Predicted GCSE grades and conditional offers for sixth-form entry fit together in a set order: a student's current school forecasts the grades, the independent school makes an offer on the strength of that forecast and its own assessment, and the offer is confirmed once the final GCSE results meet the conditions. Most of this happens during Year 11, before any GCSE paper has been sat.
Each independent school writes its own entry requirements and decides how to treat results that differ from the condition, so the admissions page of the school concerned always settles the detail. Families comparing several schools will usually find that the general pattern is shared whilst the grades, subjects and wording are not.
What is a predicted GCSE grade and who provides it?
A predicted GCSE grade is a forecast of the grade a student is expected to achieve in a subject, and it is normally supplied by the student's current school. Independent sixth forms ask for it as part of a confidential report, with St Albans School, for example, stating that a report including a forecast of GCSE grades or equivalent is requested from the candidate's current school once an application is made.
Predictions from a parent or private tutor sit in a different category. Cranbrook School, as one example, says predicted grades from parents or tutors are considered mainly for home-educated applicants and that they cannot guarantee an offer. Where a student attends a school, the school's own forecast is therefore the figure that admissions offices expect to see.
How do independent sixth forms use predicted grades in offers made before results?
Independent sixth forms use predicted grades as one input into a decision, alongside a school reference and, at many schools, an interview or assessment. St Albans School describes candidates who meet its entry requirements being invited to interview, with a successful candidate then receiving an offer conditional on the GCSE grades awarded.
If a forecast sits below what a school requires, the school may respond in different ways. St Albans says it may suggest that an application is made again once the GCSE results are published, which means a lower prediction does not always close the door. The Boarding Schools' Association notes that for sixth-form boarding, applications are usually made in the autumn of the year before entry, so offers are typically made well ahead of the summer exams.
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Enquire about this tutorWhat is a conditional offer for sixth-form entry?
A conditional offer is a place held for a student on the basis that stated conditions are met, which for sixth-form entry are normally the final GCSE results. The conditions often combine a general requirement across the GCSEs with higher requirements in the subjects the student wants to study at A-level.
Schools word this in their own way. Felsted School, for instance, expects a higher grade in the subjects a candidate plans to study at A-level, and says maths and the sciences in particular may carry a higher expectation than the general minimum. Cranbrook School states that candidates must meet the specific requirements for each A-level course they wish to study, published in its sixth-form prospectus. Conditional offers can also depend on places being available, as Cranbrook notes.
What happens if GCSE results differ from the condition?
If the final GCSE results differ from the condition of the offer, the school makes its own decision, and families can only learn how it will approach this by asking it directly. Cranbrook School states that applicants must meet the published sixth-form entry requirements based on their final GCSE results, and that predicted grades are not grounds for an appeal if those requirements are not met.
Other pages read for this article, including those of St Albans School and Felsted School, do not set out what happens when results fall short. The sensible step is to put the question to the admissions office in Year 11, well before results are published, and to ask whether a conversation about a different subject combination is possible. Contact details sit on each school's own admissions page.
How do mock results and school references feed into an offer?
The school reference is the better documented of the two, and several independent schools state that they request it directly. City of London School says it will request a reference from the candidate's current school shortly after the registration deadline and that no offer is made without a school reference and interview. Felsted School makes offers subject to a satisfactory confidential reference.
None of the official admissions pages read for this article sets out a role for mock results. Schools differ on whether they ask to see them, so a family can ask each admissions office whether mock grades are wanted and, if so, in what form. The school's own page and its admissions team decide.
How can a student prepare in Year 11 without overclaiming?
Preparation in Year 11 starts with reading each school's published requirements and noting which subjects it asks for at a higher level, since that shows where revision time is best spent. A student applying to study maths or a science at A-level, for example, can look closely at the school's stated expectation in that subject.
Families can also check what each school asks the current school to supply, so that the reference and forecast are requested in good time, and can talk to admissions staff early about any uncertainty. Practising past-paper style questions and working through weaker topics with a teacher or a tutor can help a student prepare, though no preparation guarantees a grade or an offer. Scholarship questions are covered in the separate sixth-form scholarships guide.
Related guides
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- Sixth form tutors
- A-level tutors
- Revision support
- Sixth-form scholarships and bursaries
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Frequently asked questions
- Who gives predicted GCSE grades for a sixth-form application?
- The student's current school normally supplies them, usually inside a confidential report or reference that the independent school requests once an application is made. St Albans School describes this process on its admissions page. Predictions from parents or tutors are considered mainly for home-educated applicants at schools such as Cranbrook School, and the school says they cannot guarantee an offer.
- Is a conditional offer for sixth form guaranteed?
- A conditional offer holds a place for the student only if the stated conditions are met, which are normally the final GCSE results. Some schools add that the offer also depends on places being available, as Cranbrook School states. Each school's admissions page sets out its own conditions, so the wording of the offer letter is the document to read carefully.
- Does a student need a higher GCSE grade in the subject they want to study at A-level?
- Many independent sixth forms ask for a higher grade in the subjects a student plans to study at A-level than the general minimum. Felsted School says this and notes that maths and sciences in particular may carry a higher expectation. The exact requirement for each subject is on the school's own admissions page or sixth-form prospectus.
- What should a student do if their GCSE results differ from the offer condition?
- Contact the school's admissions office as early as possible, because the school makes its own decision. Cranbrook School says final GCSE results must meet its published requirements and that predicted grades are not grounds for an appeal. Asking in Year 11 how the school approaches this question means a family knows what to expect before results day.
- Do mock exam results count towards a sixth-form offer?
- None of the official admissions pages read for this article sets out a role for mock results, so schools may differ. Admissions offices state that they ask for a school reference and a forecast of GCSE grades from the current school. A parent can ask each school whether it wants mock grades and, if so, in what form.
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