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A Level
25 July 2023 - 3 min read
You’ve got UCAS Track on contestant refresh and you’re trying to keep track of all your offers as they get updated.
You suddenly notice that one of your choices has referred to UCAS Tariff points. What on earth are these and how are you supposed to calculate them?
In a situation like this, the last thing you need is an extra thing to worry about. Let us take some of the stress out of the day by giving you a quick and simple guide to calculating your UCAS tariff points.
The UCAS Tariff is used to assign a points value to certain qualifications in the UK. These are usually qualifications studied after the age of 16 like A Levels or the Scottish Higher.
A set number of points are given to every grade it’s possible to get from each qualification, making it easier to evaluate and compare different types of qualifications from all over the UK.
As you might have guessed, higher grades have a higher points value.
The UCAS Tariff is mainly used by universities to report admissions data back to the government, but some universities may make you an offer based on the number of points you accrue instead of asking that you achieve specific grades.
This can actually work in your favour as there’s a bit more flexibility in the points system.
Say you’re given a conditional offer on the basis that you achieve two As and a B. If you don’t manage to get these grades, there’s a good chance that the university will withdraw their offer and you’ll miss out on a place on that course.
If you find yourself in this situation, you have our sympathies - and hey, there are always other options.
But…
If you’re given an offer based on you accruing 120 points, you can use any combination of grades to meet this threshold.
So, if you didn’t manage those two As and a B but got two Bs and two Cs instead, your points total will still be enough to meet the threshold.
In which case, you’ve made it, so go ahead and start celebrating!
If you need to work out how many points you have, use the tables below to see how many points your grades are worth and add up the total.
If you have A Level Double Awards, just take the points value for the matching A Level grade and, well, double it!
You can find a full list of UCAS Tariff points on the UCAS website.
Didn't get the grades or points you need? Find out more about studying A Levels online.
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