a question about cambridge grades

<p>hey i was just wondering, do o levels and as levels count more than your school grades for us colleges? because my school grades are pretty ass, while my o levels are decent-ish. This is concerning the more selective colleges btw.
Thanks</p>

<p>Do you need to submit your school grades?
I would be submitting only my O, AS and A2 level grades.</p>

<p>I honestly have no idea (to both questions). Fortunately my school didn't submit my school grades, only my O level results and my AS trial results. Those look splendid compared to the somewhat lower grades I got in school (mainly because I was adjusting to the switch in educational system and the answering style).</p>

<p>If your school grades are submitted, though, I think it might not look good because it would indicate a lack of consistency and possible laziness or lack of diligence.</p>

<p>i'm not sure either, but for my case, when i did my applications, my school had NO idea how to fill up a commonapp (i know my school's in the lower tier, but doesn't anyone ever go overseas??) so they just submitted all my grades. </p>

<p>i did really badly in school...i was like a C-ish student but i scored As for my A levels. i ended up being accepted by pretty decent schools though. but then again, i suspect that's bcos of my ECs and essay..??</p>

<p>just curious, ammars where are you from?</p>

<p>just ammar :-p i'm from pakiland, but i'm a us citizen. whered you get in jeyy?</p>

<p>You are supposed to submit your school grades because colleges want to see your transcript. They want to evaluate your high school workload and see how well you were doing in school, not how good a test taker you were, imo. It may differ, but most colleges request on their application for you to submit a transcript. Just sending in your O and A level results is like someone who attends a US high school only submitting their SAT and AP scores.</p>

<p>to pegasus: i agree. i meant that my school submitted a bunch of other grades besides midterms and finals. </p>

<p>to ammar: i'm from singapore. i used to live in CA but i'm not a citizen. i actually wrote an essay explaining my bad grades. anyway, i sent you a PM :)</p>

<p>my school sends almost every result possible....right from classes 8,9,10,11,12.....but i like that coz have A 's all over...mostly...hehe</p>

<p>And what does these grades mean...how strong are these...Physics =A, Chemistry= A, Mathematics =A, General Paper = b, Further Mathematics= C ( at hate the last one...)...</p>

<p>shail619:these are pretty good grades, and people would respect that C in F.math.
school transcripts are as important as O and A level grade sheets, as someone said they demonstrate your consistency, keeping in mind the US education system involves frequent testing during the academic year, i guess they look at the transcript closely.</p>

<p>me from pak too ammarsfound!</p>

<p>I may be wrong but
Grade 10= O level
Grade 11= AS level
Grade 12= A level(or A2)
If you have official grades in hand while applying, why would you need your school grades? There's a International Counselor's supplement with Common app that asks Counselor to attach a copy of final results(official from Cambridge) if the school follows a educational system where there are school leaving exams. Transcript are needed when there's no school leaving exams.</p>

<p>That's what I thought, abhishiv. Anyway, since I'm still in the middle of sitting for AS, my school sent my trial results in lieu, which would also be a form of school results (since they're graded by the school, not CIE).</p>

<p>and just like that, Aps are school leaving exams, transcripts are still needed for people taking them</p>

<p>I'm not sending in my transcripts from previous grades. Because 1) I lost them. 2) If i want them, I need to pay $5 for each certified copy because my school charges for them. and 3) I'm not wasting any more money.</p>

<p>I'm just sending in my predicted grades for this current year, and official final grades from the previous years.</p>

<p>AP's aren't school leaving exams, better double check before posting.

[quote]
It may differ, but most colleges request on their application for you to submit a transcript. Just sending in your O and A level results is like someone who attends a US high school only submitting their SAT and AP scores.

[/quote]

Are you serious about that, Your GPA is completely dependent on your O and A level, in American educational system GPA isn't completely based on AP's.</p>

<p>NoFX:
Well, don't many American schools charge a similar amount for sending transcripts? If your school has them, you probably should send them.</p>

<p>Anyways, I actually told my counselor to send a transcript, but when we discussed this and filled out the forms, she said we don't have a GPA and stuff, so she'd just send them my trial results for AS.</p>

<p>And abhishiv is right, I think - APs aren't directly comparable with O and A Levels, because they're not the main form of evaluation in the American system. Under the Cambridge system, though, the only thing that counts is your results for O and A Levels, and maybe your trial results.</p>

<p>I'll just send it what I was gonna send,and if they request more, I'll just frown and scold at them and send the transcripts lol</p>

<p>Aps arent mandatory either, and even if I am doing A levels, school transcripts are considered at most competitive places.
abhishiv: essentially the final Aps do mark the end of high school, ive never heard of anyone taking Aps as a part of bachelor curriculum.
and grade 11 is O levels, and 12 and 13 is A and As levels, depending on your choice.</p>

<p>abhisiv: APs are school leaving exams (do students in US high schools take any other comparable exams after APs?) APs are the most advanced exams they can write in high school so in other words, they are the "last' major exams they write. Just as you don't take any other major comparable exam after your A Levels. Basically, O and A levels are major high school exams some intels take. And APs and SATs are major high school exams US students take. </p>

<p>Of course, APs and A levels aren't DIRECTLY comparable. A Levels are much harder, but in essence they are comparable because colleges offer similar credits for these exams. For example, at MIT, for a score of 5 (the highest) on the AP bio credit is given for 12 units in Intro Bio. And an "A" in A Level bio is also given 12 units of credit. If A Levels weren't comparable to APs then they wouldn't offer the same amount of credit. </p>

<p>Different schools and countries calculate GPA in different ways. Some schools use only O and A level results, other use results from tests taken at the end of each previous semester, others use all your test results throughout all the previous semesters. Not every school and country is the same. So you can't generalize. Better double check before posting.</p>

<p>Kids often take APs during Sophomore/Junior year. So they aren't necessarily the last exam taken.
Moreover there's a difference between Last exam Taken and School leaving Exams. You would be denied Passing Certificate if you fail A levels/IB/Abitur. That's why they are called School leaving exams. you gotta pass them before leaving High-school. In the US you will get a High School Diploma even f you got 1 on APs.
Don't be vague. "Credit awarded for A-levels and AP is equal.. This proves both are comparable. As johnleemk said Ap's aren't in the main form of evaluation.</p>