A-Level guide
How are A-Level predicted grades set, and can my child raise them?
Quick answer
Teachers set A-Level predicted grades using evidence such as mock exams, class tests and current work. UCAS asks schools to make them achievable, evidence-based and independent of university choices. Most schools finalise them in Year 12 or early Year 13, so the best way to raise them is stronger, consistent results before then.
What is an A-Level predicted grade?
A predicted grade is the grade your child's school believes they can achieve in each A-Level. UCAS describes it, in its guide for parents, as "an estimate of your child's likely achievement".
Predicted grades go on the UCAS application. Universities use them, along with GCSEs, the personal statement and the reference, to decide whether to make an offer. Most offers are conditional, which means your child must then achieve certain grades in the real exams.
Who sets predicted grades?
Your child's subject teachers set them, and the school's UCAS adviser checks and submits them. Parents and students do not set them.
UCAS gives schools four principles for predicted grades:
| Principle | What UCAS says it means |
|---|---|
| Achievable | Aspirational grades can motivate, but they "should be based on demonstrable evidence of performance" |
| Objective and data-driven | Teachers can use past performance, internal assessments or current student work |
| Comprehensive | There should be a prediction for every qualification still to be sat |
| Professional judgement | Predictions "should be set independently of an applicant's university or college choices" |
That last point matters. A teacher should not raise a grade just because your child wants to apply for a course that asks for higher grades.
What do teachers base predictions on?
Teachers base predictions on evidence they can point to. In practice this usually means:
- end-of-Year-12 exams or mocks
- topic tests and homework through Year 12
- the quality of work in class
- how much progress your child has made over time
Each school has its own policy. Some put a lot of weight on one set of Year 12 exams. Others look at the whole year. Ask your child's sixth form how they set predictions and when they are finalised.
Why are predicted grades often higher than final results?
Predictions are meant to show what a student can achieve on a good day, so many end up higher than the final result. UCAS's adviser guidance says around half of UK 18-year-olds were predicted AAA or above in 2025, but only 26% of accepted applicants achieved AAA or above the summer before.
So a strong prediction gets your child an offer. It does not get them the place. They still need to hit the grades in the summer of Year 13.
An older UCAS study found that strong GCSE results and the mix of A-Level subjects were linked to whether students met their predictions. It found students taking biology, chemistry and maths were more likely to miss their predictions by two or more grades than similar students taking English, history and art.
When are predicted grades decided?
Most schools decide predicted grades during Year 12 or at the start of Year 13, before UCAS applications are sent. UCAS says predictions should be finalised by the time the application is submitted.
UCAS deadlines are early for some courses. For example, Imperial's Medicine course page shows applications for October 2027 entry closing on 15 October 2026. For many other courses the deadline is in January; Imperial's Computing BEng page shows 13 January 2027. Your child's school will usually set its own internal deadline before these dates.
This means the window to change a prediction is short. The months between September of Year 12 and the end-of-year exams are the most important.
How can my child raise their predicted grades?
The honest answer is: by giving the teacher better evidence. Here is what works.
1. Treat the Year 12 exams as the real thing
Many predictions lean heavily on end-of-Year-12 exams. A student who drifts through Year 12 and plans to "switch on" in Year 13 often finds the prediction is already set. Revise properly for these exams, using past papers from your child's exam board.
2. Fix the gaps early
A-Level topics build on each other. A weak spot in Year 12, such as algebra in Maths or moles in Chemistry, causes problems in later topics. Find gaps in the first term and close them before they spread. Our post on the GCSE to A-Level Maths jump explains this in more detail.
3. Hand in every piece of work, on time
Teachers notice who does the work. Homework and class tests are evidence too. A record of steady, improving work makes it easier for a teacher to justify a higher prediction.
4. Ask the teacher what the next grade needs
Your child can politely ask each teacher, "What would I need to show you to be predicted one grade higher?" Most teachers will give a clear answer, such as a target score in the next test. This turns a vague hope into a plan.
5. Practise exam technique, not just content
Knowing the content is not enough. Students lose marks by not showing working, misreading command words or running out of time. Timed past-paper practice, marked against the official mark scheme, fixes this.
6. Show improvement before the deadline
If your child's first mock went badly, a strong result in a later test gives the teacher new evidence. Some schools allow a review if a student shows clear progress, but this depends on the school. Do not expect a prediction to change without new evidence.
What should we avoid?
Avoid pressuring teachers to raise a grade without new evidence. UCAS guidance tells schools to base predictions on demonstrable evidence, so pressure alone rarely works and can damage the relationship.
Also avoid relying on a high prediction. If the prediction is higher than your child's real level, they may get an offer they cannot meet. Their insurance choice, usually a course with lower entry requirements, then matters a lot.
How LCB can help
Our A-Level tutoring is built around the Year 12 exams and mocks that shape predictions. Lessons are in small groups of 3 to 5, with the same tutor every week, taught to your child's exam board. You get a monthly progress report, so you can see if things are moving before the school sets its predictions.
One Barking parent, Tariq J., told us: "Her A-Level predicted grades went from CCD to ABB."
Lessons run at our centre in Barking or live online. Plans start at £72 a month for A-Level, with no contract; see our pricing. The first step is a free 30-minute assessment to find gaps and set a target grade. Book a free assessment and we will call you back within two hours during opening hours.
If your child is aiming for London's most selective universities, read our guide to Imperial, UCL and King's entry requirements.
Questions parents ask
- Can parents see their child's predicted grades?
- Schools usually share predicted grades with the student before the UCAS application is sent. If you have not seen them, ask your child or contact the sixth form directly.
- Can a predicted grade go down?
- Yes. If a student's work or test results drop before the application is submitted, a school can lower a prediction. Steady work through Year 12 protects against this.
- Do universities know predicted grades are often too high?
- Yes. Admissions teams know predictions are optimistic, which is why they also look at GCSE results, the reference, the personal statement and, for some courses, admissions tests.
- What happens if my child misses their offer grades?
- The university may still accept them if places allow, or they may be placed at their insurance choice. If not, UCAS Clearing lets students apply to courses that still have spaces.
Sources
- UCAS: Predicted grades – what you need to know (advisers)
- UCAS: University 101 – a parent's guide to university and college terms
- UCAS: Early success at GCSE is key to applicants achieving their predicted A level grades (2016)
- Imperial College London: Medicine MBBS course page
- Imperial College London: Computing BEng course page
Related guides
- What are the AQA A-Level Chemistry required practicals, and how are they assessed?The 12 AQA A-Level Chemistry required practicals, how the practical endorsement (CPAC) works, how practicals appear in exams, and tips to secure the marks.
- Why does A-Level Maths feel so much harder than GCSE, and how can my child catch up?Why the GCSE to A-Level Maths jump feels so big, which skills cause the most trouble in Year 12, and a simple plan to bridge the gap in the first term.
- What are the hardest A-Level Biology topics, and how can my child tackle them?The hardest A-Level Biology topics students bring to tutoring, from respiration to gene expression, plus practical ways to learn them and win exam marks.