Is 2 A stars and a c, in a levels, equivalent to aaa

[JennyTals]

would that get accepted as triple a ?

It does depend on how competitive a course is. Most oversubscribed universities will make more offers than places, knowing what % will not make the grades. Maybe slipping to a high B with 2A* might make the place, but certainly not a C. If it’s a prestigious university or something like medicine, law or veterinary they will need to get the grades in the offer.

But even tho we didn’t go to uni, though work my dh has gained professional qualifications so perhaps we don’t count for that then ?

No need for sarcasm. OP clearly wants the best for her dc since she is coming on here to ask.

Well the last mocks this dc got a b , so should be more than capable of getting a b or maybe even an a with a lot more work and effort

You need to check the individual uni details on what factors they consider for contextual offers. They vary wildly. If they haven't applied yet it is well worth checking their policies.

Contextual offer being 2 grades lower is quite possible but that is usually ABB not AAC.

Check the uni site. Call the admissions team.

@titchy stupid nasty post which shoes what an idiot you are

Thansk so much for the advice, this is all quite stressful when you’ve not gone through this before yourself or with another dc

this is based on actual mock results

predicted grades are AAA

as last time the mock this dc got a b in that subject
so they always inflated the predicted grades slightly by one grade
so that’s why the predicted grades are AAA

Your dc can do it. Don't give up. If the AAA uni is the one he really wants to, this will give him an incentive to focus and work hard.

I am assuming it is a son and not daughter because boys sometimes don't get it together until the last minute😬

Yes this dc hasn’t been putting in 100percent for sure
but after Xmas has promised to stick a rocket up the bottom !

Mocks are just that...and a wake up call.
My girls both did fairly badly in their mock A levels (compared to their predicted grades) as did a lot of their friends.
DD2 had glandular fever and her first boyfriend break up and wasn't working to her abilities so got a tutor for the science she was messing up...and it got her two grades up, into her Russel group University and onto a First in her degree.
DD1 spent a lot of lower sixth partying and getting pissed. Biology tutor told us she;d fail her A level and why had she applied to Med school?

Daughter came out with AAA (just before A* were a thing) went to Med school and has been a doctor for 9 years She also got the highest marks in A level Biology the school had ever seen... she simply worked hard at A2.

So poor mocks are a wake up call. If there is a specific career in mind which needs those AAA then he needs to get his head down now and work... some places will take other factors into consideration but a lot just want the grades.

With predictions of AAA they should be good, but they need an insurance uni/course with lower grades that they like and are prepared to go to. Teachers may inflate slightly, but part of that is because DCs' skills and knowledge keep improving. It doesn't sound like DC is at much risk of a C, though I know it feels harder to be sure of that in some subjects than others.

Use the unis' own websites and the course finder on the UCAS website.

Don't forget they can apply for more than one course at a given uni. It's just each course takes one slot of their 5 options.

Each grade is worth a total number or points, I.e. BBB could be equivalent to ABC (look it up - it's across AS and A levels), but some offers are prescriptive about which grade should be in which subject I.e if you're studying French they may say minimum B In French.

From my working out AAC = 288 (56 x 4 + 32 x 2)
AAA = 288 (48 x 6)

So actually yes points wise it is equivalent but it depends on the exact specification of the offer.

If his predicted grades are AAA and the advertised admission criteria (non-contextual) is AAA, he is eligible to get an offer but they won't specify anything less than AAA for the offer.

Therefore, if the last A is shaky, and he drops a grade to B on the A level results day, the uni may or may not accept him with dropped grades. Some unis will and others, especially the competitive ones, won't.

As others said, it is best to put in insurance choices of AAB or even ABB.

The problem with having unrealistically high predicted grades is if the course advertises AAB and he applies with AAA predicted, they may make the offer conditional on AAA, rather than AAB. Your dc can only try his best to make the predicted grades.

Insurance choice uni is bbb entry requirement

Blueshoes oh no, I think the predicted grades are actually a star a star a

thats if they can predict a star??

Also something that’s being going wrong we need to address
is as the dc enjoys the other two subjects the most
this dc perhaps focuses on them too much though pure enjoyment
and really needs to understand the focus needs to go in the subject dc finding the hardest

tackle that first

That's good

Sure, schools can predict 3 or 4 x A*s for capable students.

Different schools are different on how much they will inflate predicted grades. Is the school advising your dc on the strategy and their choices?

Just wanted to advise that when people say “you” should contact unis etc they mean your DC should.

I assume they’re year 12? If so they’ve got lots of time to work on bumping up their predicted grade. They should also start looking at courses and booking onto open days for next year, they’ll be able to speak to people there who can help advise too.

Contextual offers differ between different unis, so if it’s something they’d be eligible for they should look on each university’s website. I’d be surprised if many unis would make an offer two grades lower for being first in family though so main focus should be on improving the grade.

Just wanted to advise that when people say “you” should contact unis etc they mean your DC should.

I had to call for my ds because the admissions team only worked Mon-Fri hours when my ds was in school/after school classes/activities. But ds can email.

No this dc is actaully in the last year ! Year 13
i do believe a b is certainly possible and maybe even an a with a lot of focus and hard work
got a b grade in the last mocks so must be possible
and still got 6 months to go

need To clarify in the am
if the predicted grades are a star x 2 and an a or just aaa

sounds like it’s better of it’s just aaa

cant lie im finding this whole thing quite stressful
weve been to quite a few open days
as well

What subject? Makes a big difference

OP, when you say insurance choice is BBB, do you mean your DC currently has an offer at AAA and one at BBB, or are they still waiting for responses from universities? If they have offers, look at what the offer says - if it's grades they want AAA (they can accept lower but they don't have to and at the end of the day it will depend on how many places they have left once everyone who makes their grades is accounted for). If it's points then the exact A-levels won't matter. That's unusual for a university wanting AAA though.

Either way, your DV should be focusing on getting that C to an A if they want the AAA place. With the exception of some brilliant mathematicians and a level maths, I don't think anyone can be sure of an A*, and it seems like the A prediction was already a stretch prediction from the school.

If you look up the course on ucas and do a bit of clicking you will see the typical grades of past entrants. This is often much lower than the headline offer and gives you an idea of their chances