Predicted Grades for UCAS: How Private Candidates Get Them (2026/27 Guide)
- Dec 11, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 6
If your school, college or tutor can't provide predicted grades for your UCAS application, you can still apply — and you're in the right place.
Educo London is a registered UCAS centre (centre number 21393). We assess private candidates through invigilated online mock exams, issue accurate, evidence-based predicted grades, write your personalised UCAS reference, and submit both directly through UCAS as your official referee. From £225 per subject, fully online, available worldwide.
Every year we support students in exactly your position: resitters whose old school won't predict grades for exams they're not entering, late deciders, home-educated and private candidates, and international students studying A-Levels independently.
This guide explains how predicted grades work, how our process runs from enquiry to submission, what it costs, and how quickly we can turn it around.
What Are UCAS Predicted Grades?
Predicted grades are the grades a teacher or tutor believes you are most likely to achieve in your final A-level exams.Universities use these predictions to decide whether to offer you a place.
A good predicted grade can:
Strengthen your university application
Open doors to higher-tier courses
Boost your confidence heading into exam season
But what happens if your school or current tutor can’t give you one?
📅 A-Level Results Day is Thursday 13 August. If your results didn't go to plan, join our free live webinar at 8pm that evening — your realistic options, explained in plain English, with live Q&A. Reserve your free seat →
Why Students Come to Educo London for Predicted Grades
Every year, we support students who:
1. Have decided late to apply for UCAS
Maybe you weren’t planning to apply this cycle… until you changed your mind. No problem — we can help.
2. Have a tutor who cannot issue predicted grades
Not all tutors are qualified or willing to give official grades for UCAS. Educo London can — as long as you complete the required assessment process.
3. Are resitting — and their old school won't help
If you're retaking your A-Levels, your previous school usually won't issue predicted grades for exams they're not entering you for. That's the single most common situation we deal with — we assess you fresh, based on how you're performing now, so your application reflects your resit potential rather than last summer's results.
How Our Predicted Grades Process Works
The process is the same for every student — one clear standard, which is exactly why universities can rely on our predictions.
1. Enquire and confirm your details. Tell us your subjects, exam boards and application deadline. We confirm coverage and book your assessment dates, working backwards from your deadline.
2. Sit two invigilated mock exams per subject. Real past papers, sat online under timed exam conditions with a live invigilator supervising you 1:1. Sessions are recorded for our records. Two independent assessments give us genuine evidence, not a one-off snapshot.
3. Your papers are marked by experienced subject tutors using the official exam board mark schemes and that paper's real grade boundaries, with detailed feedback on your performance.
4. Your predicted grade is issued within 7 days of your final mock, with the marked papers as supporting evidence — so your prediction is defensible if a university ever asks how it was reached.
5. We write and submit your UCAS reference (Full Application Package). If your school is staying on as your referee, we instead supply your predicted grade and marked evidence for them to use, tell us at enquiry which applies.
Need teaching support too? We offer 1:1 tutoring separately — before your mocks or throughout your resit year. Just mention it when you enquire.
When Do I Need to Start?
Work backwards from your UCAS deadline. Both mocks need to be sat and marked, and your reference written, before you submit — so the real booking deadline is earlier than most students expect.
Applying by 15 October (medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, Oxford and Cambridge): your mocks need to be completed by mid-September, which means booking by early September at the latest. See our full October deadline plan →
Applying by 15 January (all other courses): mocks completed by early December, booking by early November. See the January deadline plan →
Autumn places are limited — every candidate gets 1:1 live invigilation and individually marked papers, so we cap numbers each cycle rather than compromise on that. If you're working to the October deadline, enquire now rather than waiting for results day.
Based outside the UK? Everything happens online, and we work with private candidates worldwide, including Cambridge International (CAIE). [Read our full guide for international CAIE candidates →]
What Subjects Do You Offer Predicted Grades In?
Educo London covers over 15 subjects, including:
Maths
English
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Psychology
Sociology
Economics
Geography
History
Business
And more
If it’s a common A-Level subject, we almost certainly cover it.
How Much Does It Cost?
£225 per subject — two invigilated mock exams, marking with detailed feedback, and your evidence-based predicted grade with written rationale.
Most single-subject students are applying through their school, which remains their referee. In that case we provide your assessed grade and supporting evidence for your school to use, no separate reference needed.
£770 — Full Application Package (three subjects) — everything above across three subjects, plus your personalised UCAS reference, submitted through UCAS by us as your registered centre. This is the route for students whose school won't act as referee at all.
Tutoring, if you want teaching support alongside, is priced separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: My school won't give me predicted grades. Can I still apply to UCAS? Yes. UCAS allows private candidates to apply using a registered centre as their referee. Educo London acts as your official centre — we issue your predicted grades and, where your school isn't acting as your referee, write and submit your reference too."
Q: Do universities accept predicted grades from Educo London? We submit through the same UCAS system schools use, as registered centre 21393, and universities assess the candidate rather than the centre. What we control is that every prediction is backed by two invigilated, independently marked assessments — so it stands up if anyone asks how it was reached.
Q: I'm resitting — can you predict grades for my resit year? Yes, this is our most common case. We assess your current performance through fresh mocks, so your prediction reflects your resit potential — not last summer's results.
Q: How many mock exams do I need? Two per subject, for every student. Two independent assessments are what make your predicted grade evidence-based and defensible.
Q: How and where do I sit them? Online, 1:1, supervised live by an invigilator under timed exam conditions, with the session recorded. You'll need a quiet room, a webcam and a stable connection.
Q: I already have my own tutor. Does their evidence count? We welcome your tutor's progress reports and marked work as supporting evidence, and we're happy to speak with them. Your predicted grades, though, always rest on our own invigilated assessments — that independence is what makes your reference credible to universities.
Q: I'm outside the UK — can I use this service? Yes. The entire process is online, and we support private candidates worldwide, including international A-Level specifications such as Cambridge International (CAIE). Tell us your syllabus codes when you enquire.
Q: How quickly does it all happen? Mocks are usually booked within days of enquiry, and your predicted grade is issued within 7 days of your final mock. See the timeline section above for deadline-specific booking dates.
Ready to Get Started?
Check availability and enquire now → — tell us your subjects, boards and deadline, and we'll confirm your dates and price the same day.
Not ready yet? Get the free Resit Roadmap → — your options after results day, in one 20-page guide.
This was a very informative and helpful post about predicted grades for UCAS, clearly explaining what they are, how students can obtain them, and how Educo London can support the process. I liked how the article broke down the importance of academic guidance and planning for university admissions in a simple and practical way. Content like this is valuable because strong educational planning plays a key role in future success, just like long term financial planning helps individuals build stability, make informed decisions, and achieve their goals with confidence over time.
I read the article about predicted grades for UCAS and it helped me see why getting a good forecast from your teachers early can make applying to UK universities less stressful and clearer for your goals. I remember at the end of last year feeling so behind with my own work that I even used Affordable help with last minute assignment while still squeezing in revision so I could sit mock tests and keep my predicted grades strong. That taught me that managing time and support together can make big tasks feel more doable.