Predicted grades come from your school, are entered by your referee or counsellor rather than by you, and can be produced by any CBSE, ISC or IB school in India if someone explains what is being asked. For UCAS, the referee types a predicted mark against each pending Grade 12 subject; for the Common App, the counsellor attaches predicted marks to the school report and follows up with the mid-year report. The work is not in the form. It is in getting a school that has never done this to produce an honest, evidence-based number in time.
The question is harder than it looks because the UK system assumes a school that has predicted grades every year since the 1990s, and most Indian schools have not. A student on The Student Room put it plainly: "Since i haven't opted for any paid services for help with my application, i'm running into a lot of problems regarding the education section of the ucas application" (thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7518226). Another asked which of the two CBSE scales to use, "objective marks (percentage), and positional grades (A1, A2, etc)", and whether the referee had to be a teacher who taught them (thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6482696). Both problems have the same fix: a brief the school can act on.
What a predicted grade is, and what it is not
A predicted grade is the school's honest estimate of the final result the student will achieve in each subject, and overall, in the examination they have not yet sat. For a CBSE or ISC student in Grade 12 that is the May 2027 board examination; for an IB student it is the May 2027 session; for a Cambridge International student it is the June 2027 A-level series.
It is not a promise, and this is the point Indian principals most often miss. A UK offer is conditional: the university says "we will admit you if you achieve 90 percent overall with 95 in Mathematics", and the place is confirmed only when the board result arrives. If the school predicts 95 and the student scores 89, the student loses the offer, not the school. Christ's College, Cambridge, tells international referees that "many teachers worldwide will not be used to predicting exam grades" and asks that predictions nonetheless be provided for both the overall average and each subject, and that referees be "honest and accurate" while still making the case for the student. That is the standard to hand your school.
What UCAS expects
UCAS applications for 2027 entry close at 18:00 UK time on 15 October 2026 for Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses, and on 13 January 2027 for everything else; the deadlines resource has both against the board calendar. The predictions have to be in by the deadline that applies to you, because the reference cannot be submitted without them.
The mechanics are these. The student lists Grade 12 as a pending qualification in the Education section, one entry per subject, with the examination date in the future and no grade. The student then either links the application to the school, if the school is a UCAS registered centre, or names an independent referee. UCAS emails that referee a link; the referee sees only the qualifications that need predictions and types one against each. Neither the student nor the parent enters or sees the numbers. The UCAS education section guide for CBSE and ISC students walks through the form itself.
What the referee types matters. Most UK universities publish CBSE and ISC requirements as percentages, and offers are worded as percentages, so the prediction should be a percentage for each subject and an overall figure. The helper on the Student Room thread above was right that "Most Uni's will use the % grades for class 12". Cambridge is the exception that asks for A1 grades in five relevant subjects, and Oxford's page describes the CBSE profile it wants in A1 terms too, so for those two the referee should add a sentence in the reference: "These predicted marks fall within the A1 band at this school, where A1 has typically corresponded to 92 percent and above in these subjects." A1 is a positional grade, awarded to roughly the top eighth of candidates in a subject nationally, so the mark it corresponds to shifts by subject and by year; the school's own recent distribution is the honest basis.
For IB students the prediction is on the 7-point scale per subject plus a total out of 45, and the school will have a process already. For Cambridge International students it is a letter grade per A-level, typically anchored on the AS result.
What the Common App expects
The Common App has no predicted-grade box for a CBSE or ISC student. What it has is the school report, submitted by the person the form calls the counsellor, and that report is where predictions live. The counsellor attaches the transcript, which should show Grade 9, 10 and 11 in full and Grade 12 "courses in progress", plus a school profile, and can attach a letter of predicted Grade 12 marks with it. The form itself asks the counsellor to say which grades are the most recent on the transcript, from "final junior year grades" through the first-semester options, so a CBSE school submitting in October will usually tick final Grade 11 grades and attach the prediction as a separate page.
The mid-year report follows in January or February and carries the half-yearly or pre-board result. For a CBSE student that report is more useful to a US reader than an October prediction, because it is an actual mark on Grade 12 syllabus, and the Grade 12 board result itself arrives in May after decisions are out. The letters of recommendation guide sets out who at an Indian school should hold the counsellor role and what goes in the school report.
IB schools attach predicted grades as standard and US readers trust them. One warning: Dartmouth lets students outside the US meet its testing requirement with a national examination such as CBSE, but only with final results, so for a Grade 12 applicant that means the Class 10 board, not a Class 12 prediction. The test-optional guide for Indian students covers where that leaves the SAT.
What each destination does with a prediction
| Destination | Where the prediction goes | Who enters it | What is read alongside it |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK (UCAS) | Reference section, against each pending Grade 12 subject | Referee or registered-centre adviser | Grade 10 board result, Grade 11 marks described in the reference, admissions test where set |
| US (Common App) | Attached to the school report; updated by the mid-year report | Counsellor | Grade 9 to 11 transcript, school profile, rigour rating, test scores where submitted |
| Singapore (NUS, NTU) | Uploaded as a school-issued predicted result for applicants without final Grade 12 marks | Student uploads a school letter | Grade 10 result, Grade 11 marks; final Grade 12 result confirms the offer |
| Hong Kong (HKU, HKUST) | Uploaded with the application; the school may be asked to confirm | Student uploads; school may verify | Grade 11 marks, interview, conditional offer on final result |
| Canada | Rarely needed; Grade 11 finals and Grade 12 first-term marks are self-reported or sent by the school | Student or school | Final Grade 12 result for conditional offers |
| Australia | Typically not needed; most Indian applicants apply with final results for the February intake | Not applicable | Final Grade 12 result against the published cut-off |
Outside the UK a signed letter on school letterhead listing the predicted mark per subject and overall is typically enough; the UK page and the Singapore page note where a university asks for more.
The conservative-prediction problem
Two different things go wrong, and they need different responses.
CBSE and ISC schools anchor on Grade 11. A school that has never predicted will usually write down the Grade 11 final aggregate. At many Indian schools Grade 11 internal marks run 5 to 10 points below what the same students score in the Grade 12 board, because the school marks harshly and the board examination is more predictable. A student who scored 86 in Grade 11 and is on track for 93 in the board gets predicted 86, and a course asking for 90 rejects the file before anyone reads the statement. The answer is not to argue for a higher number but to give the school its own data: the last three years of Grade 11 aggregate against Grade 12 board result for the top quarter of the class. The uplift is usually visible, and a prediction that applies it is honest.
IB schools predict low by policy. Many IB schools in India cap predictions at the Grade 11 end-of-year result plus one point, or will not predict a 7 unless the student has already scored one. That protects the school's credibility with universities, and it means a student who was a 5 in June cannot be predicted a 7 in October. The Quora poster who wrote "my predicted grade is very low, any tips on improving it?" a month before Grade 12 (quora.com, "I will start my grade 12 of IB next month and my predicted grade is very low") has one realistic lever: the school's revision point. Most schools revise once after the Grade 12 mocks in December or January, before the 13 January deadline. Find out the policy in writing before the first set is issued, treat the Grade 11 end-of-year examination as the examination that sets the prediction, and make the mock the evidence for the revision.
An under-prediction costs the offer; an over-prediction the student then misses costs the place in May or July, and schools that over-predict are noticed. The goal is a prediction the school can defend with marks, plus a reference that explains the school's grading.
AP predictions for Cambridge from a CBSE school
Cambridge accepts CBSE and ISC Class XII on their own for a limited set of courses, mostly humanities and social sciences at certain colleges, with A1 in five relevant subjects. For engineering, natural sciences, computer science, economics and most of the rest it asks for further qualifications: A-levels, the IB, or "5 or more Advanced Placement (AP) Tests at Score 5" alongside the A1 grades. A CBSE student who sits APs in May of Grade 12 has no scores at the 15 October deadline and needs predicted AP scores, which no CBSE teacher has been trained to give. One such student wrote on The Student Room that "CBSE schools do not have AP teachers" and that "My school is being super non-supportive about the whole thing" (thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7073056). A Peterhouse admissions officer replied: "If your school teachers in the relevant subjects are willing to give you AP predictions, that should be absolutely fine." So the brief to the school covers three things: which AP subjects the student is registered for, which school teacher covers the equivalent CBSE syllabus and can vouch for the student's level, and a one-line predicted score per AP from that teacher, with the basis stated. The Oxford and Cambridge guide has the full course-by-course requirement and the AP exams article covers registration and centres in India.
The one-page brief to give the school
I have watched the same conversation fail in June and succeed in July because the second time the parent brought a page instead of a request. Give the principal or coordinator one sheet, in this order.
- What is being asked. A predicted mark for each Grade 12 subject and an overall percentage, being the school's honest estimate of the May 2027 board result. Name the destination (UCAS, Common App, NUS) and the deadline (15 October 2026 or 13 January 2027 for UCAS; 1 November 2026 for US early rounds).
- What it is not. Not a guarantee. UK offers are conditional on the actual result; the university checks the board marksheet in May. Quote Christ's College's line that referees should be "honest and accurate".
- The evidence base. Grade 11 final examination marks, Grade 12 unit tests to date, and the school's own record of Grade 11 aggregate against Grade 12 board result for comparable students. Attach the marks.
- The format. Percentages per subject and overall for CBSE and ISC; grades per subject and a total for IB; grades per A-level for Cambridge International. For Cambridge and Oxford, one sentence placing the predicted marks in the school's A1 band. For Cambridge with APs, a predicted score per AP from the relevant subject teacher.
- Where it goes. UCAS: the nominated referee receives an email from UCAS with a link and enters the predictions there; if the school is a registered centre, the adviser enters them in the portal. Common App: attached to the school report as a signed letter on letterhead, followed by the mid-year report in January. Other destinations: a signed letter on letterhead the student uploads.
- Who signs. The referee for UCAS, who should be a teacher who has taught the student or a coordinator who collates from subject teachers; the counsellor for the Common App, who can be the principal, vice-principal or coordinator. The same person should be reachable by email, because universities do verify.
- What the reference should say about the school. How many students score above 95, whether Grade 11 marks run below board marks, which subjects the school offers.
We give this brief to schools as part of the college admissions counselling work, and the timing of the conversation is set out in the method: July of Grade 12 for a 15 October deadline, September for January.
If you are in Grade 12 now
If your deadline is 15 October, the brief goes to the school this week, with the Grade 11 marks attached and the course requirements printed from the university pages. Confirm in the same meeting whether the school is a UCAS registered centre; if not, nominate a subject teacher as independent referee and give them the brief directly. If your deadline is 13 January, hand the brief over in September and ask for the predictions by the end of November, so that a December revision after the pre-boards is still possible. If you are applying to the US, ask the counsellor in the same meeting to attach a predicted-marks letter to the school report, and put the mid-year report date in January in the school's calendar now.
If you are in Grade 11, the prediction is being written this year by your Grade 11 final examination; treat it as the board, because for the UK it functions as one, and ask the school in writing before it what basis it will use for predictions.
Where this stops applying
This article is about schools that can produce a prediction and need to be shown how. It does not cover a school that refuses in writing, which leaves you applying as an individual with a teacher as referee, or a state board school whose marking a UK tutor cannot calibrate, where the reference's description of the school does more work than the number. Students who already hold the board result enter achieved grades and need no prediction. And the deadlines, the Cambridge AP wording and the Dartmouth policy above are the September 2026 position from the official pages; check the course page and the UCAS adviser guidance for the cycle you are applying in.