A Level Results

Within this section we have provided some information that will help you if you are just picking up your A Level results. These will be available from August in the summer holidays. At this point you can find the following pieces of information to help you.

On the day you receive your results there will normally be members of staff there to help you, whether celebrating your achievements or providing you with advice and guidance on what options you now have. You are not alone. However, the links above will give you a great idea about what your next move should be.

There are also a number of great websites below that are worth having a look at, also take a look at the Higher Education section of our website as that will also give you a great idea about the options that are open to you once you have received your results.

That National Careers Service also have a Careers Advisor online or you can telephone them on 0800 100 900, and they will be there to speak to you between 8am right up to 10pm at night.

Failed, What Now?

It can be devastating to find out that your results were not good enough to get into your chosen university or college, especially as you have likely been looking forward to it for months, getting ready to move, sorting out your money. However not meeting the requirements and being rejected is not the end of the world, don’t worry or panic as there are other options open to you. This is just one step towards going into your chosen career. Keep your mind open, and make sure you look at all the options that are available to you.

When you go into school there will be teaching staff available to guide you though your next step, there will be lots of information available relating to different courses, and alternative options that will help you make the best decision for you. If your school has requested our presence, a representative from Everyday Training may also be there to help you.

My Grades aren’t good enough, What can I do?

Today the majority of A Level students will see Higher Education as their next step on their career ladder, however acceptance onto a university course or college place will rely on the results achieved.

You may have an offer from your university based on you obtaining certain grades in your exams, if they are lower than they based your offer on you may be rejected, however it is not impossible to be accepted. Phone them and find out direct from themselves before you decide anything else. If they have rejected you then check with your insurance offer, they may not do the same.

My University place is lost, what can I do now?

If you have lost your firm offer and your insurance place there is still no need to panic. If you have applied for your places via UCAS, if you have no confirmed offers on your account then UCAS will automatically enter you into clearing.

Clearing matches students that are looking for university/college courses to the vacancies that are available. When going through clearing you need to be a little more flexible possibly over the course you are applying for, the location or the university/college reputation. As long as you are flexible it is highly likely you will be able to find an alternative provision.

UCAS will use Track to give you a Clearing Number, if you are eligible, and from this point there will be the option to add clearing choices. You will need to log onto Track to check your status, they will not let you know you have been put in clearing.

You will find more information on the UCAS website

Where do I find vacancies for courses?

These will normally be listed on the UCAS site, you will also find them in the Telegraph Newspaper.

If you are interested in a vacancy you need to all the Exam Results Helpline that is run by UCAS on 0808 100 8000 and will be available from the 15th August.

  • Thursday 15 August from 8am to 8pm
  • Friday 16th August from 9am to 6pm
  • Saturday 17th August from 10am to 4pm
  • Sunday 18th August from 10am to 4pm
  • Monday 19th—Wednesday 21st August from 9am to 5.30pm
  • Thursday 22nd August from 8am to 6pm
  • Friday 23rd August from 9am to 5.30pm
  • Saturday 24th August from 9am to 12.30pm

There is also a general telephone number for UCAS that can be called at anytime throughout the year, and help students with a range of questions, 0371 468 0 468.

UCAS is also on Twitter @ucasclearing and you can find the latest information from UCAS and other students, from the 13th August.

If you are looking at alternative courses you need to stay realistic, remember the grades you needed to get the choice you wanted were not met and so you may need to have a serious think about locations, institutions and the subjects you are interested in studying. Stay flexible, especially if the course you are hoping to go on is in a popular subject. Look to see if there are any related subjects, or if it is possible for you to combine the subject courses that you find interesting.

What is clearing all about?

If you find yourself in the position of going through clearing, don’t worry you are not the only student in this situation, every year approximately 30,000 students find their Higher Education place by going through Clearing.

If you are interested in a vacancy it is best to sort it sooner rather than later, a lot of the vacancies will be filled almost as soon as they are advertised as available, so act as soon as you get your results and not later or you may be disappointed again.

When you find a course you are interested in via clearing you need to ensure you meet the requirements for the course, contact the admissions tutors at the institution—don’t leave it to mum or the teacher to do.

The admissions tutor may tell you over the phone whether they want to offer you a place at their institution, others may ask you to attend an interview. When you call make sure you are ready to answer questions about yourself and the reason you are interested in the course you are applying for. You may be given very little notice for when they want to see you, again you need to be flexible, if you say your are not available then you will likely end up rejected as they will fill the place with someone that is ready.

Clearing is a process that happens very quickly, it is not like the drawn out process you followed when applying for your original choices. Generally by early September you will have sorted out your place and everything that goes with it, therefore be prepared, just in case. You can find all you need to know about the clearing process on the UCAS website.

Remember talking to someone who knows the system is a great way to help you make decisions, there will be numerous individuals around and helplines to call that can offer you impartial advice and guidance of what to do next.

Can I retake my A Levels?

The decision to retake your A Levels should not be taken lightly. Ask yourself whether there were any special circumstances that prevented you doing your best first time round? i.e. illness, family problems or change of school.

If there is nothing specific that led to you underachieving this year the next big question is why will it be different if you retake? Most students that retake a course only improve by one grade more, and if you are retaking the year institutions will likely ask for higher grades from you before accepting you.

Make sure you talk to your teachers about your results and why you maybe didn’t do as well as you could have done, and ask them if it is worth re-taking.

Think about what other options are out there rather than re-taking? Some institutions won’t even accept you based on retakes. Maybe clearing is a good option, maybe an apprenticeship would be a good way to get into your chosen career. Weigh up all the options and make an informed decision.

Wow I didn’t expect to do so well?

Well firstly, Congratulations that is a great achievement.

If you did get better results than was expected you will be eligible for a process known as Adjustment—this means that you have met and even exceeded the conditions of any conditional offers that your firm choice asked for. It gives you the opportunity to find an alternative place while you still have a firm offer from your chosen institution. You may be happy to stay with your current offer, however you may feel that you now have the option to get onto a course you thought was beyond your reach, or an institution that previously seemed to have expectations that were too high. If you do decide that you want to go through the Adjustment process there will be conditions that need to be met, along with timescales. To get more information on this go to the UCAS website

That is a mistake!

Your grades may be a complete surprise to you, you may feel that you did much better than you achieved—well you may be correct. It could be worth going back and talking to your teachers, mistakes in marking are rare but do happen, if your teachers, school or college feel that you may be right they can request for the papers to be remarked. Sometimes this will result in a better grade, although normally not more than 1 grade increase.