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Can I get into Cambridge w/ bad GCSE’s but good A-levels?

Hi, I’ve seen a lot of people ask this but I’m still not sure. During GCSE’s I dislocated my knee so I was pretty unfocused, however I know this is not at all an excuse. I go to a grammar school so with this as well I really shouldn’t have performed as underwhelming as I did. I got 3 x grade 5’s (physics, chemistry, French) 2 x grade 6’s (biology, physical education) 3 x grade 7’s (maths, English language, design and technology) and then 2 x grade 8’s (history and English literature.) I’m predicted A* A* A for my A-levels and I would like to study history at Cambridge, do you reckon with strong super curricular’s I would be considered?

Reply 1

emmag258

It is low for Cambridge, the bigger issue being that you're underperforming for your school and they directly compare you + contextualise your grades. For example, someone who got all 7s in a school with an average grade of 4/ 5 can still be a viable candidate (if the rest of their application is strong) but they wouldn't in a good grammar/ private school. Your average grade is around 6, which is still very low even within an underperforming school, unfortunately. Oxbridge also don't pay much attention to supercurriculurs compared to other Russel group unis; they rank it 'low' in importance during the shortlisting process, whilst GCSEs (and the admissions test) are ranked 'high'. That said, Cambridge definitely isn't for everyone, and there are lots of other excellent other places to study History. The people who get in aren't concerned about their grades because they are top performers, and so Cambridge is usually right for them. Your A-level predictions are excellent, and you've clearly really improved as a student, so I'm sure you'll end up in a great uni for you, but imo Cambridge is pretty unlikely. It can be frustrating to wish you did better in retrospect, but I think just focus on doing the best you can from now on and get those A-level grades

Reply 2

Gretin

Original post

by Alaelian

As a word of assurance, my GCSEs were far less than stellar (worse than yours for sure!) and I just graduated from Cambridge this June, on a course that was the most oversubscribed of the humanities, at the most oversubscribed college (although the latter point does become mute when considering the pool).

This does not mean, however, that GCSEs are worthless or that they are inconsequential. The Cambridge admissions process works holistically, something which I assume you have seen written hundreds of times. What this means in practice is that one component of your application is not going to make the rest of your application fail if, say, the rest of your application is stellar. What you are lacking in GCSE grades, you must 'make-up' for in other areas of your application. One example is, potentially, applying to a college that has an admissions test (I think Newnham and Peterhouse are the only ones that have this for history - please do check though). This may assist in giving the admissions team another datum that will show your GCSE grades as an anomaly of your overall academic abilities rather than a representation of them. This is, of course, caveated with the fact that should you not perform well on the admissions assessment, that may worry the admissions team as to your suitability for Cambridge.

With respect to the other poster, I think there may be some confusion regarding what supercurriculars and extracurriculars are/may be. The latter, I am sure - and have been told by at least 3 heads of admissions at various Colleges to this effect - is important. Exploring around your subject, beyond what your A-Level syllabus dictates is crucial to show an appreciation for your chosen subject(s). Simply reading and writing about history, and showing a genuine interest is so important. I have performed mock interviews with my College's outreach team and the one important thing that is always pointed out is to show a genuine interest which is beyond 'doing x because course y says so'. This will invariably boost the rest of your application as well. Supercurriculars are important, not only because they represent to the admissions team your interest, but they also assist in improving your application and your development as a historian in general.

Apologies for waffling on, but the reason for such a long post addressing your concerns is because I was in the same exact position as you 4/5 years ago wondering whether I was suitable or not. No application to Cambridge is 'guaranteed', and no set of grades is an automatic disqualification, but it does mean that you have to put in that extra work that others with better grades may not need to.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 3

lucy_24601

You will absolutely be considered imo, especially if you find somewhere to add context about your dislocated knee and anything else that was going on at the time - I was told multiple times when applying that Cambridge are generally very open to anything that provides context to your academic profile. They have a form you can submit at the same time as MyCambridge if you don't find anywhere to put the extenuating circumstances on UCAS (a teacher did mine for me).

My circumstances were quite extensive but I've just got in with 6 GCSEs (2 of which are grade 5), so I'd say it's definitely worth a shot. The main thing they look for and assess is academic potential, and a real love for your course. It doesn't matter if someone has all 9s or not; it's about whether they're passionate and dedicated to their studies! Good luck :smile:

Reply 4

nwar

Study Forum Helper

The only way to find the answer to your question is 1. Email the admissions team of the college you want to apply to or 2. Apply! You have 4 other unis anyway

Best of luck whichever way you decide : )