The findings raise fresh questions about the role of predicted grades in university admissions. Dr Konstantina Maragkou, from the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Education and the study’s lead author, said the debate around predicted grades should be revisited. By comparing boys and girls with the same A-Level outcomes, the researchers identified a substantial gender gap in predicted grades. However, they note that official guidance states that “predicted grades should be independent of student behaviour or background.” “Teachers are not supposed to base predicted grades on students’ character, but they are probably not doing so consciously,” she said.