Oxbridge/RG admissions tutors - number of GCSEs?

[senoritafullofshite]

Hi

My child's school (a decent comp) limits pupils to 10/11 GCSEs unless they begin Latin / 3rd MFL at the start of Y8, out of hours. In practice this means a lot of very able children (university town: top sets in the comp have a similar ability range to some of the top-rated day schools in the country) end up limited to 10/11 GCSEs. Theyr're likely to get 9s in at least the 3 or 4 subjects most relevant to their future degrees but might drop a couple of grades in their weakest subjects.

How are these children likely (in reality, not according to policy) to be affected? One local admissions tutor says off the record that candidates with 10/11 GCSEs don't stand a chance - how widespread is this?

I have a particular interest in Maths, NatSci, Engineering, CompSci though I'd be interested to know for other subjects too.

How is the 10 exam limit really going to impact these children? What are the realistic chances that the UCAS form just goes in the bin without even being read?

Would sitting the FSMQ in addition be any mitigation?

Thanks :-)

titchy working at A/B in the March of Y12 doesn't by any means rule out A*s over a year later!

Also, people do actually have a couple of Bs sometimes in their hand of 10 GCSEs, it isn't a killer. To ask if there are 'mitigating' circumstances or if the school is 'very poorly performing' is a bit OTT.

She'll be applying with predicted grades in one and a half terms time. It's not exactly the dim and distant future....

Mitigating circumstances and / or a poorly performing school are actually very relevant and if applicable may well get an otherwise mediocre (in Oxford terms!) applicant an interview.

Of course mitigating circumstances are relevant but I'm just wondering what level you think students in the March of Y12 should be performing at to be predicted A/A* grades? The implication is that you think students should be reaching their target after two terms of A level study.

Ds told me ( and he may not be right ) that for Oxford in a subject which does an aptitude test the ratio of importance of GCSEs ( assuming the applicant has a "good handful" of A * s ) to the aptitude test score is very roughly 30 / 70. One of the tutors or more experienced people on the thread will be able to say better

Ah I should qualify that in that some one told him that about his subject - still might not be right though.

DD is currently studying 4 subjects at A level, one of which seems to have disproportionate amounts of homework compared to her science and humanities subject. She is planning to drop the heavy homework subject and concentrate on her 2 science and 1 humanities subject, so hopefully, this will bring her grades up.

I am not fussed whether DD applies to Oxford or not - she probably won't get past an interview anyway, but I'm pleased that she is aiming high instead of going for the easy option.

Starting 4 and dropping one can be a good strategy (if they don't know for sure which 3 to do from the outset). That's what my DD did - though being a current yr 13 she was able to do the AS in the one she's now dropped. She has an offer from cambridge on the basis of the 3 remaining A levels - as it's engineering, 2A and an A - whereas apparently others who are doing 4 subjects have offers of 3A and an A (I think this is quite unusual, the vast majority of offers are only ever on 3 subjects)