How can I help my child on A Level results day?
A Level/BTEC Results Day 2024 - Thursday August 15th
Before results day, you can ensure your child knows what the
arrangements will be for collecting their results and try to be around
to offer support if things don’t go according to plan. Careerpilot has more information about what to do on results day.
If results are collected from the school then it is best to get there early.
If your child has applied for university
If your son/daughter does not meet the entry requirements, then these are the potential options.
- Depending on the grades the university might accept them anyway.
- They might be offered a place with their insurance offer.
- Your child might be offered an alternative course by the university/college - a Changed Course Offer and, tempting as it may be to accept this, your child really needs to seriously consider if this new offer is for a course in which they are genuinely interested. The last thing they want to do is sign up for a course which isn’t really what they want to do.
- If there isn’t a place available at the university of their choice, your son/daughter will be free to search UCAS Clearing to see what courses have vacancies.
- They might want to look at HE courses at the local FE college - these can be done alongside work, are cheaper than university and lead to professional qualifications.
- They might want to think about other options– like an open university course, gap year, work or an apprenticeship - either instead of higher education, or before reapplying for next year
Careerpilot has a section with more information about university procedures after results day.
Appeals
You can ask your school or college to request a review from the exam board.
If you’re not satisfied with the outcome, you can appeal directly to the awarding organisation. They’ll send you a final report after they’ve reviewed the result.
If you think the awarding organisation did not deal with your appeal correctly, you can complain to Ofqual.
If you feel you should have had a better grade than you got then get in touch with your teacher, either on results day or as soon as possible after results day.
If your child is planning an apprenticeship or work
If your child already has an offer of employment or an apprenticeship, it's a good idea to confirm this place once they have received their results. Obviously, this is especially important if the job or apprenticeship was made dependent on achieving particular grades. Whether your child gets the grades needed or not, it always makes sense to keep the potential employer fully informed of developments.
If your child doesn't have a preferred option in place, they might benefit from investigating these relevant sections in Careerpilot...
Or they can contact the National Careers Service Helpline
Further information and alternatives to university
- UCAS results day, what you need to know
- allaboutschoolleavers
- notgoingtouni
