How Much Control Do Students Have Over Their School Predicted Grades? 17 Things to Know

Predicted grades can shape a university application before a student has even sat their final A-level exams.

They may influence which universities a student applies to, whether an application looks competitive and, in some cases, whether an applicant is likely to receive an offer.

So what happens if you think your predicted grade is too low?

Can you ask for it to be changed? Can your parents challenge it? Does your school have to take account of recent improvement?

The key point is simple: you cannot choose your predicted grades, but you may have more influence over them than you think.

Here are 17 things every student should know.

1. You do not choose your own predicted grades

A predicted grade is the school or college’s judgement about what you are likely to achieve.

It is not the grade you would like to achieve and it is not simply your personal target grade.

You might be aiming for an A*, but that does not automatically mean your school will predict you an A*.

2. Your school has the final say

The prediction submitted through UCAS is ultimately the responsibility of your school, college or referee.

Your subject teacher may recommend a grade, but some schools also moderate predictions across departments or ask heads of department to approve them.

The exact process differs between schools.

3. There is no single national formula

This is important.

There is no universal calculation such as:

Year 12 exam + latest test + target grade = UCAS prediction.

One school may place heavy emphasis on a Year 12 examination.

Another may consider performance across the whole year.

Another may look at mocks, tests, homework, coursework and recent progress together.

That is why it is worth finding out exactly how your own school makes the decision.

4. Predicted grades should be based on evidence

A prediction should not simply be a guess.

Teachers are likely to consider evidence such as:

mock examinations
end-of-year examinations
topic tests
essays or assessed work
practical work
performance over time
recent improvement
teacher judgement.

If you want a higher predicted grade, the strongest argument is usually better evidence.

5. Your current grade and predicted grade are not necessarily the same

Suppose you are currently working at a B.

That does not automatically mean you must be predicted a B.

A prediction is about what you are likely to achieve by the end of the course.

If you have been improving quickly and your teacher genuinely believes an A is achievable, an A prediction may be reasonable.

Equally, simply having achieved one A on one test may not automatically justify an A prediction.

Teachers will usually look for a pattern.

6. You can influence the evidence

This is where students have the most control.

You may not be able to choose the final letter written on the UCAS form, but you can influence many of the things that lead to it.

You can:

revise properly for internal exams
complete work consistently
improve weak topics
act on feedback
attend support sessions
demonstrate improvement
perform well in later assessments.

Predicted grades are therefore not completely outside your control.

7. Find out when predictions are decided

Do this early.

Ask your school:

“When are our UCAS predictions finalised?”

If predictions are decided in September, trying to improve them in November may be too late.

If they are decided after a September assessment, that assessment suddenly becomes extremely important.

Knowing the timetable gives you a chance to act.

8. Ask how your school calculates them

A simple conversation can remove a lot of uncertainty.

Ask:

“What evidence is used for our predicted grades?”

“Does the Year 12 exam matter most?”

“Are recent assessments included?”

“Can predictions be reviewed?”

You are not being difficult by asking.

You are trying to understand a decision that could affect your university choices.

9. You can discuss your predicted grade with your teacher

Students sometimes assume predictions are completely non-negotiable.

That is not quite the right way to think about them.

You cannot demand a particular grade, but you can ask your teacher to explain the reasoning behind it.

For example:

“I was hoping to apply for courses requiring an A. Could you explain what evidence I would need to show for an A prediction to be realistic?”

That is a much better conversation than:

“I need an A, so can you change it?”

10. Needing a grade for university is not evidence

This is probably the most important point in the article.

Suppose a university course requires AAA and you have been predicted AAB.

You may desperately need that final A.

But needing an A does not, by itself, justify being predicted one.

Your school still needs to believe the prediction is academically realistic.

The strongest case is not:

“I need an A for my first-choice university.”

It is:

“My last four assessments have all been at A-grade level.”

11. Ask what would change your teacher’s mind

If you disagree with a prediction, ask a very specific question:

“What would I need to demonstrate for you to reconsider this grade?”

That puts the discussion onto evidence.

A teacher might say:

“You would need to achieve an A in the September assessment.”

Or:

“You need to show greater consistency across the next three pieces of work.”

You now have something concrete to work towards.

12. Recent improvement should be part of the conversation

Imagine your results have gone:

D, C, B, B, A.

Your earlier grades still matter, but the direction of travel matters too.

If you have improved significantly, make sure your teacher is aware of the full picture.

Do not simply say:

“I have got much better.”

Show the evidence.

13. One bad exam does not always tell the whole story

Perhaps your major Year 12 examination went badly.

That matters, but it does not necessarily have to define your prediction.

If all your other evidence is significantly stronger, discuss it with your teacher.

The same applies if there were genuine circumstances that affected your performance.

A prediction should ideally reflect the overall evidence rather than one isolated result.

14. Genuine mitigating circumstances should be explained

Illness, bereavement or significant personal circumstances may have affected a student’s performance.

Schools cannot take account of circumstances they do not know about.

If something genuinely affected an important examination or period of study, tell the appropriate member of staff.

Do this factually and as early as possible.

It is not about finding an excuse for a disappointing mark. It is about ensuring the school has the full context.

15. You may be able to ask for a review

Some schools have a formal process for reviewing predicted grades.

Others handle disagreements informally through subject teachers, heads of department or sixth-form staff.

If you think your prediction does not reflect the evidence, ask:

“Is there a predicted-grade review process?”

If there is one, use it.

But remember that a review does not mean you automatically receive the grade you request.

It means the evidence is considered again.

16. Parents can ask questions, but they cannot choose the grade

Parents may understandably become involved if they believe a prediction is unfair.

They can ask how the grade was decided and whether it can be reviewed.

However, the strongest discussion will still centre on academic evidence.

A parent saying:

“My daughter needs an A for university”

is unlikely to be as persuasive as evidence showing that the student is already consistently working at A-grade level.

17. Concentrate on what you can control

This is the part students sometimes forget.

You cannot completely control:

your school’s prediction policy
how much weight is given to particular assessments
your teacher’s professional judgement
the grades required by universities.

But you can control:

how well you prepare
whether you complete work
whether you seek help
whether you act on feedback
how you perform in upcoming assessments
whether you ask sensible questions
whether you present evidence of improvement.

That is where your energy is best spent.

So how much control do students really have over predicted grades?

Very little direct control.

Quite a lot of indirect influence.

You cannot simply tell your school what grade you want entered onto your UCAS application.

But you can influence the evidence used to make that judgement, understand your school’s process, discuss your prediction, show evidence of improvement and ask for a review if you believe the grade does not fairly reflect your likely performance.

Perhaps the best question a student can ask is not:

“Can you give me an A?”

but:

“What do I need to show you for an A prediction to be justified?”

That is a much more powerful question because it gives you something you can actually do.

Teach17