A-level Results Day 2023

Some students will be full of excitement and others may be feeling a little bit nervous, as they find out what is next in store for them. A-level results day can either set in stone plans that individuals have been thinking about since they sent off their UCAS application, or alter those plans slightly. Although it is an important day, regardless of what you receive, or what your plans are, there are many options available to all students.

First and foremost, students should feel proud of what they have achieved and spent two years working towards when they pick up their A-level results in August.

When is A-level results day in 2023?

So, when are A-level results out? A-level results day is on Thursday 17 August 2023. This gives the respective marking companies the time to get everyone’s exams marked and ready for everyone to see.

In Scotland, SQA results day will be on Tuesday 8 August 2023.

What to do on A-level results day

So what do you actually do and what do you actually need with you? Well, there are actually one or two things that you need to bring with you to A-level Results Day.

On A-level Results Day, you will need to have:

• AS results
• Mobile phone
• Download the Clearing app from the iOS or Google Play store
• Calculator – if your phone doesn’t have one (to work out your UCAS Tariff Points)
• UCAS letter – with your UCAS number and conditional offer grades
• Copy of your reference, and their contact details

You may need to enter Clearing, or need to call up your university, so having all the details is handy and this list will stand you in good stead for A-level results day. However, if you want to do all of that at home, you can. Just bring a notepad and a pen to write down helpful advice and information from your teachers and career advisers.

Will my A-level results appear on UCAS Track?

UCAS Track is for you to track your progress for applying to university, it isn't a chance for you to get your actual results, that will be done by your school on A-level Results Day, you won't be able to see your A-level results online.

How to prepare yourself for A-level results day

It can be really tough to think about, but you should think about results the day before it arrives.

You don’t want to wake up on A-level results day, and not understand where you are going or what any of your results and offers mean (learn more – understanding university offers). You will only be putting yourself in a more difficult position.

Sit and read what each offer means from universities, what Clearing is and what results you need to go to the university, apprenticeships or job that you want to after you get your results.

What to do before A-level results day?

You need to make sure that you have a Plan B ready. Not everything will go the way you want it to, so you need to make sure you are ready for whatever the day throws at you! This can be anything from having to go through Clearing, down to not getting your results in a timely manner, make sure you're ready!

The Clearing processes isn't always easy to understand, so make sure you think about it and learn about what you need to do, maybe speak to people who have done this before as well, people who had to wait for their A-level results day, might be able to help you as well.

A-level Results Day usually works the same way every year, which is that the results are usually available from 06:00am onwards.

You will go to your school or college and pick up your results from there. After this, you will be able to start making plans for what happens next. You can see if you need to go through Clearing.

A-level Results Day is not run at the same time as SQA Results Day. Most importantly of all, just relax! Your A-level results are important, but so is staying stress free.

My A-level grades are lower than expected

All is not over in regards to your university, life and career. Although it may feel terrible to get grades lower than you thought, there are still so many options for you. Firstly, don’t panic or cry – if you really want to you can do that later! – You have work to do! Students who receive lower grades than predicted can enter UCAS Clearing and find themselves a university and a degree course.

Next, if you don’t want to go to your firm choice or your offer has been withdrawn from the university, students can enter Clearing. Students are able to find out which degree courses and universities have spaces available, call them up to speak to someone, and that university can offer you a space on the phone.

However, students should be careful during Clearing, as whatever course they place on their UCAS Track is the one they HAVE to accept – there isn’t much to give at this point. But students don’t have to accept the first offer they receive. Once you receive an offer, spend the time to think about it, Google where it is, if it is close enough, try to visit for a few hours!

Am I able to re-sit my A-level exam?

If a student wants to retake exams during a gap year, it is essential to research this first, as it will take preparation and planning. It would be useful to use gap year agencies to help manage the gap year.

Studying for your A-level again will be just as hard – or even harder – the following year. If you do decide to work, then studying for your A-level will be tough to do alongside a full-time job. Also, it will be extremely unlikely to study for the A-level during your degree, as your degree is more important and overrides the A-level anyway.

Students should consider re-sitting their A-levels if Clearing doesn’t work out for them, and they decide to take a gap year. However, there are lots of options and scenarios to think about, and individuals can speak to their teachers, family and personal tutors about the possibility of re-sitting their subject.

Am I able to spend an extra year at Sixth form or Further Education College?

Students can decide to spend three years at their further education college or sixth form, but this decision should be made months before the end of the second year. This decision also requires a lot of thought and planning.

Not all sixth form or colleges offer students the chance to stay on an extra year, and this could be down to the courses available and the number of new students they receive each year. Students may wish to stay on for an extra year because they started new AS-levels during the second year, and wish to continue them on to receive full A-levels. It could be that their career path has changed dramatically, and they need different qualifications, which they can either study for the AS and A2 at the same time or because they need to re-sit an exam.

There are many reasons to study a third year at college, but not many students do it.