Oxbridge 2025

[SnowFairy2000]

Let's start the journey here !!!

DD is at Cambridge and she had 10 GCSEs, one was a 6 (FM) and another a 7 (a science) she had a couple of 8s and rest were 9. She was studying an arts subject so the lower grades she got were not an issue. Having lurked on Oxbridge threads a while now I get the impression Oxford may take them slightly more into account than Cambridge but have no real evidence of that. Her results were in context of a fairly high achieving grammar. For A level predicted all A star and A star EPQ.

My DS has a Cambridge offer (Maths) and they clearly didn't care about his 4s in English and French (he is dyslexic) but about how good he is at Maths!

I believe Oxford do look at GCSEs (in the context of where you achieved them) as part of the picture when deciding who to interview whereas Cambridge aim to interview the majority of applicants.

Oxford aim to interview around 3 candidates for each place, so a smaller proportion will be invited to interview than at Cambridge (but your chances are better if you get to shortlisting stage). This puts more emphasis on GCSEs but also on test scores and written work (as well as other aspects of the UCAS form), especially in very competitive subjects. However as others have said, GCSEs are looked at contextually and tutors have access to data that shows how a candidate sits relative to their school. They are also going to look at which GCSEs candidates did better or worse on - if someone is applying for Maths and didn’t do very well in Drama GCSE, that is unlikely to be a huge deal

My daughter started at Oxford last year After a gap year studying English literature and English language it’s very hard going and lots of working through the night to catch up especially when the tutors all schedule their essays to come in on one day rather than a week or so apart .
Now she’s just got A First in her first year she feels much better and now knows what lies ahead in year 2 .

Thought I'd revive this thread as all the results yesterday is making me nervously think how it'll be us next year (though Oxbridge might be off the table for some of us by the summer as well 😬)

My dd is applying to read Geography at Cambridge. Not sure how the year above her in school did this year - they get quite a few in each year - but two friends' kids both got in from some other local schools, they are over the moon!

Can't really believe that by this time next year we'll most likely know either way. Anyone feeling a bit daunted by what's to come?!

To be realistic, some of us = most of us, most dc don’t get an Oxbridge offer and this process will all be over before or shortly after Xmas

Does anyone know when dc hear the results of entrance exams please especially pat?

Thsnk you for posting @flowerdress I was thinking of doing the same. I've read the posts and can't imagine what a rollercoster is before us.

There is a thread with a title like redirected from oxbridge which is nice to read. The young people there all seem to have done amazingly and are off to incredible unis. It's good to remember there is other paths to go down and more than oxbridge.

Best of luck to everyone's young people xx

Some (most?) of the tests only give results at the same time interview confirmations/deselections get sent out. DS will be sitting the brand-new ESAT (Cambridge Engineering and Science Admissions Test); anyone else?

@PhotoDad Does this include maths ? Ds hoping to apply to do maths at C.

As far as I know, maths requires applicants to take STEP exams alongside their A-levels at the end of Y13 rather than testing pre-interview.

I thought that tbh.

Does anyone know when dc hear the results of entrance exams please especially pat?

I can’t speak about one particular test but for DD sitting in 2023 for English at Cambridge the interview and test were not separately booked. One was in November followed the other in first week of December. She only heard of she got an offer on the single day everyone heard in late January. For her year it was the same day as UCAS final submission day but this year there were a few days grace. Oxford have usually been a bit earlier.

As has been mentioned Maths at Cambridge is a bit different and requires STEP, it is fairly brutal as it is designed to only pass half of those who sit it and it takes place around the time of A levels.

Ds has booked the pat for Oxford (physics), he takes it late October. I believe Oxford shortlist for interviews using this and cgcse info but I've no idea when he will hear how he did on the pat and if he has an interview. I think Oxford let people know if they have an offer around the second week of January.

Just to let people know that booking for Oxford admissions tests is now open. This year candidates have to take the test at a Pearson Vue centre. There are lots of centres but it is a good idea to book the test as soon as you can, so you have a wider choice of venues.

You will not normally find out the results of the test until January, when you learn whether you have an offer. You find out if you have an interview in late November.

Booking for the ESAT is now open as well. Applicants have to declare which three subjects they will attempt.

Thank you @foxglovetree and yes good call about the sites, we had already looked to see where he wanted to take it before they opened and the first two we preferred weren't available. I suspect they aren't holding the test rather than full.

Also ds has an afternoon slot. I was surprised that there was two different times for the same exam.

Hi, @Thekatzenjammerkid

@PhotoDad is correct about STEP. It is a much more difficult exam, and I think the other universities using it now mainly do so as an alternative option to the Autumn exams.

STEP is written and marked at Cambridge, who set the grade boundaries nationally. Cambridge are quite open that they do this in such a way as to control their intake: about 50% of Cambridge Maths offer holders fail their offers, mostly because of the STEP component.

To be sure, STEP is by far the hardest UK university admissions exam going. But some part of the failure rate is down to underpreparation. Cambridge Maths applicants are so strong that it can be hard for them to realise what creative and devilish problems can be wrought using concepts from A Level Maths and FM.

But there is a lot of support available, if not from DC’s school then from the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (or similar, if not in England. End of Y12/beginning of Y13 is the recommended time to start preparing. And of course STEP prep helps with everything else mathematical.

I apologise if you knew this, and hope it may be helpful for someone else.

@flowerdress - Hi, I have a DC currently doing Geography at Cambridge. Do PM me if I can help regarding the admissions process - PS, interviews, college choices, etc.

@Cubic
Mine sat the PAT last year and got her results shortly after receiving her offer in January.
In hindsight, I’m glad she didn’t find out her mark before the interviews started otherwise she would have probably given up… Her grade was fine but not outstanding, she was quite ill in the run up to the test which didn’t help.
After reading the admissions report, we realised that what probably helped her offset an “ok” PAT and one underwhelming interview (out of 2) is the fact she got 12 9s for GCSEs and was predicted 4A* in STEM subjects (which she got). So all good in the end but it’s been quite stressful and we never thought she would be successful.
Best of luck to all of you for the months to come

Following his Y12 mocks, ds is having a change of heart about his course choice. He has been mad about history all his life, but is really enjoying French as well and has now had his predicted grade raised to an A* along with his other subjects. He's therefore considering joint history and French. This obviously means more tests/interviews and he can't book any yet as he's still undecided. I think keeping the language would be great but I wonder if he isn't making life unnecessarily hard for himself by going for a joint degree (in terms of the application process rather than the degree itself). He's also not as good at French as he is at history, or it's more of a challenge for him anyway. I think that's partly why he's drawn to it but I know that, rightly or wrongly, he'll kick himself if he doesn't get an Oxbridge offer as a result of the French element of his application, which I assume will be clearly shown by the test results and/or feedback?

My DC got their NSAA results (will be the ESAT this year) for NatSci in late November I think. In any case, it was before their interviews in December. Think Oxford and Cambridge give out test results at different times.

@Carmenn thank you and congratulations to your daughter, what an amazing set of results! I hope she loves her course.

May I ask, when did she find out about interviews please? I really don't know the time line apart from I heard they have an offer day in January.

They've changed the PAT format this year so that all questions are multiple choice, they've given one example paper but I think ds is put off by lack of previous papers

Oxford admissions timeline here: www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/admissions-timeline

They've changed the PAT format this year so that all questions are multiple choice, they've given one example paper but I think ds is put off by lack of previous papers

My dd was in the first cohort to do the earlier Cambridge engineering admissions test when they introduced it in 2016. There was just the one sample paper, but in a way that was good - apart from not having lots of past papers to wade through so more time to revise A level content to date, we felt it made the playing field a bit more level as there was less scope for tutoring for the test.