Cambridge uni + average IGCSE grades

helloo!! so recently i’ve got my IGCSE results back and ngl im a bit disappointed with how it all turned out (
i got 4A*s and 5 As
i was wondering if any of you know any international students like myself who have gotten into cambridge uni with below-average grades similar to mine. i’m planning to study education BA at cambridge

These are not below average grades. Your GCSE grades are fine for Cambridge. GCSEs only make up one part of your application, as Cambridge assess candidates holistically.

The average Cambridge offer holder has between 7-9 a stars, dependent on course. I would've thought for internationals this would've been even higher. FOI 2022 116 Bowman data.pdf (whatdotheyknow.com)

It’s a common misconception that you need all or majority grades 7-9 to get into Cambridge. Many offer holders do have all grades 7-9 at GCSE, but this is a case of correlation rather than causation. Candidates with higher GCSEs are more likely to perform better in their A levels, admissions tests, interviews, so on. There are no required GCSE grades or hidden requirements for international students. The OP wouldn’t be competing in a pool of international applicants, they would be competing against everyone.

Of course, if 7-9 is the average, it means there'll be plenty with under 7 to balance out the many with over 9.
Also worth pointing out that that data is from 2020 and 2021, COVID years where A levels were cancelled and GCSEs probably played a far bigger role in acceptance than usual.

thank you so much! all this is making me feel better about my results — thank you everyone for replying! im really happy now ))

Of course, if 7-9 is the average, it means there'll be plenty with under 7 to balance out the many with over 9.
Also worth pointing out that that data is from 2020 and 2021, COVID years where A levels were cancelled and GCSEs probably played a far bigger role in acceptance than usual.

These are my GCSE Grades:
9 - Religious Studies, English Language and Literature
8 - Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths
7 - Geography
6 - Biology and Physics (3 marks away from a 7 for both)
And my attainment 8 score (average GCSE grade) is 7.9, so could I still be a worthy candidate for Cambridge University and study medicine?

These are my GCSE Grades:
9 - Religious Studies, English Language and Literature
8 - Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths
7 - Geography
6 - Biology and Physics (3 marks away from a 7 for both)
And my attainment 8 score (average GCSE grade) is 7.9, so could I still be a worthy candidate for Cambridge University and study medicine?

You'd be on the lower end for Medicine without top grades in sciences and maths which is the ones they will pay most attention to. But, GCSEs again aren't the only thing and if you're a UK student these will be considered in the context of the school you studied at. If you're on track for the necessary A-Level grades then continue to consider Cambridge.

I think your research is way off there. The average accepted Cambridge candidate is going to have way more than 4/5 grades 7-9 (A or A* in the old money) at GCSE.
Medicine applicants are very likely to have all 9s in Maths/Sciences at least. I know GCSEs aren't the defining factor for admission, but unless there's some heavy context or you have all A*s predicted at A level (which will supersede the GCSEs) then you'll struggle to get an interview with those grades, unfortunately. Same with Imperial which is, if anything, even more competitive than Cambridge.

I have no idea what that source is. Try the actual stats, from a Freedom of Information request to Cambridge University. There is *no* course where the "average" applicant has "4 or 5 GCSEs at 7-9" (A* or A in the old money). Even the lowest course (Education) has over 7 GCSEs at those grades. Medicine's standard is considerably higher.
Average GCSE A* of A*
Medicine 2020 Applicants
A* 7.63, A 1.57
Medicine 2020 Acceptances
A* 9.35, A 0.80
Medicine 2021 Appllicants
A* 7,65, A 1.45
Medicine 2021 Acceptances
A* 9.69, A 0.60
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/average_gcse_grades_of_applicant/response/1994993/attach/3/FOI%202022%20116%20Bowman%20data.pdf

Yes, and I asked my school about my average GCSE grade across all my subjects, and they said it was 7.9

Yes, and I asked my school about my average GCSE grade across all my subjects, and they said it was 7.9

I think you might be misunderstanding here. Your school says your average grade was 7.9 and you have 6 GCSEs at 8 or 9. The average medical student at Cambridge got 9.5 GCSEs at top grade, which was A* then so could be at 8 or 9, but let's face it, their average score will be very close to 9. And with 10/10 GCSEs at A*/A.
(Also, if your GCSEs were 999888766, your average is 7.77. I'm not trying to pick on you here, but be avare that this particular course at this particular university has a very high threshold)