Yesterday was a big day for many of you, collecting your GCSE results! I hope you got the grades you were hoping for!
The new grading system for Maths and English means pupils are now given a score between 1-9, with 9 seen as higher than an A*. Out of the 60,000 sixteen year olds who took papers this year, only 2,000 achieved the top grade 9 in English Literature, English Language and Maths. If you are one of those students, a huge congratulations!
When it comes to applying to Oxford, GCSEs are taken into consideration. They allow the tutors to see consistency across a broad range of subjects and higher grades will help make your application more competitive.
Successful applicants usually have a high proportion of As and A*s (7,8,9). However, the overall performance of your school or college and information on how your results compare to other applicants at similar schools are all taken into account.
If you're a GCSE student hoping to study at Oxford in the future, don't feel it's too early to start looking into it; being prepared is a good thing!