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David Milliband's Education (Vis-à-vis Oxford)

I was reading up on the man on Wikipedia, as one does, and found that it said he gained a D and 3 Bs at A-Level, yet he was accepted at Corpus Christi college, Oxford to study PPE. How in the hell does that work? I applied, and didn't even get an interview with better grades (though I must say that I didn't get all As). Explain, someone. Here's the quote:

[INDENT]Education
David Miliband was educated at schools in London, Benton Park School in Leeds and Boston, Massachusetts before being educated at Haverstock Comprehensive School in North London, where he obtained a Grade 'D' in Physics A-level, and 3 Grade 'B's.[3] He was admitted to Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he got a first in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He then took a S.M. degree in Political Science in 1990 at MIT, where he was a Kennedy Scholar.
[/INDENT]

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Reply 1

anna_spanner89

hmm its wikipedia, maybe it lies??

Reply 2

inksplodge

Well it was a long time ago.

Reply 3

Noémie

it was harder to get all As in those days so they had lower requirements.

is a possible reason?
why else did prince charles get into cambridge with like, CCD or whateve rit was?

Grade Inflation?

anna_spanner89

hmm its wikipedia, maybe it lies??

There was a piece on him in a newspaper a while back that said he got those grades but got into oxford, I never understood it.

Reply 6

Rei

Lies probably.. it IS wikipedia after all...

Maybe he got an EE offer..?

Reply 7

faber niger

inksplodge

Well it was a long time ago.

I know, but grade inflation can't be that much of a factor, can it? Also, Oxford is supposed to accept people with the best grades -- Ds and Bs don't sound like they could be termed the best.

Reply 8

shunter7634

Because those were the days before As at A-level were pretty worthless. 3 As at A-level was a real achievement back then, whereas now, it's nothing especially out of the ordinary.

Reply 9

River85

Why are most of you blindingly accepting what wikipedia says. Is it referenced? If not it's could quite easily be crap. Even if it is it still may not be true.

Reply 10

I Wanna Be Adored

However, he did get a first, so he can't have been so brain-dead.

Reply 11

Peanut42

Noémie

it was harder to get all As in those days so they had lower requirements.

is a possible reason?
why else did prince charles get into cambridge with like, CCD or whateve rit was?

I think you might have answered your own question.

Reply 12

Noémie

to those asking if it's real, yes it is, it's referances and he said it himself.
see bbc article, linked as number 3 in that wiki article.

Reply 13

OllyThePhilosopher

Exceptional circumstances?
(If it is true, that is)

Reply 14

Kitty Pimms

River85

Why are most of you blindingly accepting what wikipedia says. Is it referenced? If not it's could quite easily be crap. Even if it is it still may not be true.

No, it's not - the citation was from a BBC interview with the man himself.

Reply 15

billyboymccoy

My chemistry teacher went to cambridge with BBC I think. And I know someone who went to LSE for economics whose offer was BB , and my Mums offer was DD for York. All the grades have gone up.

Reply 16

faber niger

etp

Grade Inflation?

It just means that exams are getting easier, and so grades are worth less. Like with the other type of inflation which makes money have less value.

Reply 17

Brighten

It's true he did get those grades, I checked the source (BBC):

PETER SISSONS: Can we be absolutely certain that standards are not being eroded. Just tell us. You went to Oxford and you got a first in PPE. But you got three Bs at A-level.

DAVID MILIBAND: And a D in physics, not to be neglected.

PETER SISSONS: Yes, but these days people with five As are being turned down by Oxford. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to work out that perhaps your three Bs were worth as much as, or more than, five As today.