English at Oxbridge with an 8 at GCSE?
Hello, so as the title says, I only got 8s in English Lit and Lang at GCSE. This was incredibly frustrating and actually it still bothers me months later. This is because I only ever got 9s in both in year 11. I was 1 mark off a 9 for Lit, 2 marks off a 9 for Lang. My teacher was shocked, especially by the remarks when they didn’t change.
I don’t like to make excuses though - if I had written papers that were undeniably grade 9s, this wouldn’t have happened.
Anyways, my GCSEs were as follows: 999999887. I have been achieving A*A*A* so far in year 12 and I think that is what I will be predicted (they’re based on end of years). This obviously includes English Literature.
With a strong PS, supercurriculars, teacher ref and interview, would the 8s be overlooked? Could I also have my teacher mention that I was 1/2 marks off in my ref? And finally, would Oxford or Cambridge be more lenient on this?
I don’t like to make excuses though - if I had written papers that were undeniably grade 9s, this wouldn’t have happened.
Anyways, my GCSEs were as follows: 999999887. I have been achieving A*A*A* so far in year 12 and I think that is what I will be predicted (they’re based on end of years). This obviously includes English Literature.
With a strong PS, supercurriculars, teacher ref and interview, would the 8s be overlooked? Could I also have my teacher mention that I was 1/2 marks off in my ref? And finally, would Oxford or Cambridge be more lenient on this?
Original post by Anonymous
Hello, so as the title says, I only got 8s in English Lit and Lang at GCSE. This was incredibly frustrating and actually it still bothers me months later. This is because I only ever got 9s in both in year 11. I was 1 mark off a 9 for Lit, 2 marks off a 9 for Lang. My teacher was shocked, especially by the remarks when they didn’t change.
I don’t like to make excuses though - if I had written papers that were undeniably grade 9s, this wouldn’t have happened.
Anyways, my GCSEs were as follows: 999999887. I have been achieving A*A*A* so far in year 12 and I think that is what I will be predicted (they’re based on end of years). This obviously includes English Literature.
With a strong PS, supercurriculars, teacher ref and interview, would the 8s be overlooked? Could I also have my teacher mention that I was 1/2 marks off in my ref? And finally, would Oxford or Cambridge be more lenient on this?
I don’t like to make excuses though - if I had written papers that were undeniably grade 9s, this wouldn’t have happened.
Anyways, my GCSEs were as follows: 999999887. I have been achieving A*A*A* so far in year 12 and I think that is what I will be predicted (they’re based on end of years). This obviously includes English Literature.
With a strong PS, supercurriculars, teacher ref and interview, would the 8s be overlooked? Could I also have my teacher mention that I was 1/2 marks off in my ref? And finally, would Oxford or Cambridge be more lenient on this?
Hi, I’m an offer holder for Oxford. I got an 8-7 in lit and lang and do a level literature, predicted and A*.
I was told Oxford care less about the grades, and still encouraged to apply for lit. I ultimately didn’t for a couple of reasons, and did end up resitting the 7, but both my new grade and original grades go on the UCAS, so I’m not sure that matters.
Just for some reassurance, Oxbridge consider 7,8 and 9 as an A so don’t worry.
Original post by anna_banna
Hi, I’m an offer holder for Oxford. I got an 8-7 in lit and lang and do a level literature, predicted and A*.
I was told Oxford care less about the grades, and still encouraged to apply for lit. I ultimately didn’t for a couple of reasons, and did end up resitting the 7, but both my new grade and original grades go on the UCAS, so I’m not sure that matters.
Just for some reassurance, Oxbridge consider 7,8 and 9 as an A so don’t worry.
I was told Oxford care less about the grades, and still encouraged to apply for lit. I ultimately didn’t for a couple of reasons, and did end up resitting the 7, but both my new grade and original grades go on the UCAS, so I’m not sure that matters.
Just for some reassurance, Oxbridge consider 7,8 and 9 as an A so don’t worry.
Most of this advice might be decent but the last part is definitely not true. Getting a 9 at GCSE is very different to getting a 7 and both Oxford and Cambridge treat it as such, especially in recent years. After 2021, they even seemed to start differentiating between 8s and 9s.
However, an 8 in English literature isn’t going to destroy your application. Focus on getting good predicted grades and perfecting your application in all the ways you can control.
Original post by Anonymous
Hello, so as the title says, I only got 8s in English Lit and Lang at GCSE. This was incredibly frustrating and actually it still bothers me months later. This is because I only ever got 9s in both in year 11. I was 1 mark off a 9 for Lit, 2 marks off a 9 for Lang. My teacher was shocked, especially by the remarks when they didn’t change.
I don’t like to make excuses though - if I had written papers that were undeniably grade 9s, this wouldn’t have happened.
Anyways, my GCSEs were as follows: 999999887. I have been achieving A*A*A* so far in year 12 and I think that is what I will be predicted (they’re based on end of years). This obviously includes English Literature.
With a strong PS, supercurriculars, teacher ref and interview, would the 8s be overlooked? Could I also have my teacher mention that I was 1/2 marks off in my ref? And finally, would Oxford or Cambridge be more lenient on this?
I don’t like to make excuses though - if I had written papers that were undeniably grade 9s, this wouldn’t have happened.
Anyways, my GCSEs were as follows: 999999887. I have been achieving A*A*A* so far in year 12 and I think that is what I will be predicted (they’re based on end of years). This obviously includes English Literature.
With a strong PS, supercurriculars, teacher ref and interview, would the 8s be overlooked? Could I also have my teacher mention that I was 1/2 marks off in my ref? And finally, would Oxford or Cambridge be more lenient on this?
I have an offer for Oxford English with an 8 at gcse, they consider 8s and 9a to both be A*s so they’re treated the same, the main thing they place importance on is the interview.
Original post by Tina_is_here
I have an offer for Oxford English with an 8 at gcse, they consider 8s and 9a to both be A*s so they’re treated the same, the main thing they place importance on is the interview.
That’s a relief to hear and congrats on the offer! Do you have any advice for the personal statement or the interview?
Original post by Anonymous
Most of this advice might be decent but the last part is definitely not true. Getting a 9 at GCSE is very different to getting a 7 and both Oxford and Cambridge treat it as such, especially in recent years. After 2021, they even seemed to start differentiating between 8s and 9s.
However, an 8 in English literature isn’t going to destroy your application. Focus on getting good predicted grades and perfecting your application in all the ways you can control.
However, an 8 in English literature isn’t going to destroy your application. Focus on getting good predicted grades and perfecting your application in all the ways you can control.
Hi, I didn’t mean to say anything wrong, I’m just repeating what my school told me.
Original post by Anonymous
Hello, so as the title says, I only got 8s in English Lit and Lang at GCSE. This was incredibly frustrating and actually it still bothers me months later. This is because I only ever got 9s in both in year 11. I was 1 mark off a 9 for Lit, 2 marks off a 9 for Lang. My teacher was shocked, especially by the remarks when they didn’t change.
I don’t like to make excuses though - if I had written papers that were undeniably grade 9s, this wouldn’t have happened.
Anyways, my GCSEs were as follows: 999999887. I have been achieving A*A*A* so far in year 12 and I think that is what I will be predicted (they’re based on end of years). This obviously includes English Literature.
With a strong PS, supercurriculars, teacher ref and interview, would the 8s be overlooked? Could I also have my teacher mention that I was 1/2 marks off in my ref? And finally, would Oxford or Cambridge be more lenient on this?
I don’t like to make excuses though - if I had written papers that were undeniably grade 9s, this wouldn’t have happened.
Anyways, my GCSEs were as follows: 999999887. I have been achieving A*A*A* so far in year 12 and I think that is what I will be predicted (they’re based on end of years). This obviously includes English Literature.
With a strong PS, supercurriculars, teacher ref and interview, would the 8s be overlooked? Could I also have my teacher mention that I was 1/2 marks off in my ref? And finally, would Oxford or Cambridge be more lenient on this?
Minimum offer level
A level: A*AA
Subject requirements
To apply to any of our Colleges for English, you will need A levels/IB Higher Levels (or the equivalent) in:
•
English Literature OR English Literature and Language.
•
Churchill
•
King’s
•
Lucy Cavendish
Some Colleges will only accept English Literature:
•
Corpus Christi
•
Queens’
•
Robinson College
Most English students (who had studied A levels and started at Cambridge in 2018, 2019 and 2023) achieved at least A*A*A (68% of entrants).
Most had studied English Literature (97%).
Other common subjects were:
•
Drama & Theatre Studies
•
Government & Politics
•
History
•
languages
•
Mathematics
•
Psychology
•
Religious Studies
Yes get the teacher to mention you were only 1 or 2 marks off a 9. Universities don’t have that information.
With a strong application overall and strong predicted A levels I would say it is worth applying.
With a strong application overall and strong predicted A levels I would say it is worth applying.
Original post by Anonymous
That’s a relief to hear and congrats on the offer! Do you have any advice for the personal statement or the interview?
The personal statement is something that you’’re really continuously working on through your extracurricular reading, I spent I great deal of time reading over the summer before I actually started my personal statement, my advice for that would really be to see where the wind takes you, really try and discover what you’re interested in, watch lectures, go to taster days if you can, and really get interested in the entirety of literally history. Oxbridge English is in particular really interested in comprehensively covering literary periods, so I would try and read from some literary periods you might not have studied in depth. I thought I would hate old English and Middle English, but after attending a lecture on old English and reading various old a Middle English texts I discovered I really enjoyed it. What the tutors really want to see it what you’re passionate about when you’re reading, read actively, I always had a google doc open when I was reading and I would type up my thoughts and things I found interesting, and after I finished a text I would read articles that discussed the things I’d found interesting on jstor. Oxbridge is looking for future academics, so a willingness to engage with critical discourse is really important to have. Also, make sure to use your resources, apply to any summer school or essay competition you can find, they’re really good for building university level skills. When it comes to actually writing your personal statement, don’t put too much pressure on yourself for it to e absolutely perfect at first, make sure to give yourself time to edit so start early. What I personally did I just went to a library and write freely in a notebook about my interest in English, just let yourself ramble, see what ideas you seem to come back to, you could also do this by recording yourself talking about English (this is useful for interviews as well). I would also recommend really getting interested in discussing English with your peers, I was really lucky to have a friend who was also applying for Oxbridge English and talking to her about the topics we were interested in was incredibly helpful, it can be really useful to bounce ideas off of other people in order to develop your own thoughts (this is partly why Oxbridge uses the tutorial system!). Hen writing the ps, you have to always be conscious that the tutors really do want to her your opinions, you don’t have to be with the majority, just express your genuine thoughts on literature, (for example, I challenged practical criticism in my personal statement, something that is pretty integral to current literature scholarship). I also think one of the key things to do in the ps is draw unconventional connections between the texts you’re reading, its common to get asked to compare two texts that don’t have a natural point of comparison in interview, they really want you to think about how texts interrelate, as its their main reason for the period paper approach to studying literature.
I really wish you good luck! But I would also make sure to be aware that the personal statement is only a small part of your application. I think the main thing I’ve really seen amongst offer holders is an utter passion for the subject, and a real willingness to openly share that with other people.
Original post by anna_banna
Hi, I’m an offer holder for Oxford. I got an 8-7 in lit and lang and do a level literature, predicted and A*.
I was told Oxford care less about the grades, and still encouraged to apply for lit. I ultimately didn’t for a couple of reasons, and did end up resitting the 7, but both my new grade and original grades go on the UCAS, so I’m not sure that matters.
Just for some reassurance, Oxbridge consider 7,8 and 9 as an A so don’t worry.
I was told Oxford care less about the grades, and still encouraged to apply for lit. I ultimately didn’t for a couple of reasons, and did end up resitting the 7, but both my new grade and original grades go on the UCAS, so I’m not sure that matters.
Just for some reassurance, Oxbridge consider 7,8 and 9 as an A so don’t worry.
Wow well done on getting an offer, it gives me some hope because I got the same grades and thought there was no point applying! Were you at a private or state school if you don’t mind me asking?
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