Oxbridge and GCSE results

[Despinetta]

Hello

Is there any point applying to Oxbridge with 6 9s and 4 8s at GCSE? Or do they always want straight 9s?

If it makes a difference, DD is at an academic school and not low income so won't get any contextual adjustment as far as I know. She is currently taking her GCSEs so doesn't have any at all yet but this is what she has been predicted. We were talking about uni plans last night and she said she was keen on looking at Oxbridge- just wondered if I need to manage her expectations?

www.quora.com/What-are-the-GCSE-requirements-for-Cambridge
suggests not a problem. They'll be more interested in post-16 performance.

I'd be very surprised if a few 8s ruled someone out, especially in less relevant subjects.

DS had similar GCSE results (four grade 8 in subjects unrelated to the subject he was applying for; the rest were 9s).
He is in his second year at Cambridge.

Yes, it's worth applying. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and they've got 4 other options. In terms of expectations, the likeliest outcome for any candidate is that they won't get an offer so there should never be a feeling of failure. The only sure things is those who don't apply don't get one!

In general, and historically, Cambridge was more relaxed about GCSEs than Oxford. In particular, they seem to realise that some students excel in some areas but not others. My DD did engineering at Cambridge, her GCSEs were old style - 6A* in the sciences, maths and electronic products, inc 'double star' on FM, 3As and 3Bs - both English and German.
(She was in the first year to do the relevant aptitude test for Cambridge, I think they put more weight on that since the demise of AS levels.)

What subject?

I can vouch for not-all-9s being needed for MFL or Classics. DD2 and friends definitely don’t all have straight 9s or even all 8s and 9s, though I’m sure it all helps.

DC1 had an interview and was pooled for C Engineering with only four A* equivalents (rest mostly A), though ultimately didn’t get in.

I think whether the subjects for the 8s are relevant to the degree or not matters somewhat.

Thank you, everyone. Sorry if it's a silly Q- I don't know anything about this tuff.

She wants to do French and Spanish. Predicted a 9 in both but who knows!

It's not a silly question, it comes up multiple times every year!
Unfortunately there's quite a lot of outdated or plain wrong ideas floating around. The best source of reliable information is the uni/college/course websites - IME it's fairly easy to find what you need by googling. For some specific questions, it may be useful for the potential applicant to ask an admissions tutor - again, contact details can be found on the relevant website.

There isn’t a specific need for all 8/9 at GCSE. I believe Oxford do look at gcse profile but it’s only one part of the information they glean about a candidate. Getting beyond GCSEs is the big hurdle. Then the tests. Then the interview. 9 grade in target subject would be a good start though. MFL at Oxford is literature heavy. So English is really important and so a love of literature must be factored in. A level English or History is a good third subject.

My DD is studying PPE at Oxford. She has a range of GCSEs graded from 6 - 9, along with a D in further maths. However, her GCSE results were good for her school & she didn't benefit from a selective school education.

Ds is holding an offer from Oxford I think it's contextual given our postcode. He had 7's in English and 8s in German and Drama. Hoping to read Chemistry.

@Despinetta
The very good news is that MFL at Oxford isn’t as competitive as many other subjects there with regard to getting a place. Around 33% get in for these two subjects. Will he’d school help?

Just to clarify, Oxford doesn't make contextual offers. Everyone taking A levels receives exactly the same offer in each subject eg. AAA for humanities. However, they look at applications in the context of each applicant's background, so my DD's GCSE results would have been considered differently to those achieved by someone from a highly selective private school who would have been expected to achieve a string of 8s & 9s.

Oxford clearly states their expectations for GCSE results on their website, which is obviously the best source of information:

Higher grades at GCSE can help to make your application more competitive, and successful applicants typically have a high proportion of 7,8 and 9 grades. However, we do look at GCSE grades in context.

DS has 8 GCSEs. 6 top grades but 1xA and 1xB. Got a place at Cambridge to read engineering.

Oxford is very keen to encourage applications for languages as they are in sharp decline at A level. Look at Oxnet if you’re in the right area: www.oxnet.org

PS sorry you said academic — I don’t know if that means state or private. The above is for state schools.

My DD has an offer for English at Cambridge with 4 x 9, 4 x 8 and 2 x 7 at GCSE. Her offer wasn't contextual. She did very well on the ELAT which I imagine must've helped. They say they look at all elements of the application and I feel they were true to their word in her case.

@Despinetta Have sent you a PM.

This thread is interesting. I imagine the flexibility shown is for those coming from state school or with contextual flags other than in truly exceptional cases.
My DD, in first year at C, got 9x9s and 2x8s (in unrelated subjects) from an independent school. The pupils were told, on the basis of experience, that offers from Oxbridge were extremely unlikely if they had more than 2x8s and in her year no one received an offer who had more than 2x8s.

I imagine the flexibility shown is for those coming from state school or with contextual flags other than in truly exceptional cases.

My DD went to a decent grammar school, no contextual flags, no exceptional circumstances. 'Imagine' may be about right!

Hi OP. As others have said, her grades will be looked at in the context of her school. What is the average grade profile there - Do you know? In some schools, 6 9s and 4 8s would put her as 'average' in the cohort, in others those grades might put her in the top 10%. So it totally depends. Also it is said that C put less emphasis on GCSEs than O and they would be more bothered about 8s in languages than maths in her case obviously. But no, I wouldn't rule out applying and good luck to her with the GCSEs!

Well said @ErrolTheDragon !

DD is at Ox doing Languages with (IIRC) a few 7s and a B in the mix.

To be honest, that was a surprise to her and possibly also her school, and she does wonder if it would have been wiser to have an easier ride elsewhere with less lit and more lang. But her tutors seem to find her refreshing - ‘essays always interesting, if somewhat tangential’ apparently!

I imagine the flexibility shown is for those coming from state school or with contextual flags other than in truly exceptional cases.

Achieving a very high mark in the TSA obviously helps, as it shows what they can do when they're not studying for their GCSEs in a class of 30 mixed ability pupils where some will only achieve a grade 2 or 3.

Oxford really does do what it says in its admission criteria. DD achieved mostly 9s and 8s, but it's quite hard to get perfect grades if others are taking drugs in class, there are 2 suicides in the weeks leading up to exams and some thought it was funny to put hydrochloric acid in other's water bottles during a chemistry lesson. It would be very unfair to set a blanket policy on GCSE results.

She won't take TSA for languages. She will take MLAT

BTW, Oxford aren't showing flexibility, they are applying their stated admissions policy. There are an awful lot of state school pupils with a high proportion of 7s, 8s and 9s at GCSE who apply, get through to interview and receive offers, so it's hardly flexibility.

Does she want to do two languages at A level with a view to taking both for a degree, do you think? I realise she’s only doing GCSE, so that could all change.