The Parent’s Glossary

The traditional English qualification for ages 16–18: three or four subjects studied in depth, graded A*–E.

A standalone one-year qualification at half A-Level depth; far less common since the 2015–17 reforms.

A vocational, coursework-based alternative to A-Levels; accepted by many universities, restrictive for some competitive courses.

Creativity, Activity, Service — the IB Diploma’s compulsory non-academic programme.

UCAS’s system for matching students without a confirmed place to courses with vacancies, mainly around results day.

A university place dependent on achieving specified grades.

Extended Project Qualification — an optional independent research project alongside A-Levels; useful super-curricular evidence.

Engineering and Science Admissions Test, used by Cambridge and Imperial for engineering and science courses.

The IB Diploma’s compulsory 4,000-word independent research essay.

Your first-choice accepted offer (firm) and backup accepted offer (insurance) on UCAS.

A university-taught preparation year before Year 1 of a degree — the standard bridge for some international-curriculum students.

A second, deeper A-Level in maths taken alongside Mathematics; expected at top departments for maths-heavy degrees.

The English qualification taken at 16 across 8–10 subjects, graded 9–1.

IB Higher Level (240 teaching hours) and Standard Level (150) — students take three of each.

The International Baccalaureate: six subjects plus a core (EE, TOK, CAS), scored out of 45.

The international version of GCSE, common in international schools.

A four-year course combining bachelor’s and master’s (e.g. MEng, MSci, MMath).

The English curriculum’s age bands: KS3 (11–14), KS4/GCSE (14–16), KS5/Sixth Form (16–18).

The admissions test required for law at several leading universities.

Mathematics Admissions Test — used by Oxford and Imperial for maths-based courses.

The two IB maths routes: Analysis & Approaches (pure, proof-based) and Applications & Interpretation (applied, statistical). Top STEM courses expect AA HL.

The autumn cycle in which major graduate employers recruit on campus — strongest at target universities.

A visit day for students holding an offer — different from an open day, and worth attending.

Oxford and Cambridge collectively; earlier deadline (mid-October) and interviews.

The written UCAS application component — from 2026 entry, structured around three set questions.

The grades a school forecasts; universities make offers largely on these.

A self-selected association of 24 research-intensive UK universities — a rough, imperfect prestige shorthand.

A paid industry placement year within a degree, usually between years two and three.

Sixth Term Examination Paper — the hardest school-level maths papers, required for maths at Cambridge and some others.

Subject engagement beyond the syllabus (reading, lectures, projects) — what strong applications are built on.

UCAS’s points system converting grades to numbers (A* = 56); many top universities make grade-based offers instead.

Test of Mathematics for University Admission — used for economics and maths-adjacent courses at several universities.

Theory of Knowledge — the IB’s compulsory critical-thinking course.

Biology, Chemistry and Physics as three separate GCSEs — strongly preferred for STEM and clinical routes.

The central admissions service through which all UK undergraduate applications are made.

The admissions test for most UK medical and dental schools.

A place not dependent on further grades — rarer, and worth discussing before accepting.