Whether you’ve had a sneaking suspicion you’ve done badly, or it’s completely unexpected, failing to get the A level results you need can really knock the wind out of your sails.
But although it might feel like the end of the world at first, there are plenty of options open to you. The important thing to realise is that this setback can actually encourage you to focus on what you really want.
If you needed an A in English, but got a C, you may well have lost the place on the English Literature course you wanted, as well as your “insurance” option. But there may be other courses open to you with the grades you have.
UCAS - the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service – has a clearing system which helps students find places on courses with vacancies. Read more about it here.
But don’t just grab the first option you qualify for. Take time to think about the course, and also the location of the university. If you’d originally chosen a big city university near home originally, will you be happy in a rural location 300 miles away?
If you can, visit the university and its town before making up your mind. Read the prospectus carefully to find out full details about the course, as well as things like university accommodation which will be important in the long-run.
Before you go for the resit option, you need to ask yourself some honest questions. If you did badly, will you do any better second time round? If you just didn’t study enough, do you have the motivation to work harder next time?
If you retake your exams, you might not have to resit the whole thing - if you did well in some units and poorly in others, you could just take the “worst” ones again. This could give you the advantage of concentrating your time where you really need to put the effort in.
However, you do need to check that the university you want to go to will accept students who have retaken exams.
If you’ve done badly, retaking the same exams might not be the best option. Think about choosing an entirely different subject instead, and start with a clean slate. Many further education colleges offer fast track options, so you can take an A level in just one year.
Rather than retaking A levels, you can study for an Access to Higher Education (HE) Diploma, available at further education colleges across the country. This will help you get a place at university without the need for traditional exam passes. Read more about it here.
Another option is an integrated degree where the first year is a foundation year. Once you have passed that, you will qualify for the full degree course. Read our blog on these options here.
If you were expecting an A for Maths and got a D, something might have gone wrong with the marking. You can challenge your result and ask for it to be remarked. The downside of this is that you will usually lose your university place in the meantime. However, if your marks are upgraded, this can leave you in a strong position for next year.
A word of caution: your mark can be adjusted downwards as well as upwards. You’ll usually need to pay for a remark, though this should be refunded if your mark was incorrect.
If you want to challenge, talk to the college where you took your exam.
If your grades are pretty decent, but not quite good enough, you might decide to reapply for university the following year, taking a year off in the meantime. This means you’ll know your grades before you apply.
You can then spend the year travelling, or working, or a mixture of both. Once you get a job, you will be limited to just a few weeks’ holiday a year, so this could be the best chance of your life to see the world. Working will help build up your CV and help you get some cash in the bank before you go off to study.
The Guardian website has a whole section on gap year travel, so you can take some inspiration from there.
A Higher National Diploma (HND) is a mix between a vocational and professional qualification. It’s designed to help you get to university or get a job in a particular industry and usually takes two years (full time) or three years (part time).
HNDs are available in a range of subjects including computer science, and business and administrative studies. There’s some useful information here.
If your results are poor, you might need to think about whether university and academia are actually right for you. Would you rather start work straight away?
If you decide not to go to university, you might be able to get employment-based training or an apprenticeship. Or you might be able to find work with a local or national company and work your way up the career ladder.
There’s nothing to stop you taking exams later, if you decide you need a qualification. You could even apply for university later on, as a mature student.
