Do I have a chance at Oxford?

Hi,

My predicted GCSE grades based on my mocks and previous years exams are

Physics:A*
Biology:A*
Chemistry:A*
English Language:A
English Literature:A
Psychology:A*
History:A*
R.E:A*
Persian:A*
Maths:A
Numeracy:A (resit)

Are these good enough? I am worried because I got a couple of As and my teacher said I need all A stars to even get a chance to get an interview and my A levels don’t decide alone. And also does numeracy matter to English unis? Since it is a Wales exclusive GCSE, I was thinking if it’s worth resisting to get from B to A

P.s I am thinking of medicine at uni.

Thanks

Reply 1

functioning-elec

8

Original post

by Anonymous

Hi,
My predicted GCSE grades based on my mocks and previous years exams are
Physics:A*
Biology:A*
Chemistry:A*
English Language:A
English Literature:A
Psychology:A*
History:A*
R.E:A*
Persian:A*
Maths:A
Numeracy:A (resit)
Are these good enough? I am worried because I got a couple of As and my teacher said I need all A stars to even get a chance to get an interview and my A levels don’t decide alone. And also does numeracy matter to English unis? Since it is a Wales exclusive GCSE, I was thinking if it’s worth resisting to get from B to A
P.s I am thinking of medicine at uni.
Thanks

Hi! I am an yr 12, with all 9s for England GCSE and am currently sitting on 4 A* for my school courses. If these are your Wales GCSE predictions, they are quite good. I really think you have a good chance. I have a friend who just got accepted to oxford medicine and his grades are all 9s, and 4 A* predicted for his A levels. If you can just push your grades a bit more to all A*, especially since oxford do give advantage depending on your GCSE grades, would be good. But please don't consider this as a discouragement, since your grades are fabulous in normal terms. If you wanted to do engineering at imperial or UCL, those are more than good enough. However, since you want to study in Oxford Medicine, your standard does need to be a bit higher than normal people.
Also, I am quite sure Numeracy GCSE does not matter at all as long as you have more then 8 subjects, and 10 subjects(which is what you got without numeracy) is very good. I haven’t even heard of anybody taking Numeracy so I believe it is safe to just drop it. However, if you want to take it, you do want it on A* or A since it is after all another subject that will be seen by the university, and a B sitting in the middle of all A* does look weird so dropping it might be the best option.
Anyways, you are doing AMAZING and I wish you all the best of luck in pursuing your dream!!

Reply 2

functioning-elec

8

Original post

by Anonymous

Hi,
My predicted GCSE grades based on my mocks and previous years exams are
Physics:A*
Biology:A*
Chemistry:A*
English Language:A
English Literature:A
Psychology:A*
History:A*
R.E:A*
Persian:A*
Maths:A
Numeracy:A (resit)
Are these good enough? I am worried because I got a couple of As and my teacher said I need all A stars to even get a chance to get an interview and my A levels don’t decide alone. And also does numeracy matter to English unis? Since it is a Wales exclusive GCSE, I was thinking if it’s worth resisting to get from B to A
P.s I am thinking of medicine at uni.
Thanks

Also, your teachers saying you definitely need all A* for even a chance is a bit off. If you build strong personal statement with good work experience, summer school, and competitions, a few As won’t kill you in the competition, however, you do need A* for chem, bio, and maths(you need to work a bit more in maths!).

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post

by functioning-elec

Hi! I am an yr 12, with all 9s for England GCSE and am currently sitting on 4 A* for my school courses. If these are your Wales GCSE predictions, they are quite good. I really think you have a good chance. I have a friend who just got accepted to oxford medicine and his grades are all 9s, and 4 A* predicted for his A levels. If you can just push your grades a bit more to all A*, especially since oxford do give advantage depending on your GCSE grades, would be good. But please don't consider this as a discouragement, since your grades are fabulous in normal terms. If you wanted to do engineering at imperial or UCL, those are more than good enough. However, since you want to study in Oxford Medicine, your standard does need to be a bit higher than normal people.
Also, I am quite sure Numeracy GCSE does not matter at all as long as you have more then 8 subjects, and 10 subjects(which is what you got without numeracy) is very good. I haven’t even heard of anybody taking Numeracy so I believe it is safe to just drop it. However, if you want to take it, you do want it on A* or A since it is after all another subject that will be seen by the university, and a B sitting in the middle of all A* does look weird so dropping it might be the best option.
Anyways, you are doing AMAZING and I wish you all the best of luck in pursuing your dream!!

Tysmmmmm!

Reply 4

Thunder4891

1

its not all about grades , there's thousands of people with all 9's and A*'s , its no doubt that it plays a major role in the selection process however there in the uk without the implementation of entrance exams , the selection process could be tough , you need to really show interest in your subject , craft a good personal statement stating these , participating in competitions in relation to your subject and certain supercurricular activities for your subject that you have done equally matters since its the first thing they will see , and then the interview should also go well ; but for some universities like LSE , they only take your personal statement and grades , so achieve good grades and fabricate an impressive cv .

Reply 5

stilllearning123

16

Original post

by Anonymous

Hi,
My predicted GCSE grades based on my mocks and previous years exams are
Physics:A*
Biology:A*
Chemistry:A*
English Language:A
English Literature:A
Psychology:A*
History:A*
R.E:A*
Persian:A*
Maths:A
Numeracy:A (resit)
Are these good enough? I am worried because I got a couple of As and my teacher said I need all A stars to even get a chance to get an interview and my A levels don’t decide alone. And also does numeracy matter to English unis? Since it is a Wales exclusive GCSE, I was thinking if it’s worth resisting to get from B to A
P.s I am thinking of medicine at uni.
Thanks

Yes, so far your grades are fine. However, since everyone has grades like these, they stop mattering. What really matters is your performance in the UCAT, as well as good volunteering and work experience, then a good performance in interview, to have a chance of getting in.
If you have any questions I'll do my best to answer them, good luck!

Reply 6

Stiffy Byng

19

Original post

by Anonymous

Hi,
My predicted GCSE grades based on my mocks and previous years exams are
Physics:A*
Biology:A*
Chemistry:A*
English Language:A
English Literature:A
Psychology:A*
History:A*
R.E:A*
Persian:A*
Maths:A
Numeracy:A (resit)
Are these good enough? I am worried because I got a couple of As and my teacher said I need all A stars to even get a chance to get an interview and my A levels don’t decide alone. And also does numeracy matter to English unis? Since it is a Wales exclusive GCSE, I was thinking if it’s worth resisting to get from B to A
P.s I am thinking of medicine at uni.
Thanks

Your teacher is mistaken. Just do the best you can in your GCSEs. You will need strong predicted grades at A level or IB. Try not to fixate on one university. You don't have to worry about applying for a while yet.

Do I have a chance at Oxford?

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