A Level results day 2018: what’s next for your students?

To ensure you’re ready to advise your students when they receive their results, two experienced secondary teachers provide a guide through the myriad options available to them, whatever their results
13th August 2018, 2:50pm

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A Level results day 2018: what’s next for your students?

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/level-results-day-2018-whats-next-your-students
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With A-level results day looming, students may be worrying about what to do should they have done worse  - or better - than expected in their exams.

The key point to remember is that, whatever their results, the students are still in charge of their own destiny. Universities are fighting to fill places and students are paying customers. Someone will want their business.

So here is some advice for those who have exceeded expectations and those who have not:

I did worse than expected at A level: what are my options?

  1. Check Ucas Track. This option is available from 8am when Ucas start updating records for all applicants but full track service will be available from 3pm on results day. Depending on students’ results, the results of others and the universities and courses they have chosen, students may well find that they have still secured a place. If they are only slightly under their predicted grades, they may still get their first choice.
  2. Look seriously at other courses. It is possible that a student’s chosen university will offer them an alternative option. They should not automatically assume that the course they chose a year ago is still the only one for them.
  3. Go through clearing and be prepared to spend lots of time on the phone. There are lots of great universities and lots of great courses (over 30,000 were available last year) still available to students. It’s important to think laterally: students may need to consider options they had previously ruled out. Go via Ucas, individual university web pages or Twitter #ucasclearing.
  4. Keep an open mind. Students can always take a year out, work, resit or reapply. A year seems like a long time when you are young, but remind students they have the rest of their life ahead to spend in work once they finish studying, so consider other options.

 

Students can choose to resit then work to build up funds, take a gap year to work or study abroad, use the year to build up work experience through internships, volunteering, apprenticeships, relevant training, setting up a small business - anything to build their life experience and CV to stand out from other students who went straight from school to university.

Clearing is an option for this year, but students shouldn’t go to university for the sake of it or jump on any random course. They may be better off retaking and going a year later. This means that they will suddenly have a gap year to organise, but the time they gain will enable them to look at their options more dispassionately.

I did better than expected at A level: what are my options?

  1. Ucas adjustment is an option for some students. Unlike clearing, there is no official list of courses or universities, so students need to hit the phones early and have their results and Ucas ID to hand. However, they also need to check course details carefully. They have to be sure that what has suddenly become available is really the course that suits them the best. Looking at what exactly they would be studying in their first year is probably the best starting place.
  2. Pulling out and reapplying will also be an option for those who have done better than expected. There is the need to make profitable use of an unexpected and unplanned gap year, but again the luxury of time can outweigh the inconvenience. With grades in the bag, students may well want to go back to the university planning board.
  3. Finally, students should always remember that because they have done better than expected it does not necessarily mean that they have to change courses or universities. If they have done their research properly first time round then they will know what and where is best for them. With the confidence boost of improved A-level results behind them, they can now look forward to their chosen course with renewed enthusiasm.

 

 Roy Peachey is head of higher education and careers at Woldingham School in Surrey, and Stephanie Keenan is curriculum leader for English and literacy at Ruislip High School in West London 

For all the latest news, views and analysis on A-level results day, please visit our specialist A-level results hub. 

 

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