Just checking back on on this thread. What a lovely, supportive place, and I have no doubt from all of this that everyone's DC are wonderful people with huge potential, and the wider directions our kids take will not be defined by Oxbridge/non-Oxbridge in any important way.
Commiserations to all who are dealing with disappointment. So hard to see our DC sad for whatever reason. I hope it's passing quickly, and that whatever comes next is - as I'm sure it will be - amazing.
And congratulations to all who are pleased with the outcome.
DS did get an offer for physics in the end. I was a bit surprised, because he thought some of the interviews had gone terribly, and (despite the helpful graph someone posted earlier in the thread showing how post-interview perception doesn't seem to predict much), I believed him. Thought I'd post this as potentially useful for people in future who are upset after their interviews. Also, his PAT score, although fairly good, was not stellar (judging by the graph, I think probably below median for shortlisted candidates). And his GCSE results are not perfect (and he didn't do that many - usual number for a mid-range comp).
Before the result, I'd started getting excited about other unis/physics courses with him - a process which has left me quite sure that there are other equally good (and in many ways often better) places out there. It's largely the level of investment in the application process that makes it seem Oxbridge is such a big deal. If some of the other unis went through as many selection steps, we'd be having threads about those!
There is so much random-ness (or at least unexplained, unexpected variation) in all of this.
All the very best to everyone. We can all be equally proud of our lovely kids.