After weeks of unwinding and putting exams far behind you, the big day is now dawning and it’s time to cast your eyes to the future. Results day will fly by in a blur, so being prepared for all eventualities is essential. We have put together the ultimate step-by-step guide to help with navigating every possible scenario so you can deal with the day without the stress and hassle.

Preparing for Results Day‍

At 8am BST on Thursday 15^th August, schools across the country will begin accessing their students’ all-important A Level Results. Before the day, it is a good idea to check in with your school: how you are expecting to receive your results – are you collecting them in person, or will they email them to you? Has your school got your current email address? You don’t want to be scouring for emails in your junk box or scrambling to find the phone number of your school advisor on the day, so makes sure you have all of this written down in advance and ready to hand on the day.

Fingers crossed all will go well, but if things don’t quite go according to plan, then you will need to be near good internet and a phone so that you can quickly move on to Plan B. Make sure all of your devices are charged and accessible, especially if you are going to be on holiday. If you are using an international phone, make sure you have the correct phone numbers for Clearing and for your school, to use whilst you aren’t in the UK. If your UCAS application was submitted by your school, your results should be automatically sent through to UCAS. Universities may want to contact you, so make sure that all your contact details such as email and mobile numbers are up to date in your HUB and keep your email alerts on at all times!

However well you think you may have done, there is no harm in having a look at what is available in Clearing, just so you are familiar with what is out there and whether there are other courses that might be a good fit for you.

It can be very stressful waiting for the results to be released so, in the next few days, try and keep busy and not allow your mind to become too anxious.  Plan some fun things to do in the next couple of days with people who won’t want to fixate on results day looming.

The Results are in. Let’s run through some scenarios, so that you are going into this with all of the options.

Plan A – You’ve met your predicted grades‍

If all has gone well and your results are what you were expecting, then you should have secured your firm choice university place and you can relax and celebrate your success!

Exceeded your predictions? This means you are eligible to enter Adjustment and apply to courses with higher entry criteria than you were predicted.  Check out the Adjustment site on UCAS to see what is available.

Plan B - Just missed the grades

Call the university

If you have just missed your grades then you should call the university directly and ask if they will still consider you.  This call must be made by the student and you need to be ready to plead your case; make a list of the reasons you want to goto this particular university and the reasons they should take you. Many universities would rather take a student they have already vetted who has narrowly missed their grades rather than start again, so it is definitely worth a shot.

Re-marks

Check if it is worth having the exams remarked – there has already been a lot of publicity about the inconsistency of marking in the humanities subjects. Take advice from your school on this one.  If you are having re-marks, you must let the university know and they should delay confirming or rejecting you until the re-marks come through.

Plan C - InsuranceOffer

If your grades were not sufficient for your Firm Choice offer and, even after calling them, they will not consider you, then you should automatically default to your insurance offer. If this is the case, it will be reflected in TRACK.   If you are happy to take up the place, then confirm with the university quickly as you will need to move fast on the accommodation front.  

Plan D – Clearing‍

If your results are below your expectations, do not despair. There are still lots of great opportunities out there, especially through Clearing.  If you have already prepared for results day, as outlined above, you will have drawn up a list of possible alternatives that you feel would be a good fit for you.  

Now you need to act quickly and call them to find out whether they still have availability and what grades they are accepting.  On results day last year, UCAS noted 240 logins per second, in the first 24 hours 280,000 applicants had accessed the site and one in 10 students got a place through Clearing.

With Clearing, if you are determined to go to your first-choice university, be prepared to consider other courses that might be similar to the one you applied for - maybe a joint honours with your original subject or one that is closely aligned such as politics rather than PPE or bio chemistry rather than medicine.  However, if the course is the key driver, then check out similar courses at other universities, being sure to look at the course content. Law, for example, varies widely from university to university, so make sure the degree is offering what you are looking for.  

Most importantly, do not rush into accepting an offer. There will be pressure to make a quick decision, but it is important to do your research and make the right choice. Bear in mind that, even if you have accepted an offer through Clearing, there is a cooling off period where you can change your mind.

Plan E – Retakes‍

If your grades mean that you are going to have to severely compromise your choice of university then it is definitely worth considering retaking some of the exams. There are chances todo this in November and next summer. Reapplying with a better set of grades can significantly improve your chances of getting into a good university and will be better than settling for second best.

Check which universities accept retakes, as some may not unless there are extenuating circumstances. This option also allows you to plana productive gap year to strengthen your new application. Click here to read our article on how to make the most of a gap year.

We wish you the best of luck in the coming weeks.  We are here to support you, should you need any further guidance.  

Join our upcoming webinar
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Please do join us for our webinar on September 25^th 2024 where we will be discussing how to build a competitive profile for university applications.

Click here to express your interest in attending.