I just got rejected from the OAA selection for easyJet MPL.
Apparently A*A*A* at A-Level isn't good enough...
I was at the Pilot Careers Live event, confirmed what I suspected already but it did add quite a bit of colour to things.
Firstly, all the airlines are absolutely massive about personality but in different ways. One wanted those who had really strived and paid for any experience they had out of their own pocket (except scholarships of course), one seemed to value life experience quite a bit (lots of career changers), one was all about being part of a great team. The last was actually rather coy about who they took but their focus was on recruiting self-funded modular.
So a good way forward I think is to head to one of these events or go to one of the flight schools and meet the cadets and find out what each airline is really looking for. I did get the impression that the grades in particular are about getting past the minimum standards, so long as you meet those standards it comes down to aptitude, life experience and how you "fit" the airline.