Offers with 4 a levels declared

Only in year 12, however I am wondering for top universities including Oxbridge, if I am taking 4 A levels (Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Geography) then what will a typical offer look like?
For example, Cambridge state they require A*, A*, A for maths applicants. If I am taking 4 and got A*, A*, A, and then a B in geography then would I not get accepted? Would the offer from Cambridge say A*, A*, A, A?
I’m not doing great at geography so far and so am worried if I do eventually end up with a B or C (or even worse), then would this jeopardise my chances of getting into a top university?

I'd drop it if I were you. They don't ask for 4 A levels and they won't be impressed if you did more than 3. You won't have an advantage over someone who only did 3! Definitely drop Geography.

Oh I would love that, but firstly I’ve heard/seen that due to the similarity of maths, further maths and physics that many universities don’t find this combination very ‘strong’. So I am wanting to take a forth to ensure I can show that I can handle a heavy workload.
Secondly (although I’m not certain on this) I don’t think my school would allow me to drop it. Everyone taking further maths has to take maths and 2 other courses. However this might just be due to the fact that like 2/3rds of the class drop out of the year further maths course. If I can show I am capable of following it all the way through to the end then maybe they would allow me to drop geography.

I'd drop it if I were you. They don't ask for 4 A levels and they won't be impressed if you did more than 3. You won't have an advantage over someone who only did 3! Definitely drop Geography.

Only in year 12, however I am wondering for top universities including Oxbridge, if I am taking 4 A levels (Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Geography) then what will a typical offer look like?
For example, Cambridge state they require A*, A*, A for maths applicants. If I am taking 4 and got A*, A*, A, and then a B in geography then would I not get accepted? Would the offer from Cambridge say A*, A*, A, A?
I’m not doing great at geography so far and so am worried if I do eventually end up with a B or C (or even worse), then would this jeopardise my chances of getting into a top university?

They might exclude one subject explicitly or not include it.


Idk, if the OP is doing maths in year 12, cambridge might take issue. Though I know of people who had 2 A-level offers, some colleges/subject seemed to like people to take 3 in y13.

You're first point is definitely not true anymore. It used to be true 5+ years ago when Maths + FM equaled 1.5 A level subjects. Now, that's not the case at all. Again, they won't care about you doing an A extra A level and won't consider it impressive. If you really did want to boost your application while doing 3 A levels, then an EPQ might be a good idea.

However, it is not a bad thing to have and you shouldn't drop it unless you are struggling to keep up with 4 A levels. It will benefit you in the applications process as 4 A levels is better than 3 A levels.

@_gcx Is this true?

@_gcx Is this true?

It is worth noting, however, that there is a high level of synergy between Maths, Further Maths and Physics. This means that, for students who are taking this combination, offering a fourth A Level allows an applicant to demonstrate both high achievement in Maths and the ability to cope with a demanding workload.

@_gcx Is this true?

From all the advice I’ve ever received, looking at university statements and requirements, and talking to teachers I’m going to say: no

Not true

You need 3 alevels. That’s it. If you do a fourth, and your over all grades suffer because if it, then that’s much less appealing to universities.
So like, someone who has A*A*A is generally seen as better than someone with A* A A B

Even with the same grades, so like : AAA vs AAAA I don’t think it makes much of a difference. If you’re considering oxbridge then the most important thing is to get the really high grades required. In your position, I’d drop one and make sure I get the best possible grades I can in three a levels
I hope this helped and feel free to ask anything else

okay, thank you. I am still not sure whether I would be able to drop geography and as it isn’t really impeding on my other subjects grades currently then I see no reason to ask to drop geography at this time. I will be sure to talk about dropping it after my first year exams at the latest if I am getting poor grades in it still. I am also enjoying the physical geography (half of the course) so it’s not all terrible.

Going back to my original question however, if I did get something like A*, A, A and a C in geography then do you know if I would be less likely to get an offer than without the geography grade entirely. And if so then how significantly would it impede in my competitiveness?

worth mentioning also that cambridge gives 4 a-level offers for natsci

You're first point is definitely not true anymore. It used to be true 5+ years ago when Maths + FM equaled 1.5 A level subjects. Now, since the A level reforms both are considered their own A levels. Again, they won't care about you doing an A extra A level and won't consider it impressive. If you really did want to boost your application while doing 3 A levels, then an EPQ might be a good idea.