Reality of oxbridge

Hi there!
I am currently in year 11 and achieved these grades in my November mocks:
English Language - 8 (2 marks off a 9)
English Lit - 5 (but know where I went wrong and am predicted an 8)
History - 7
Maths - 7
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 6
Physics - 6
French - 9
Drama - 8
I am hoping to get these all to 7+ by the time of my exams. Am I crazy to hope to get into Oxbridge? I would be wanting to study history/ law of some kind. I honestly have no idea, and don't want to set my expectations too high, but also have dreamed of getting into Oxbridge since I was little. Any opinions would be much appreciated! thank you xx

Oxford or Cambridge?

Most likely Cambridge, but am keeping my options open.

You need to aim for higher GCSE grades really.
Oxbridge is not always the best these days and many companies recruit institution blind now. Do your teachers think you are capable of aiming for these unis?
Is your school in Special Measures btw?
The data I've seen says no school has that few grade 4+ GCSEs.
https://analytics.ofqual.gov.uk/apps/GCSE/County/

Hi there!
I am currently in year 11 and achieved these grades in my November mocks:
English Language - 8 (2 marks off a 9)
English Lit - 5 (but know where I went wrong and am predicted an 8)
History - 7
Maths - 7
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 6
Physics - 6
French - 9
Drama - 8
I am hoping to get these all to 7+ by the time of my exams. Am I crazy to hope to get into Oxbridge? I would be wanting to study history/ law of some kind. I honestly have no idea, and don't want to set my expectations too high, but also have dreamed of getting into Oxbridge since I was little. Any opinions would be much appreciated! thank you xx
EDIT: my school gets an average of grade 3s/4s across the board and I go to school in a very deprived area. not sure if this changes anything x

I suggest that you work hard to get good grades at GCSE (from 7s to 9s). Then work on your A levels. Oxford apparently weighs GCSEs more than Cambridge, but you should ensure that they are decent enough.
Year 12 applicants from deprived backgrounds can aim for the Sutton Trust Summer School applications open now. https://summerschools.suttontrust.com/how-to-apply/
Also look at supercurricular activities in your area of focus. For History, look for ways to deeper your learning.

Does CAmbridge often look at gcse results? I've heard differing ideas. I honestly don't have much support from my teachers - we are all allocated one careers meeting, and mine was over in 20 minutes because I was a "perfect student" (in comparison to others in my school I guess) which I was quite miffed at because I was obviously not achieving my potential. So short answer: I haven't really been able to talk to anyone about it.
No, my school is not in special measures, but in 2024 only 50% achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths. I'm not sure how that lies in comparison to the rest of the country.
Thanks for your help!!

Thank you. I think I should get at least 7s in all my exams, so that shouldn't be too hard. But will definitely push myself to get all 8s and 9s! Thanks, I will keep that in mind for next year. I've also been looking at Oxford's UNIQ programme.
Could I ask, do you have any ideas what kind of supercurriculars? Obviously extra reading etc, but I'm really struggling outside of that.
Thank you xx

No worries.
For super-curricular activities, there are some suggestions on the Cambridge website here: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/before/improve-application
If you have opportunities, maybe consider volunteering in local organisations to learn more about History and Law. Also consider Politics and Government. Maybe you can volunteer in the office of your local MP.
You should also be considering Cambridge colleges like Queens, Selwyn and Homerton. Others are also available.
I would strongly recommend that you visit for an open day in the near future to get a flavour of the unis.
Finally, don't put all your eggs in the Oxbridge basket. Some applicants get too focused on the unis that they lose sight of the bigger picture which is to get into a decent uni to study the course that you are passionate about. Other decent unis include Manchester, Southampton, UCL, Nottingham etc.
Good luck

Cambridge say that they do look at GCSE results, but it is 1 piece of the whole picture.
There is no minimum set of GCSE grades you can get in order to be "good enough" for Cambridge.
Plenty of applicants with 8s and 9s across the board get turned down - for other reasons. Not because of their GCSE profile.
It is just a case of trying your very best and actually not worrying too much about chances of different universities this early.
I'm not saying don't be ambitious - aim as high as you can, but don't let it bother you too much for now with so much ahead of you still.
If you were going for a medical course I would say something different about how early you should be preparing, but for history/law you're doing all the right things so far and best advice I can give you is keep working hard and try your very best.

Hi there!
I am currently in year 11 and achieved these grades in my November mocks:
English Language - 8 (2 marks off a 9)
English Lit - 5 (but know where I went wrong and am predicted an 8)
History - 7
Maths - 7
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 6
Physics - 6
French - 9
Drama - 8
I am hoping to get these all to 7+ by the time of my exams. Am I crazy to hope to get into Oxbridge? I would be wanting to study history/ law of some kind. I honestly have no idea, and don't want to set my expectations too high, but also have dreamed of getting into Oxbridge since I was little. Any opinions would be much appreciated! thank you xx
EDIT: my school gets an average of grade 3s/4s across the board and I go to school in a very deprived area. not sure if this changes anything x

Those grades would be well short even for someone who went to a rubbish state school. Maybe consider Russell Group universities at the lower end, such as Liverpool, Queen Mary, Birmingham etc. But work to get good grades rather than wasting time thinking about universities just yet.

Thank you. I think I should get at least 7s in all my exams, so that shouldn't be too hard. But will definitely push myself to get all 8s and 9s! Thanks, I will keep that in mind for next year. I've also been looking at Oxford's UNIQ programme.
Could I ask, do you have any ideas what kind of supercurriculars? Obviously extra reading etc, but I'm really struggling outside of that.
Thank you xx

Those grades would be well short even for someone who went to a rubbish state school. Maybe consider Russell Group universities at the lower end, such as Liverpool, Queen Mary, Birmingham etc. But work to get good grades rather than wasting time thinking about universities just yet.

(For context, I received a Cambridge offer with A*A*A*AAAAABB GCSEs - which this isn't far from.)

Cambridge has a scheme for year 12 applicants
https://www.lucy.cam.ac.uk/aap-apply
Sign up for notifications for next summer.They are saying 5 8/9 at Gcse so that will give you an idea of what is needed.Really good for super curriculars but right now concentrate on your gcse grades.Lots of resources on youtube on how to boost your grade in different subjects.

Does CAmbridge often look at gcse results? I've heard differing ideas. I honestly don't have much support from my teachers - we are all allocated one careers meeting, and mine was over in 20 minutes because I was a "perfect student" (in comparison to others in my school I guess) which I was quite miffed at because I was obviously not achieving my potential. So short answer: I haven't really been able to talk to anyone about it.
No, my school is not in special measures, but in 2024 only 50% achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths. I'm not sure how that lies in comparison to the rest of the country.
Thanks for your help!!