You need to take into account that test scores don't tell you enough. Currently roughly 8% get the top grade (A star) at A level, per subject [1]. I can't find

You need to take into account that test scores don't tell you enough. Currently roughly 8% get the top grade (A star) at A level, per subject [1]. I can't find a number for what %age of students achieve all-A star grades, but I expect it's still greater than the number who apply to Oxford or Cambridge. It's the job of the interview to distinguish between those who have the potential to go beyond what's needed for A levels. For the most part, if someone has had to work extremely hard to achieve the top A-level grades, they're going to struggle at Oxbridge where the level is that much higher. I'm not saying the current interview process is perfect, but test scores alone don't tell you enough to distinguish the best students. Disclaimer: I went to Cambridge. [1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11012369 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11012369 (edit: asterisk -> "star" to avoid italicising)