merising

20

Original post

by 04MR17

That's a really crap policy for the school. :frown:

If you reach interview stage I'd say it's worth disclosing this then. :yep:

fingers crossed!

Reply 55

Kabutops

11

[Deleted]

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 56

04MR17

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

22

Original post

by meemy123

maths 7
eng lang 6 - getting remarked as got 8 in mock
eng lit 8
chem 8
phy 7
bio 7
french 8
spanish 8
geog 8
comp sci 4 -eeekkk that exam went bad

Can i still apply for nedicine with these gcses , and as u said that cambridge dont rly look at gcses , could i try out or is there no point???

i didnt put a lot of effort in my gcses tbh (revising the night before) but i have learnt my lesson and am willing to put a lot of hard work into my a levels and will be aiming to achieve As and A*s

What subjects are you doing at A Level?

A lot will depend on your BMAT scores I imagine. :redface:

Reply 57

m_j_

11

French

Original post

by 04MR17

What's the 5 in?

Reply 58

04MR17

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

22

Original post

by m_j_

French

Your GCSE grades are fine for Cambridge medicine. :smile:

What subjects will you be taking for A Levels? :smile:

Reply 59

m_j_

11

Original post

by 04MR17

Your GCSE grades are fine for Cambridge medicine. :smile:

What subjects will you be taking for A Levels? :smile:

Wow, that’s reassuring, I’m doing maths, FM, chemistry and biology. Before im asked why I’m doing 4 a levels ( i thinks that’s what you’re going to ask, sorry for assuming), it’s because my school forces those who get more than 7grades 8/9 to do 4 a levels

"Are these GCSEs good enough for x" - the guide

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