A-Levels: Passport to University

A-Levels are often a prerequisite for entry onto many university programmes. Universities in the UK often demand a minimum set of A-Level grades for entry onto a particular course. The offer of grades is often decided on an individual basis so can be higher or lower for certain candidates. Three is usually the minimum number of A-Levels required for university entrance (with some universities specifying the need for a fourth AS Level). Universities make conditional offers to students (e.g., ABC and they may also specify which grades need to be achieved in each subject – for example, specifying that an A is needed in Maths and a B is needed in Chemistry). A-Levels are assessed usually by some coursework and final examinations. They are graded from A to E.

Many students also undertake an additional A-Level in General Studies or Critical Thinking which give students an all-round grasp of analytical skills, political issues, current affairs and essay writing skills but which are not usually taken into account for a 3-grade university offer. However, sometimes universities take into account a good grade in one of these subjects if the applicant fails to meet the conditions of their offer.

Once you receive your A-Level results you will know whether you meet the conditions of your offer or not. If you meet the conditions of your offer, you are guaranteed a place at your chosen university and need to do nothing more. UCAS will send you a confirmation letter with a reply slip. You must follow the instructions on the reply slip to confirm your place.

If you don’t meet the conditions of your place, your university or college may still decide to accept you. You should check your position on the TRACK section of the UCAS website. If you have been accepted, you will not need to do anything else until you receive your confirmation letter and reply slip from UCAS. If there is no decision finalised you should call your university or college directly to find out what their decision is. If you have not been accepted, you automatically become eligible for clearing.

The clearing process is used by UCAS applicants who have not managed to secure a place at university or college for the current year. It begins a day or so following the A-Level results (in August each year) and can help applicants find suitable vacancies on higher education courses: more than 30,000 people gain a university or college place through clearing each year. If you’re flexible and have reasonably good examination results, there is still a good chance you’ll get onto a course you want. Course vacancies in clearing are published on the UCAS website from mid-August to late-September and you can also find lists of clearing vacancies in national newspapers and supplements during this time too.