A-levels 2019: What to do if you don’t get the grades you need
IF YOU’RE unhappy with the results you’ve received, don’t panic – there are always options. Talk to your teacher, tutor or member of the pastoral team. Remember, they help students in your position every year and will be able to best advise you.
Call the university you were hoping to head to.
Even if you didn’t get the grades you needed for your conditional offer, you could still have a place, especially if you were only a couple of grades short. The university might also offer you an alternative course or foundation year, so it’s worth a try.
If you haven’t got the grades you need for the university course you applied for give Clearing a call. Clearing is a Ucas service that enables universities to advertise places they still have available.
Clearing opens on results day and every year thousands of students find ideal places at great universities through it. You can search to see if your desired course is available elsewhere, or browse through other courses that might interest you, which have lower grade criteria than your first choice uni.
Start by looking at universities you originally selected through Ucas as you’re likely to have already researched and visited these. If they felt like a good fit then, they’re likely to still be a good fit now.
If you’d prefer, you could speak with your school or college to discuss options to retake exams you feel you could improve upon.
If you got better than expected grades, then, this is the advice.
First things first, congratulations! If you’ve exceeded the grades you needed, it’s time to celebrate.
Next, think about whether your grades might open doors that you’d not considered before – that’s where Ucas Adjustment comes in.
Adjustment is an optional service that allows you to reconsider where and what you study, enabling you to swap your place for another you prefer.
The process works similarly to clearing, enabling you to browse through available courses that require higher grades than you were predicted to achieve.
A lot of competitive courses are likely be full, but other applicants may have missed conditions or swapped a course too.
You’ll need to register for Adjustment via Ucas Track and your original university choice will remain safe until you confirm you’d like to go elsewhere.
Be sure to research your options and talk to universities before you make a final decision. Just because a course requires higher grades, it’s not necessarily a better course for you. Adjustment is available until August 31 so take your time making this decision.
There are lots of good reasons to go to university and only you know if it’s the right path for you.
What if I don’t want to go to university?
University isn’t necessarily the only option open to you. There are many ways you can expand your learning and explore new possibilities.
Ask yourself what your goals are and explore different routes you could take to get to them.
There are many paths available to you aside from university. Unless you need a specific degree for your chosen career, university is not your only option. Your college or school will be able to outline