Results day can be a stressful time for parents and students alike, with university and school places at stake. It can also be a day of celebration (cue a generic photo of smiling students jumping in the air). Below, we’ve compiled all the information you will need for both GCSE and A level results day, regardless of the outcome. And if you still have questions? You can read our other blogs about results day here and here.
Collecting Results
Spend some time considering a Plan B to ensure you have all bases covered.
For GCSE students:
You will have to go into school to collect results. They’ll be on an exam slip, and a breakdown of your marks will be presented alongside your grade. AQA have also provided a useful explanation of what UMS marks mean and other information you may need to interpret your results, which can be read here.
If they’re what you were hoping for, then congratulations! If you have exceeded expectations in certain subjects, or under performed in a subject you were hoping to continue studying at a higher level, now is the time to discuss with your teacher whether or not you should change your A level options.
If you are disappointed with your grades, it may be worth requesting a remark. If any of your scores seem uncharacteristically low, there is a chance that human error is involved – I know of a friend whose grade shot up from a C to an A*, all because the examiner had failed to include half the marks for his paper on the final count.
For more information on GCSE results, why not check out this guide from Studential?
For A level students:
The first priority of many students will be to check whether their university offer has been confirmed. To do this, sign in on the UCAS website. If it has, your offer will read ‘Unconditional’. ‘Unsuccessful’ does unfortunately mean that your offer has not been met. You might also see ‘Unconditional Changed Course’ (or ‘UCC’). This means that you have missed your offer, but the university is prepared to give you a place on a different course (or on the same course, but with deferred entry).
Track normally updates by 8am, but if it hasn’t, don’t panic. It might take longer in some situations – for example, if you only just miss your offer, the university might still be considering offering you a place. Sometimes there may also be an administrative delay. If you’re also waiting for GCSE results that your offer depends on, then UCAS Track won’t update until GCSE results day. Remember that GCSE results aren’t sent to universities automatically by UCAS: you’ll need to do it yourself.
Be aware that universities only receive module and overall grades, not UMS marks. If you are only a few marks away from fulfilling your offer, it may be worth letting the university know and seeing if they will reconsider.
In terms of finding out your actual results, certain exam boards will release their results online first thing in the morning – check if this applies to you and have your log in details handy. Most students, however, will opt to go to school to collect their results in an envelope.
What to do if you can’t get to results day
Be sure to contact your school or college – different schools will have different procedures. They might let a parent pick up your results in proxy or let you get them over the phone. Many schools will also have a portal to access results online. Make sure you have the information you need to access this, such as your candidate number. If results day arrives and you haven’t prepared, it’s worth contacting your school to find out what your options are. Here you can find out more information here about what to do if you can’t make it into school on the day.
UCAS procedure
Clearing
This is the chance to look for a university place if you don’t already have one. This could be because you did not apply before the UCAS deadline, or because you have missed your grades. If you know you are due to be out of the country on results day, work out a way to call universities i.e. Skype/international minutes. You can find more information about clearing here.
Adjustment
If you exceed your expectations in your exams, it may be time to take a look at Adjustment. This is available between 18 and 31 August. However, there is a time restriction applied; you have five days from the day the university confirms their place or from 18 August, whichever is later. UCAS has provided a guide to adjustment which can be found here.
Remarks and borderline candidates
If your school is submitting some of your exams for a priority re-mark, it is essential to get in touch with your universities to let them know. The hotline phone number may be listed on the university website, or might have been sent to you in advance. If you haven’t got a hotline number, phone the university’s usual number and make clear you are an existing offer holder, rather than a Clearing applicant.
Sometimes universities can take a long time to make a final decision – sometimes you won’t hear for a good week after results day. If it reaches this point and you are still waiting, then phone and ask when they expect to decide. Keep calm and remain polite – the person answering the phone may have no control over this process.
That said, the universities are not supposed to keep people in limbo for too long, so if you think they are being unreasonable and causing you to miss out on places elsewhere via Clearing then contact UCAS for advice.
Further information on results day can be found in this resource from The Student Room.
Deferring a university place
Despite holding a university offer, you may have decided you want to take a gap year before going into higher education. In this case, you might choose to defer your offer. Once your university place has been confirmed, you can contact the university directly and ask to be deferred. Have some legitimate reasons prepared and this should be allowed. Although it’s best to do this as soon as possible, a deferred offer can theoretically be given right up until the course start date. If the university won’t agree to this, then you can withdraw from UCAS and reapply next year.
Retakes
If you are disappointed with your grades but believe you have the potential to improve, especially if you are on a grade border, then you should consider retakes to boost your grades. If your marks end up going down, there’s nothing to worry about – you can choose to stick with your original mark.
Due to A level reforms, students are no longer able to retake A-Level papers in January, so you will have to wait a full year. Additionally, Ofqual, England’s exam watchdog, has announced a cap on retakes, so now only one resit per paper will be permitted. You should also be aware that some universities have placed bans on resits for some of their courses, or impose higher grades as part of the entry requirements for students taking exams a second time. Be sure to check with the institution you are hoping to attend.
This website lists colleges where you can retake A levels, although many are expensive. Further information on retakes can be found here. Alternatively, you may wish to study independently, supported along the way by our wonderful tutors.