Predicted grades and GCSE grades questions

How do admission officers determine how optimistic each school is with their prediction. I heard that schools are required to provide records of your school report, on my report i am achieving A*A*A*A (prediction 4A*), will this look better than achieving lower but the same prediction?

Also, my previous school has not released the GCSE results from the year I took them, will they be required to release them or do i need to send an email to request them? (As oxbridge look at your gcse results in relation to your pre-16 school)

Reply 1

username6990201

Original post by MalarckyS2

How do admission officers determine how optimistic each school is with their prediction. I heard that schools are required to provide records of your school report, on my report i am achieving A*A*A*A (prediction 4A*), will this look better than achieving lower but the same prediction?
Also, my previous school has not released the GCSE results from the year I took them, will they be required to release them or do i need to send an email to request them? (As oxbridge look at your gcse results in relation to your pre-16 school)

When did you do your GCSEs? Did they not release them on results day like everyone else?

"will this look better than achieving lower but the same prediction?" I'm not entirely sure what this means but once you get your conditional offer the university doesn't care what grades you get as long as it's enough to meet the requirements on your offer.

"admission officers determine how optimistic each school is with their prediction" They can't really, but that's why they give conditional offers to force you to meet certain grades, look at your GCSEs, and for some courses at competitive universities, do interviews and entrance exams.

Reply 2

MalarckyS2

Original post by sound-famous-

When did you do your GCSEs? Did they not release them on results day like everyone else?
"will this look better than achieving lower but the same prediction?" I'm not entirely sure what this means but once you get your conditional offer the university doesn't care what grades you get as long as it's enough to meet the requirements on your offer.
"admission officers determine how optimistic each school is with their prediction" They can't really, but that's why they give conditional offers to force you to meet certain grades, look at your GCSEs, and for some courses at competitive universities, do interviews and entrance exams.

I have my GCSE grades but I thought that oxford assesses your GCSE profile in relation to your pre-16 school (where you are compared to your year). My pre-16 school has released the GCSE stats from 2022 but not 2023

The other two questions I asked have been answered, I suppose if schools do over-predict its just harmful for the student lol

Reply 3

MalarckyS2

Original post by MalarckyS2

I have my GCSE grades but I thought that oxford assesses your GCSE profile in relation to your pre-16 school (where you are compared to your year). My pre-16 school has released the GCSE stats from 2022 but not 2023
The other two questions I asked have been answered, I suppose if schools do over-predict its just harmful for the student lol

By achieving lower i meant at school. I.e you got 70% in your mocks which is a B but school predicts an A, can unis you apply to see that and will it look worse than an 80% A grade in mocks and predicted an A

Reply 4

McGinger

Universities do not look at the overall school GCSE profile when assessing your application,
They are only interested in the grades you got - not everyone else's.

Universities neither know nor care what you got in random mock exams,
All they are interested in is the actual predicted grades your school has entered for you.

Reply 5

PS Reviewer

Contextual data on school performance comes from national data released by the DfE not by looking at individual school websites.

Reply 6

MalarckyS2

Original post by PQ

Contextual data on school performance comes from national data released by the DfE not by looking at individual school websites.

What if my school isnt in the uk?

Reply 7

McGinger

Then you are not eligible for a Contextual offer - and UK Unis will be even less interested in your school's previous GCSE results.

Reply 8

MalarckyS2

Original post by McGinger

Then you are not eligible for a Contextual offer - and UK Unis will be even less interested in your school's previous GCSE results.

I wasnt looking at contextual offers, i just thought that oxford/ cambridge look at grades in relation to your school’s performance, or does that not apply to me?

Reply 9

user488949439

how do you think Oxford is going to know every schools performance throughout the world.

Reply 10

username6990201

Original post by MalarckyS2

I wasnt looking at contextual offers, i just thought that oxford/ cambridge look at grades in relation to your school’s performance, or does that not apply to me?

You are correct that Oxford uses "cGCSE's" that relate an individual performance to the average of their school. However, for international schools, I don't think this applies as some won't do iGCSEs anyway and it would be hard to collect the data from all across the world. Hope this helps.