Students waiting for A-level results urged to plan ahead and explore all options
School and college leavers will find out whether they have secured their preferred university place when they receive their exam grades next month.
Students waiting for exam results should explore all options and plan ahead to put themselves in the “strongest position”, Ucas and Ofqual bosses have said.
Ahead of A-level results day next month, students have been told there will be “plenty of choices” in clearing – which matches applicants to university places yet to be filled – if they miss out on their expected grades.
The “normal” arrangements for grading will continue for GCSEs and A-levels in England this year, Ofqual chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham and Ucas chief executive Jo Saxton said.
A letter from the heads of the exams regulator and university admissions service said: “This means that a student who would have achieved a certain grade last year should be just as likely to achieve that grade this summer.”
A-level and GCSE results were brought back to pre-pandemic levels in England last year.
It came after Covid-19 led to an increase in top grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams.
The letter from Sir Ian and Dr Saxton said students can put themselves in the “strongest position” by exploring all the options available to them and “planning ahead of results day”.
It added that students will receive an email from Ucas on A-level results day specifically “tailored” to them which will set out possible next steps and options they may want to consider.
Clearing is available to students who do not meet the conditions of their offer on results day, as well as those who did not receive any offers.
Students who have changed their mind about what or where they wish to study, and also those who have applied outside the normal application window, can also use clearing.
Last summer, former Ucas boss Clare Marchant said the competition for university places was expected to increase every year due to a rising number of 18-year-olds in the population.
The letter from Sir Ian and Dr Saxton said: “If you want to keep your options open or do not get the grades you were expecting, there are still plenty of choices in clearing.
“Last year, around one in five of accepted applicants achieved or exceeded their predicted grades. Yet over 80% of UK 18-year-olds applying to Ucas secured a place at university or college.”
It added: “Clearing offers choice and flexibility to all students, regardless of whether you receive predicted, better or lower grades.
“A record 39,620 UK 18-year-olds secured a place using clearing in 2023. This year, there will be tens of thousands of choices on offer.”
