A-level Results: When A Grades Aren't Enough

This seems to be an addition to the sob stories that always emerge around the time of A-level results - the clever kid who didn't get in:

A pupil who gained three A* and three A grades at A-level has been left without an offer from a single UK university.

Ben Scheffer, 18, had his dreams of studying economics dashed by Oxford, London School of Economics, University College London, Bristol and Warwick.

Well, those do appear to be pretty good universities - in fact, very good, so they probably can take their pick of people with good results. Nonetheless, three A* and three A grades does seem to be above the norm, even in this day and age.

So why didn't he get in? The article suggests various reasons, like the fact that he took the German equivalent of GCSEs rather than GCSEs. I suspect the real reason is this one though:

He also said: "I didn't write the best personal statement, to be fair, it just wasn't special. And it's a really hard course to get into."

Yup, it was probably the personal statement wot lost it for this chap. When everyone is getting excellent grades, you need to be able to differentiate yourself from the others. The personal statement seems to be an ideal way in which to do that. If you don't do that right... well... this sort of thing happens.

Which may be the way good universities work moving forward - if A-levels cease to be a useful measure with which to differentiate applicants, they will look at other methods - like personal statements, extra-curricular activities, sporting achievements and so on. Hell, Oxford and Cambridge - who have always had their pick of the people with the best results - have been doing this for decades. With fewer university places available and seemingly more and more people wanting to apply, other universities will start doing this, and those applying to the best universities in the country should consider what else they have to offer on top of excellent grades.