Converting UK A-Levels to Australian University Scores

The British Curriculum Advantage

Whether you are applying from the UK, Malaysia, or an international school in Dubai, the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level (A-Level) is globally recognized.

If you are applying to an Australian university, you have a massive administrative advantage: Australian universities love the A-Level system and convert it very generously.

The Point Allocation System

Australian universities do not use the UCAS Tariff point system (where an A* is 56 points). Instead, they use a simplified additive model. For most Group of Eight (Go8) universities (like UNSW, USYD, and UQ), they will take your best 3 or best 4 A-Level subjects.

The standard point conversion is: A = 6 points

A = 5 points

B = 4 points

C = 3 points

D = 2 points

E = 1 point

The Competitive Cutoffs

Let's assume a university uses your Best 3 subjects to calculate an aggregate score out of 18.

Score of 15-18 (e.g., A, A, A): This equates to a massive ATAR equivalent (95.00+). You will easily secure entry into highly competitive degrees like Engineering, Advanced Science, and Law.

Score of 12-14 (e.g., A, B, B): This is the sweet spot. It is more than enough to secure entry into a Bachelor of Commerce or Bachelor of Computer Science at top-tier institutions.

Score of 9-11 (e.g., B, C, C): You might miss out on the ultra-elite Go8 degrees, but you will easily gain entry into mid-tier universities (like RMIT, QUT, or UTS) for standard degrees.

AS-Levels and General Studies

Be careful: Most Australian universities do not count AS-Levels (Advanced Subsidiary) if you have already completed the full A-Level in that subject. Furthermore, subjects like 'General Studies' or 'Critical Thinking' are frequently excluded from the calculation.

Use our Admissions Calculator to quickly convert your predicted A-Level letter grades into the exact point format used by Australian admissions offices.