I should pre-disclaim this by saying I actually really enjoyed my time at Exeter and it's an excellent school but at the time I felt I'd been treated very unfairly. I think my case is a good example of how the system is badly designed, and then operates in a way that's worse than the theoretical design.

>Were you predicted worse grades than you achieved, and as a result not offered places where you would have liked?

Yes. Story time but skip to the next quote if it's boring :)

I got 4 A's at AS level back in 2001 (I did my Alevels in 2002, the first year of the AS/A2 split). My subject teachers all agreed I'd get the same at A Level. My School decided that "to avoid over estimating" they would reduce all the predictions by 3 levels. So I was predicted BBB. What the Fuck? My friend was friends with the head of VI form (he did theater with her after school, they got drunk together at after show parties, he was very pretty and charming and she was 50+, super weird and dodgy but whatever). Somehow he was predicted AAB. The only one in the school year of ~90 students over BBB. Some people even cried over this as they wanted to do medicine and that's difficult with AAA predicted...

My friend was called for interview at Imperial, where we both wanted to go and study Physics. He went and was offered AAA. I was not called for interview.

Results came in and I got my AAA. He got BBB. Imperial didn't care and admitted him anyway.

I think I am sort of a perfect example of what's wrong with the current system: I was poor and badly turned out and a bit brutish but ferociously bright. He was sort of the opposite. I got good grades, he was better at getting predictions. He was the one that got the Imperial place.

>Those students who did not achieve the requirements and those universities who still have places to fill then enter the "clearing" process to match up.

I think this is the issue because this rarely happens even though it's meant to. There are 2 sides to this:

* If you miss the required grades, you generally keep your place. Universities routinely make an offer at X and then take you whether you get the grades. I understand why: when you reject a candidate with BBB, you're not guaranteed one with AAA, your going to end up with whatever clearing gives you. And not many AAA candidates are in clearing are they? This becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of sorts.

* If you blow through your predicted grades (As instead of Bs) you have 3 options: 1. Stick with the school you were offered at (I did this). 2. Take a whole year out and re-apply next year with your grades. That's a pretty huge step for an 18 years old to take. 3. Enter clearing, but you know that Imperial, Oxbridge etc don't really do clearing do that?

Back in 2002 there was actually discussion of forcing all uni's to keep X% of places for clearing for exactly this reason. It's also worth noting that these days something like 20% of offers are unconditional.

I think I did more than ok in the end. I had a better time than my friend (he had to live at home in first year and never really got the "experience" etc). But people should be aware of how the system works: you're actual grades make very little difference, predicted grades are KEY to getting into (not just an offer, actually into) a top uni, and the best way to get good grades is only about 50% about ability and hard work compared to looking nice and sucking up to the right people.

Maybe this is a great lesson for how life isn't fair :)