Gonville and Caius ESAT Scores for Cambridge Engineering

In the 2025 admissions cycle, applicants holding an Engineering (H100) offer from Gonville and Caius, Cambridge averaged 6.68 on ESAT Mathematics 1, 6.67 on Physics and 6.43 on Mathematics 2, which places the college 5th, 4th and 7th respectively among the 25 undergraduate colleges. Across everyone who applied to the college that cycle, the three module averages were 4.57, 4.65 and 4.54. Two features stand out. The spread between the college's highest and lowest offer module is only 0.25, so no single module looks softer than the rest, and all three module ranks sit in the upper part of the pool. These are averages and extremes for two groups of people in one cycle, not a threshold of any kind; Cambridge publishes no ESAT score requirement.
Gonville and Caius ESAT scores at a glance
Offer holders' module averages
6.68 on Mathematics 1, 6.67 on Physics, 6.43 on Mathematics 2, and 6.59 across the three modules
All applicants that cycle
4.57 on Mathematics 1, 4.65 on Physics, 4.54 on Mathematics 2, and 4.59 across the three modules
Rank within the undergraduate college pool
5th on Mathematics 1, 4th on Physics, 7th on Mathematics 2, out of 25 colleges in the pool
Spread across the three modules
0.25, with Mathematics 1 highest and Mathematics 2 lowest, so the three modules sit close together
Lowest module scores seen among offer holders
3.8 on Physics, 4.4 on Mathematics 2, 4.5 on Mathematics 1, all well below the corresponding averages
What the data covers
Engineering (H100), 2025 entry cycle, from University of Cambridge freedom of information response FOI-2025-956

These are averages and extremes for two groups of people in the 2025 cycle, not entry requirements; Cambridge publishes no ESAT score threshold of any kind. The FOI response gives no applicant counts per college, so sample sizes are unknown, and the smaller the college the more a handful of people can move an average. Treat the figures as a reference point rather than a stable benchmark. Pool ranks, pool medians, the overall three-module averages and the various gaps are calculated by FrontierVUE from the same response; Cambridge publishes no such rankings.

01

What Gonville and Caius ESAT scores look like

Putting the two groups side by side makes the picture clear. Applicants as a whole averaged 4.57, 4.65 and 4.54 across the three modules, while the group that received offers averaged 6.68, 6.67 and 6.43. The step from the applicant average up to the offer average is 2.11 on Mathematics 1, 2.02 on Physics and 1.89 on Mathematics 2, so the three modules move by similar amounts, with the largest step on Mathematics 1. The table below sets the averages next to the ranges; the ends of each range are the lowest and highest scores that actually occurred in that group.
Applicant averageApplicant rangeOffer averageOffer rangeApplicant to offer gap
Mathematics 14.571.1 to 96.684.5 to 92.11
Physics4.651.2 to 96.673.8 to 92.02
Mathematics 24.541.2 to 8.96.434.4 to 8.71.89

ESAT results are reported on a 1.0 to 9.0 scaled score with one decimal place. The averages and the lowest and highest scores are quoted digit for digit from University of Cambridge freedom of information response FOI-2025-956, covering this college's applicants and offer holders for Engineering (H100) in the 2025 cycle; the applicant to offer gap column is the two averages subtracted from each other, not a figure in the response.

Look at the bottom end of the offer ranges. Among the people who received a Gonville and Caius Engineering offer that cycle, someone scored 3.8 on Physics, someone 4.4 on Mathematics 2 and someone 4.5 on Mathematics 1, all far below the corresponding averages of 6.67, 6.43 and 6.68. One group of offer holders spread across a range this wide, so the published data shows no verifiable lower bound on any module. It is not a source of comfort either: the bottom of a range is one person, while the average is where the group sits.
02

The limits of what these numbers can tell you

Every figure on this page is descriptive. It records how scores fell for two groups of people in the 2025 cycle and promises nothing about cause and effect. Cambridge publishes no ESAT threshold, and no module carries a published minimum. Reading 6.68 as a score you must reach is the most common misuse of this data. The points below are the caveats that have to travel with it.
These are averages, not cut-offs
The accurate reading is that in the 2025 cycle, applicants who received an Engineering offer from this college averaged 6.68 on Mathematics 1. That is not a threshold, a minimum or a cut-off. Cambridge publishes no ESAT score threshold, and nothing in the published information sets out how a college weighs the parts of an application.
Sample sizes are unknown, so averages move easily
The FOI response does not give the number of applicants or offers per college. The smaller the college, the more a few individuals can shift an average, so movement between cycles is normal and these numbers are not a stable benchmark.
Ranks are computed within the undergraduate pool
Hughes Hall, St Edmund's, Wolfson and Lucy Cavendish admit only applicants aged 21 and over, so their applicant pool is not comparable with that of the undergraduate colleges and ranks are computed separately for each pool. Gonville and Caius sits in the undergraduate pool, so its 5th, 4th and 7th placings are within those 25 colleges and exclude the mature colleges.
Some applicants change college or course mid-cycle
The official response notes that some applicants change college or course during the cycle and that figures are grouped by year of application. A college's applicant group can therefore include people who ended up elsewhere, which is another reason not to over-read small differences between colleges.
The scale runs from 1.0 to 9.0
ESAT results are reported as scaled scores from 1.0 to 9.0 with one decimal place, and the same scale applies to all three modules. That is why 6.68 and 6.43 can be compared directly, and why the spread of 0.25 is a distance on one common ruler.
Put differently, this page can tell you what applicants and offer holders at this college scored last cycle. It cannot tell you what you need to score to receive an offer. There is no published answer to that question, and no table of scores should pretend to supply one.
03

Three things that define this college's profile

6.59

Offer average across the three modules

0.25

Spread between the highest and lowest module

4th

Physics rank among the 25 colleges in the pool

2.11

Mathematics 1 step from applicant to offer average

The first feature is balance. Mathematics 1 is the college's highest offer module at 6.68 and Mathematics 2 its lowest at 6.43, a spread of just 0.25. That has a direct consequence for preparation: no module can be written off, and none is worth an all-in bet. The second feature is that all three module ranks sit in the upper part of the pool, with Physics 4th, Mathematics 1 5th and Mathematics 2 7th. The third is the size of the step from applicant average to offer average, which reaches 2.11 on Mathematics 1. To place this college against the rest of Cambridge, read the cross-college comparison of ESAT scores.

Biggest margin over the pool median

Mathematics 1, 0.32 above the pool median of 6.36

Offer average 6.68, ranked 5th in the pool

Highest-ranked module

Physics, 4th in the pool and 0.2 above the pool median of 6.47

Its 6.67 sits just under the 6.68 of Mathematics 1 yet ranks higher, a reminder that rank and margin over the median are two different measurements

The relatively softer module

Mathematics 2, 7th in the pool and 0.21 above the pool median of 6.22

Still in the upper part of the pool; softer here only means softer than this college's other two modules

How wide the pool is

Across the 25 undergraduate colleges, Physics offer averages run from 5.63 to 7.34; this college sits at 6.67

In the same pool Mathematics 1 runs from 5.6 to 7.08 and Mathematics 2 from 5.7 to 6.99

The applicant side barely separates the modules

Applicant averages of 4.57, 4.65 and 4.54 sit far closer to each other than to the offer averages

Applicant scores run from 1.1 up to 9, so the college receives applications spanning almost the whole scale

04

Preparing for the ESAT with this profile in mind

01Start

Locate yourself before fixing anything

Sit one complete, fully timed ESAT paper and produce a score for all three modules. Then set your three numbers against the two averages on this page. You are looking for your position, not for a pass or fail.

02Main line

Push all three modules together

Offer averages here are 6.68, 6.67 and 6.43, a spread of only 0.25, so the three modules stand level. The idea of covering a weak module with a strong one finds no support in this data.

03Weighting

Treat Mathematics 1 as the module under most pressure

The step from applicant average to offer average is largest on Mathematics 1 at 2.11, ahead of 2.02 on Physics and 1.89 on Mathematics 2. The same revision hours spent there do more to separate you from the applicant field.

04Later

Train consistency rather than peaks

Offer holders reached 9 on both Mathematics 1 and Physics, but the group's centre of gravity is its average. What needs managing is variation between sittings: raise the frequency of timed papers and watch how much your three module scores swing, instead of chasing one high score.

05Loop

Retest and re-compare on a cycle

Every so often, repeat a complete timed paper with all three modules scored, and compare against this page again. Keep treating the figures as a set of coordinates, never as a target line.

Where preparation weight sits at Gonville and Caius

2025-cycle offer averages and rank within the undergraduate pool

Mathematics 1Offer average 6.68, ranked 5th
  • Applicant to offer step of 2.11, the largest of the three
  • 0.32 above the pool median
  • First call on extra revision time
PhysicsOffer average 6.67, ranked 4th
  • Applicant to offer step of 2.02
  • 0.2 above the pool median
  • The highest-ranked of the three modules
Mathematics 2Offer average 6.43, ranked 7th
  • Applicant to offer step of 1.89
  • 0.21 above the pool median
  • The softest of the three, which still does not mean droppable
What holds across all threeA module spread of 0.25
  • Advance the three modules together
  • Do not bet on a single module
  • The average is the centre; the bottom of a range is one person

Tap a branch to unfold

One last word on scope. The averages and score ranges here come from University of Cambridge freedom of information response FOI-2025-956 and describe how ESAT scores fell for Engineering (H100) in the 2025 cycle. The response publishes no applicant counts, so the number of people behind each average is unknown, and the averages will move between cycles. Use them to read the general score climate at this college, not as an entry line, and not as evidence that a lower-scoring college is easier to get into.
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What ESAT score do you need for Gonville and Caius?
There is no such number. Cambridge publishes no ESAT threshold, and nothing in the published information sets out how a college weighs the parts of an application. What can be said is that in the 2025 cycle, applicants who received an Engineering offer from this college averaged 6.68 on Mathematics 1, 6.67 on Physics and 6.43 on Mathematics 2, while all applicants that cycle averaged 4.57, 4.65 and 4.54. Someone in that same offer group scored 3.8 on Physics, which is itself evidence that no hard line exists.
Is the ESAT harder at Gonville and Caius?
The paper does not vary by college; every applicant sits the same ESAT, so difficulty is not a college property. The distribution does sit high: this college's three offer averages rank 5th, 4th and 7th among the 25 undergraduate colleges in the pool, all in the upper part. That reflects the scores of the people who apply and receive offers here, not a harder paper.
Which of the three modules is tightest here?
The spread across the three modules is only 0.25, so none stands out as the tight one, and that is itself the conclusion: you cannot save time by dropping one. If an order is needed, Mathematics 1 has both the highest offer average (6.68) and the largest step up from the applicant average (2.11), which makes it the first call on extra time. Mathematics 2 is the relatively softer one (6.43, ranked 7th) but still sits in the upper part of the pool.
Does applying to a lower-scoring college make Cambridge Engineering easier?
This data cannot answer that. It records how scores fell among applicants and offer holders at each college in one cycle, with no applicant counts, no success rates, unknown sample sizes and normal movement between years. Differences between colleges only show that the two groups scored differently at each college that cycle, and the data supports no inference beyond that. When choosing a college, course provision, accommodation, interview experience and personal fit matter far more, and treating a table of ESAT scores as the deciding factor gets the choice backwards.
Sources

Official sources

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