Oxbridge Physics guide

Hey I worked on this a while a go to help my friend who is at an underperforming school and I thought that this might be useful for some other people. Even if you aren't going to study physics there's a lot of useful sources and websites used here to give you a good idea of what kind of candidate Oxford or Cambridge accept.

Oxford guide - Physics

Typical offers:

The website below highlights what subjects students normally take to get onto physics. If you scroll down you should be able to find the typical grade and subjects people have to give you an idea on the competition.

https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/university-of-oxford-o33/courses/physics-4-year-mphys-mphys-2021-c292f921489b

I hope this helps and good luck to any applicants
https://www.whatuni.com/degrees/physics-4-year-mphys-mphys/university-of-oxford/cd/57658818/3757/

Typical UCAS points per entry:

UCAS points: The amount of points accumulated from the amount of subjects you have taken and grades.

UCAS points calculator: https://www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator

The website below shows data from over 100 students at Oxford between 2017 - 2019, the typical earnings after university, UCAS Points and employment rate

https://discoveruni.gov.uk/course-details/10007774/F303/Full-time/

You should take 4 A levels

Why should I take 4 A levels?

The reason you should take 4 A levels is because as demonstrated from this website below 81% of students who get accepted have got more then 168 UCAS points.

Evidence: https://discoveruni.gov.uk/course-details/10007774/F303/Full-time/

A*A*A* = 168 UCAS points

This means that if you don't take an extra qualification such as an EPQ or a 4th A level your chances of getting accepted is significantly reduced.

A*A*A*
(Maths Physics and Further Maths)
As well as an A* in an EPQ = 196 UCAS Points

If you took an EPQ alongside 3 A levels you would only have a 28% chance of getting accepted according to the survey.

Therefore if you did 4 A levels and got 4 A* you would have a 64% chance of being accepted.

A*A*A*A* = 224 UCAS Points

Therefore the absolute best thing you can do to increase your chances of getting in is to take 4 A levels.

Some people even choose to do 4 A levels and an EPQ

Possible questions:

What is an EPQ?

EPQ: Referred to as an “Extended Project “ this is an independent research qualification which can be on any topic whatsoever and does not have to be related to any subjects you are currently studying.

This gives you the opportunity to demonstrate that you possess very desirable attributes such as independence, determination and the ability to research a topic by yourself as well as show your passion about physics.
This is good because it simulates what you would be doing in university so it is a very good way to show that you would thrive in that environment. In addition, Oxford is a very academic institution where your university application will be around 70 - 80% about your academic achievements and taking this on is a very good addition to your achievements.

What should be my 4th A level?

Oxford university has already established that they would like you to have taken Maths, Further Maths and Physics.

Evidence: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses-listing/physics

HOWEVER they have not left any suggestions on their website on what your 4th option should be.
“Hmm maybe I should take something easy like Business” - Do not do this

Oxford is an institution of academic geniuses and taking an easy 4th A level is a complete waste of time and resources.

As demonstrated from the website below another very common subject for someone to take who gets accepted onto the Physics course is Chemistry.

We know that Chemistry is established as a well respected subject as it is a facilitating subject which means that it is known to be difficult and challenging.
Other people also refer to Chemistry as a branch of Physics which suggests that it is a closely related subject and is somewhat relevant to a Physics degree.

Another benefit of taking a 4th A level is that most of the time students don't particularly know what they want to do or find out that they don't enjoy one of their subjects at A level and at many Grammar schools and private schools they make it compulsory to take 4 A levels and you have the option to drop one or change subjects that you don't like later on. This leads to people not being a week behind the curriculum and allows them to achieve good grades later on as they don't have to play catch up.

Evidence:

https://www.whatuni.com/degrees/physics-4-year-mphys-mphys/university-of-oxford/cd/57658818/3757/

Sixth Form should allow you to study 4 A levels.

The requirements to take 4 A levels is not stated on their website but I have found another Sixth Form college located in Cambridge that gives you an estimate of what you should be getting.
An attainment score is the average score you achieve from all your GCSEs.

Evidence: https://www.blackpoolsixth.ac.uk/essentialinfo/#studyprog

Typical attainment score for someone wanting to do 4 A levels:

https://www.hillsroad.ac.uk/sixthform/how-to-apply/entry-requirements

I want to say that it is possible to get in without doing 4 A levels but it seems from the sources and information gathered that it would be more difficult. I will leave you to form your own opinion on this.

Extra curricular activities

At Oxford, the majority of your application should be focused on your academic achievements, however it is still very important that you have some strong extra curricular activities to show that you are well rounded and that you stretch your knowledge and understanding of the subject outside the curriculum offered at school and sixth form. Most people fall into the trap of doing extra curricular activities which are completely unrelated to the course that they are applying to like volunteering for charities.
A good way to demonstrate that you are a very intelligent and strong applicant is to enter into competitions.

Suggestions for extra curricular activities:

Blackpool Sixth Form 6Advance Programme

The 6Advance is a range of academies designed to enable ambitious students to prepare for university and prestigious future careers.

Website: https://www.blackpoolsixth.ac.uk/6advance/

The British Physics olympiad

The international Physics Olympiad is an annual physics competition for high school students It is one international Science Olympiad

Website: https://www.bpho.org.uk/

British Mathematical Olympiad

The international Mathematical Olympiad is a mathematical olympiad for pre- university students, and is the oldest of the international Science olympiads

Website: https://bmos.ukmt.org.uk/

RCSU Science Challenge

Run in collaboration with Imperial College (currently a top 10 university in the world), this annual communication competition requires students to exercise their debate and reasoning skills.

Website: http://sciencechallenge.org/

Cambridge HE

HE+ is a collaborative programme between the University of Cambridge and its Colleges, working together with groups of state schools and colleges in 20 regions of the UK. It has been running for over 10 years and in that time they have worked with approximately 25,000 students. I believe that Blackpool Sixth Form does offer this.

Website: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/find-out-more/widening-participation/he-plus

Your extra curricular activity don't just have to be competitions they can also be lectures that you have attended which Sixth Form will host and books that you have read around your subject.
One thought that comes to mind is reading a specific book or paper from a member of the Physics department at Oxford.

List of researchers for physics:

https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/research/people

Understanding the competition

Oxford applicants especially for a competitive course like Physics are very difficult. There are entire schools which dedicate themselves to trying to get as many people as possible into Oxbridge. For example Westminster is a private school which has built a business charging applicants money to be educated and forcing applicants to take a test in order to be accepted. Westminster Advertises the amount of people that they successfully get into Oxbridge. For example they have recently advertised that over the last five years they have had 80 students attend Oxbridge.
The reason I am highlighting this to you is because you can use the information provided by very high ranking schools to give you an idea of what to do and what not to do.

For example I became aware of the olympiad competition through someone I know who attends Rossall School. These institutions that dedicate themselves to getting their students to Russell group universities have their entire curriculum available to you, so you can gain an understanding of what qualities are desirable from an applicant from these elite schools. Another example which I noticed from a lot of Grammar and Private schools was that it is compulsory to take a language subject at GCSE. This is because in doing so you can achieve the EBACC qualification which is something which can be used to show how strong you are academically.

In general if you just look at some of the extracurricular activities from top schools you can get a good idea of what to get involved with to make yourself a good applicant such as, competitions that are going on nationally, clubs that Sixth Form may offer such as Science club etc.

Typical GCSE grades

It varies from person to person but I would say that the majority of your grades should be 9-8. The source below states that the majority of the applicants at Oxford have grades 9-8 in most if not all of their GCSEs. I would aim to get grades similar to this although I imagine it would be ok to have 1 or 2 grade 7s

To get a better understanding of the admission system I would encourage you to look around different sources but I think this is a fairly accurate idea of the grades needed.

Evidence:
https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/advice/ucas-application/what-do-i-need-to-get-into-oxford-or-cambridge-straight-a-s#:~:text=GCSEs%20are%20seen%20as%20evidence,new%20system%20%E2%80%93%20under%20their%20belt.

I hope this helps to give you an idea of what some of the most competitive universities are looking for and good luck if you are applying to Oxbridge!

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 1

liverninthered

12

The discussion of UCAS points is misleading. Neither university uses UCAS points in decisions. The claim that getting four A*s gives you a 64% chance of getting in is nonesense and ignores how Oxbridge admissions work. A level grades are not a major factor in decisions. They don't really care how many A*s you have, as long as you're above the threshold. Oxford Physics primarily uses GCSEs, the admission test, and interview scores in decisions, not A levels - see the department website: https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/study-here/undergraduates/applications/admissions-procedures-for-physics

"The requirement to take 4 A levels is not stated on their website" - yep, because it isn't a requirement.

Neither university says that 4 a levels makes for a more competitive application. For example, Oxford says:

"Three A-levels is absolutely sufficient to make a competitive application, and offers will normally only be made for three A-levels regardless of how many you are taking...

If you choose to take more than three A-levels, this will certainly demonstrate an ability to handle the workload we place on Oxford students. However, be sure that you have plenty of time to read around your chosen subject beyond your school or college work. You will certainly be more appealing than a candidate who may have taken more subjects, but who is not able to discuss their interests with any enthusiasm or in any depth...

We also advise candidates not to spread themselves too thinly across too many subjects, where they may risk dropping a grade or two in their results. Our offers are made on the basis of exam grades rather than UCAS Tariff points, so three A*/A grades*would be sufficient to meet most conditional offers, but two A*s and two Bs would not."

I for one think there may be advantages to doing four a levels / an EPQ. It may indirectly help you in other areas of the application (e.g. improve subject knowledge or problem solving skills) But, as made very clear above, doing only 3 does not disadvantage you. The fact that many physics students have four a levels does not mean it is prerequisite for admission (i.e. correlation does not mean causation)

Reply 2

Antony Hughes

OP

12

Original post by liverninthered

The discussion of UCAS points is misleading. Neither university uses UCAS points in decisions. The claim that getting four A*s gives you a 64% chance of getting in is nonesense and ignores how Oxbridge admissions work. A level grades are not a major factor in decisions. They don't really care how many A*s you have, as long as you're above the threshold. Oxford Physics primarily uses GCSEs, the admission test, and interview scores in decisions, not A levels - see the department website: https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/study-here/undergraduates/applications/admissions-procedures-for-physics

"The requirement to take 4 A levels is not stated on their website" - yep, because it isn't a requirement.

Neither university says that 4 a levels makes for a more competitive application. For example, Oxford says:

"Three A-levels is absolutely sufficient to make a competitive application, and offers will normally only be made for three A-levels regardless of how many you are taking...

If you choose to take more than three A-levels, this will certainly demonstrate an ability to handle the workload we place on Oxford students. However, be sure that you have plenty of time to read around your chosen subject beyond your school or college work. You will certainly be more appealing than a candidate who may have taken more subjects, but who is not able to discuss their interests with any enthusiasm or in any depth...

We also advise candidates not to spread themselves too thinly across too many subjects, where they may risk dropping a grade or two in their results. Our offers are made on the basis of exam grades rather than UCAS Tariff points, so three A*/A grades*would be sufficient to meet most conditional offers, but two A*s and two Bs would not."

I for one think there may be advantages to doing four a levels / an EPQ. It may indirectly help you in other areas of the application (e.g. improve subject knowledge or problem solving skills) But, as made very clear above, doing only 3 does not disadvantage you. The fact that many physics students have four a levels does not mean it is prerequisite for admission (i.e. correlation does not mean causation)

1. Regarding the 4 A levels

"The requirement to take 4 A levels is not stated on their website"

This was poorly phrased it obviously isn't a requirement.

What I mean that in doing this it will increase your chances of getting an interview where you can show off your knowledge of the subject and therefore will increase your chances of making a positive impression which will hopefully mean you will be accepted onto the course.

Quote: "if you don't take an extra qualification such as an EPQ or a 4th A level your chances of getting accepted is significantly reduced."

This is more or less what I mean and the evidence supports this.
It may not be directly because someone has taken 4 A levels but as you stated " It may indirectly help you in other areas of the application (e.g. improve subject knowledge or problem solving skills)

The point of my post is to give people a guide which essentially saids this is what people who have been accepted have done. So this is most likely something which would help.

2. Regarding GCSEs YES I 100% agree GCSEs are important in the decision making for Oxford as I stated.

Quote: "It varies from person to person but I would say that the majority of your grades should be 9-8."

3. Regarding taking 3 A levels

Quote: " doing only 3 does not disadvantage you"

I used reliable sources and deduced from that information that the students who get accepted onto the course usually have taken more then 3 A levels. I never flat out said if you dont do this you wont get in. From the evidence above and the multiple sources used it is just clear that theres a lot of benefits from taking more then 3 qualifications and it is clear.

Also you have to make your application stand out to even get an interview due to the fact that only 33% of candidates even get interviewed so I imagine having additional qualifications definitely would help you to stand out and get invited.

Evidence that students normally take more then 3 qualifications:

https://discoveruni.gov.uk/course-details/10007774/F303/Full-time/

https://discoveruni.gov.uk/course-details/10007774/F303/Full-time/

Clearly if a lot of people are being accepted onto the course have done more qualifications then required of them then theres some kind of benefit. Whether that means you have "better subject knowledge or problem solving skills."

My main point of this entire guide is that majority of successful candidates have done this. So it most likely helps.

The link you shared is very useful and I think anyone looking to apply should definitely check it out.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 3

Proxx

7

Original post by liverninthered

The discussion of UCAS points is misleading. Neither university uses UCAS points in decisions. The claim that getting four A*s gives you a 64% chance of getting in is nonesense and ignores how Oxbridge admissions work. A level grades are not a major factor in decisions. They don't really care how many A*s you have, as long as you're above the threshold. Oxford Physics primarily uses GCSEs, the admission test, and interview scores in decisions, not A levels - see the department website: https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/study-here/undergraduates/applications/admissions-procedures-for-physics

"The requirement to take 4 A levels is not stated on their website" - yep, because it isn't a requirement.

Neither university says that 4 a levels makes for a more competitive application. For example, Oxford says:

"Three A-levels is absolutely sufficient to make a competitive application, and offers will normally only be made for three A-levels regardless of how many you are taking...

If you choose to take more than three A-levels, this will certainly demonstrate an ability to handle the workload we place on Oxford students. However, be sure that you have plenty of time to read around your chosen subject beyond your school or college work. You will certainly be more appealing than a candidate who may have taken more subjects, but who is not able to discuss their interests with any enthusiasm or in any depth...

We also advise candidates not to spread themselves too thinly across too many subjects, where they may risk dropping a grade or two in their results. Our offers are made on the basis of exam grades rather than UCAS Tariff points, so three A*/A grades*would be sufficient to meet most conditional offers, but two A*s and two Bs would not."

I for one think there may be advantages to doing four a levels / an EPQ. It may indirectly help you in other areas of the application (e.g. improve subject knowledge or problem solving skills) But, as made very clear above, doing only 3 does not disadvantage you. The fact that many physics students have four a levels does not mean it is prerequisite for admission (i.e. correlation does not mean causation)

You haven’t taken into account that only 33% of people get interviewed so the advice given by Antony is probably useful for getting offered an invite to be interviewed

Oxbridge Physics guide

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