Points don't win prizes
Every course at every university sets its own entry requirements. The university quotes a certain number of points that they’ll expect all (or, at any rate, most) of their students to get. You can find a list of entry requirements in the universities’ prospectuses, on their website, by contacting the university directly or from one of the books, websites and other resources listed below that collect them for (nearly) all courses in one place.
The Course Search facility on UCAS’s website also details the entry requirements including what attitude the university will take if you’ve got non-standard qualifications search as the International Baccalaureate or a bronze swimming badge.
Usually, the points are scored by achieving a minimum score at A levels or Highers, based on UCAS’s points system. You can also get points for other qualifications, such as vocational A levels (VCE Double Awards) which are worth twice a regular A level, and AS levels which are worth half — or for having achieved Key Skills in number, communications or IT at level 2 or higher.
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A Levels
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Highers
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Advanced Higers
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Vocational A Levels
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AS Levels*
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Key Skills
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Grade
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Pts
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Grade
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Pts
|
Grade
|
Pts
|
Grade
|
Pts
|
Grade
|
Pts
|
Grade
|
Pts
|
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A
|
120
|
A
|
72
|
A
|
120
|
AA
|
240
|
A
|
60
|
4
|
30
|
|
B
|
100
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B
|
60
|
B
|
100
|
BB
|
200
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B
|
50
|
3
|
20
|
|
C
|
80
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C
|
48
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C
|
80
|
CC
|
160
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C
|
40
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2
|
10
|
|
D
|
60
|
|
|
|
|
DD
|
120
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D
|
30
|
|
|
|
E
|
40
|
|
|
|
|
EE
|
80
|
E
|
20
|
|
|
* AS Levels only give you extra points if you don’t go on to take the A2 and get the whole A Level. So, let’s say you’ve got B grades in history and physics at AS Level — you’ve got 100 points. If you then take A2 physics and end up with a C for the whole A Level, you now have 130 points (not 180) — 50 for the history and 80 for the physics. Got that? It’s no double counting.
Last updated on: 24 April 2008