A-level results: your options

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What your results mean in practical terms

For most people, A-level results matter because of what they unlock next: a university place, an apprenticeship, a gap year, or work. In practice that comes down to one comparison: did your results meet the conditions of the offer you hold (or the entry requirements of the thing you want)? Universities and employers set those conditions themselves, so the answer sits with them, and it is worth hearing it from them directly.

If you are not sure whether you met the conditions, check your UCAS account and contact the university. If you did not, or you did better than expected, there are still routes, and none of them need to be decided in a panic.

Your options, in plain terms

You met your offer

Follow the instructions from your university about accommodation, finance and enrolment. It is worth reading the official student finance overview early, so that the deadlines are not a surprise.

You missed it, or you want to look again

UCAS explains Clearing, and how to apply through it, on its Clearing page. We have linked it below rather than repeat dates here, since they change each year. Whatever you do, speak to the universities directly.

You did better than expected

Take a day before acting. A bigger decision made calmly is usually better than a quick one, and your university or your sixth form adviser can tell you what is possible.

Something looks wrong

If a result seems out of line with how the exam went, there is an official route. According to the joint body for exam boards in the UK, if you took your exams through a school or college, requests for a review are made by that school or college, not by students or parents, and your written consent is needed for clerical re-checks and reviews of marking. Reviewers do not re-mark the script; they look for errors in the original marking. There is a faster priority service for externally assessed A-level components. Fees are set by each exam board and there are deadlines, so tell your school's exams officer as early as you can.

You are unsure what you want

That is allowed. Write down what you liked and disliked about the last two years, and what you would like a normal week to look like. It will not give you an answer, but it will give you better questions for an adviser.

Not going to university right now

Apprenticeships, work with training, and a planned gap year are all genuine routes. GOV.UK and the National Careers Service both have starting points, linked below.

Who to ask

• Your school's exams officer, for queries about a result.
• Your sixth form's UCAS or careers adviser, for next steps.
• Admissions office at each university you hold an offer from.
• UCAS, through your account and its official guidance.
• A parent or carer, and a tutor if you have one, to think aloud with.

A simple timeline

• Before results day: note your offers and their conditions, find the admissions phone numbers, and decide who you will ring first.
• Results day: check your UCAS account, compare with your offers, and speak to the university if anything is unclear.
• In the days after: if you want a result queried, tell your exams officer promptly. If you are using Clearing, follow the UCAS guidance and speak to universities directly.
• Before term starts: confirm accommodation, finance and enrolment, or your apprenticeship or gap-year plans.

Your decision worksheet

Fill this in by hand. Pencil is fine.

1. What my offer asked for and what I got

2. My options

3. Who I will contact

4. My decision

• My next step is: ______________________________________
• I will do this by: ______________________________________
• First call or email I will make: ______________________________________
• Person I will tell: ______________________________________

One day of results does not decide everything that follows. If you are feeling overwhelmed, speak to someone you trust.

Other editions of this pack: the GCSE edition and the university edition.