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Cancellation of exams and its impact on offer rates

So as you might have heard just now that A levels are officially cancelled. To avoid taking in too many people like last year,(inflated predictions), what do you think all the colleges will do with their offers? Just fearing that they might now start picking people who would've been given an offer but not anymore.

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what?? Don't say that I know how much I tired for this😥
Possible they'll implement alternative assessments or just admit based on your interview and application so far
Reply 3
Original post by Theloniouss
Possible they'll implement alternative assessments or just admit based on your interview and application so far

wondering if they will be harsher on the selection process tho
Reply 4
Original post by Mina Abdulkerim
what?? Don't say that I know how much I tired for this😥


yh same I never tried so hard for anything in my life lol
Reply 5
I was thinking about that, I’ve already received 2 offers but they were both “safer options”. I’m waiting for Bath, Edinburgh & St. Andrews, all of which are very competitive and I’m worried by if this is going to make it harder to receive an offer
extra opens soon in February
Original post by vince0us
wondering if they will be harsher on the selection process tho

Possibly, but not by much since Cambridge already accepts >80% of offer holders (excl. maths)
Original post by vince0us
So as you might have heard just now that A levels are officially cancelled. To avoid taking in too many people like last year,(inflated predictions), what do you think all the colleges will do with their offers? Just fearing that they might now start picking people who would've been given an offer but not anymore.

It's difficult for them because they don't yet know what the govt are proposing to do for grades, and even when they do, it's probably not guaranteed to play out as planned, given how fast changing everything is.

But they really won't want to be in a situation where they have too many successful candidates again, so one way or another, they'll protect themselves against that. Making fewer and tougher offers is definitely one way of doing that. :frown:
Original post by Theloniouss
Possibly, but not by much since Cambridge already accepts >80% of offer holders (excl. maths)

I think they'll make fewer offers in the first place. We heard through grapevine that fewer were invited to interview this year, and I expect they'll only make as many offers as places. If they end up a bit light, they can live with that.
Original post by Southcoaster747
I think they'll make fewer offers in the first place. We heard through grapevine that fewer were invited to interview this year, and I expect they'll only make as many offers as places. If they end up a bit light, they can live with that.

I'm not sure "through the grapevine" really counts as a source. I don't see any reason to assume that they won't over-offer this year, although it will depend on how Cambridge deal with whatever the new provisions turn out to be.
Original post by Theloniouss
I'm not sure "through the grapevine" really counts as a source. I don't see any reason to assume that they won't over-offer this year, although it will depend on how Cambridge deal with whatever the new provisions turn out to be.

You're right, it could be wrong, but it was a careers teacher who's usually on the ball about such things who told me, so I'm thinking there must be something in it. It doesn't really matter now, we're past that point.

Regarding offers, given most/all exams are cancelled, for what reason would Cambridge still over offer? If there are no exams to fail, the number of offer holders won't be cut down, and they definitely won't want to have too many like last year.

Cambridge base most of their decisions on their own bit of the process anyway - tests and interviews - so I reckon they'll just go with that and draw up a list of the successful candidates.
Original post by Southcoaster747
You're right, it could be wrong, but it was a careers teacher who's usually on the ball about such things who told me, so I'm thinking there must be something in it. It doesn't really matter now, we're past that point.

Regarding offers, given most/all exams are cancelled, for what reason would Cambridge still over offer? If there are no exams to fail, the number of offer holders won't be cut down, and they definitely won't want to have too many like last year.

Cambridge base most of their decisions on their own bit of the process anyway - tests and interviews - so I reckon they'll just go with that and draw up a list of the successful candidates.

Because students will still miss or reject offers. And "alternative arrangements" don't necessarily mean CAGs like last year, so results might be useful this year.
The original plan they were talking about was that there would be fewer offers in January this year, and the eligibility criteria for adjustment would be widened to allow more people in via that route instead. I'm not sure if/how the recent news will affect that, though.

Source: I've seen the minutes of meetings where this was discussed.
Original post by Southcoaster747
I think they'll make fewer offers in the first place. We heard through grapevine that fewer were invited to interview this year, and I expect they'll only make as many offers as places. If they end up a bit light, they can live with that.


The disadvantage is that it will likely be harder to secure a place at a competitive university. The advantage is that once you do, maybe its certain that you will be given the place, especially given the unpredictable nature of how grades will be distributed.
Original post by Forecast
The original plan they were talking about was that there would be fewer offers in January this year, and the eligibility criteria for adjustment would be widened to allow more people in via that route instead. I'm not sure if/how the recent news will affect that, though.

Source: I've seen the minutes of meetings where this was discussed.

Where did you find these minutes?
Original post by Forecast
The original plan they were talking about was that there would be fewer offers in January this year, and the eligibility criteria for adjustment would be widened to allow more people in via that route instead. I'm not sure if/how the recent news will affect that, though.

Source: I've seen the minutes of meetings where this was discussed.

That would seem a logical way forward allowing the colleges more control than last year.
Original post by aliviapearl
Where did you find these minutes?

In this case, on my college's internal website. This sort of thing is pretty much always restricted to members of the university.
Original post by Theloniouss
Possibly, but not by much since Cambridge already accepts >80% of offer holders (excl. maths)


Maths :'(
Reply 19
Original post by Theloniouss
I'm not sure "through the grapevine" really counts as a source. I don't see any reason to assume that they won't over-offer this year, although it will depend on how Cambridge deal with whatever the new provisions turn out to be.

Given what happened last year, I'm struggling to think of how CAGs might provide any additional information. They may as well give out unconditional offers from now!

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