Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Predicted UCAS grades and correlation to possible offer grades ?

36 replies

chillie · 14/02/2020 12:20

My daughter would like to do physics at university. She is doing a level, maths, physics, biology and geography. At the moment she is getting c,a,a,a. We have a tutor to improve the maths c into an a we hope by May mocks but what type of offers do you think she might get if the grades stand as is? I’m working on the worst possible scenario at the moment. she is in yr12 and is looking at Russell group universities as well as others.

OP posts:
Ironoaks · 14/02/2020 18:24

Oxford physics department don't look at A-level predicted grades when shortlisting for interview. The first stage of selection is based on a number compiled from the PAT score and the GCSE grades in context (i.e. compared to the average GCSE grades at the school where they were taken).

Ironoaks · 14/02/2020 18:18

DS has applied for physics this year, and got five offers.

The maths grade is as important as the physics grade. Many of the most competitive courses specify A A A, with A A in maths and physics (in either order).

If her predicted grade for maths ends up being a B, then she could consider applying for places like Southampton (or similar level). Although Southampton asks for A grades in both Maths & Physics, last year the course was in clearing and they were accepting B grades, which suggests they might be more likely to give an offer to an applicant predicted B at maths A-level.

If she can get the maths predicted grade up to A, she could apply pretty much anywhere.

cantkeepawayforever · 14/02/2020 18:16

Don't need Biology for Physics in most places - DD is considering Physics (as a fallback option if a specific career-based course turns out not to be 'her thing' )but does Maths, Physics, an art and a language, and very few places seem to need anything more than Maths + Physics.

However, Physics with poorer maths is HARD - DD is not sure about Physics because she doesn't do Further Maths, which she thinks would be really useful. So i would get those Maths skills really, really solid, not just for the grade but also simply for the facility and strong subject knowledge basis.

titchy · 14/02/2020 17:59

No - being female and BAME won't help, but she won't need help.

titchy · 14/02/2020 17:58

Her offers btw will be exactly what the uni websites state. She should expect five out of five offers, unless she puts Oxbridge in which case the aptitude tests will largely determine her offer likelihood.

titchy · 14/02/2020 17:57

She absolutely can and should drop Biology - I don't think anywhere asks for a third Science on top of Maths and Physics. In any case Geography usually counts as a science.

keyboardwarrior1 · 14/02/2020 15:19

I do not think universities lower offers on the basis of sex and ethnic background. Many female members of ethnic minorities come from immensely privileged backgrounds. They may make a lower offer if she comes from a disadvantaged background (Polar/Tundra) and if she comes from a poorly performing school. But since she is at a grammar school this looks unlikely.

If her maths grades are the result of having missed parts of the curriculum can you address that with the school and do catch up classes on the missing elements? What does the maths tutor think? If that is the underlying cause you should see a swift improvement with extra classes.

But as I said before, if she cannot improve her maths grade she will find physics at any RG university very difficult.

Original poster
chillie · 14/02/2020 13:44

Thank you for your replies. DD got an 8 for Gcse but had no good maths teaching in yrs 9 and 10 and was put in 2nd bottom group of 6 in grammar school. No one else in her group has gone on to to maths a level. She achieved five 9's four 8's and three 7's at GCSEs.
I have tried to tell her to go for geography as she has amazing grades in this with no real effort ( no revision for tests, minimum time spent possible) but she wants physics. She knew that geography for her would be very little work as she finds it very easy so took it as a 4th a level just as an easy 'good' grade. For this same reason she doesn't want to drop it as she says it doesn't make a difference to her work load so wouldn't help in increasing her other grades.
She has told me (now) that she has gaps in algebra hence the tutor to go backwards to go forwards.
She has 'thoughts' of Oxford but knows that without an 'Astar' prediction that this is likely to only ever be a thought! This was the rationale for the 4th a level.
She can't drop the biology as you need a second science to take physics.
Any chance being female and an ethnic minority mix might help with lower offers do you think?

OP posts:
StrawberryPi · 14/02/2020 13:26

I have a physics degree and I'm not sure I would recommend it with a c in maths a level. There's a lot more maths in degree level physics than at school (a lot of the maths was stripped out the a level syllabus). A lot of people will have further maths so even a good grade in maths would involve some level of catchup without further maths.

keyboardwarrior1 · 14/02/2020 13:14

Those are really good grade predictions so she will be offered places at good universities.

But I would be asking why she is only predicted a C in maths given the A prediction for physics. Unusual discrepancy. Is the maths prediction too low? Physics too high? Is there a difference in the quality of the teaching between the two subjets? Physics at University will be a tough call without a higher grade in maths.

Would she be better off applying for biology? Or geography given that she is performing better in those subjects?

NormaSnorks · 14/02/2020 12:27

Have a look at the UCAS offer rate calculator:
www.ucas.com/advisers/offer-rate-calculator/

To be honest I would have thought she might be able to get an offer from almost anywhere with those grade predictions, although of course it's also about her GCSE grades, Personal Statement etc too.

Why is she doing four A levels? Nearly all schools now recommend concentrating on doing 3 good A levels, rather than spreading yourself over 4, unless two of them are Maths/ Further Maths.
Why not let her drop one? However Physics is quite mathematical, so will this really be right choice for her?