Exam results not what you expected? You’ve got the envelope; your results are in and they are not what you were expecting! Whether they are better or worse than predicted, you are probably in a turmoil of emotions and don’t know what to do for the best. We look at the sensible steps you should take, whether you are facing disappointment or delight. A recent report by UCAS said that nearly half of the applicants in 2019 missed their A level predictions by three or more grades. Whether you did better or worse (or much worse) than you expected, the first thing to remember is that you are not alone. All over the country, there will be other people experiencing the same emotions you are. That might be cold comfort, but you can be reassured that colleges, training providers and universities are all preparing to offer advice on what to do next. Although this might be the first time you have faced this uncertainty, it won’t be the first time for your teachers, careers advisors or recruitment teams; they will be able to help. The most important thing is not to panic and be flustered into a decision that might not quite suit. You are likely to have at least a couple of weeks to evaluate your options before anything has to be decided.
Step One
To a large extent, what you were hoping to do next will influence what you should do when you get your results. In all cases, it’s worth going into school or college to have a chat with your tutor and/or a careers adviser. If your results have been lower than expected, they should be able to offer advice on whether there is an appeals process, for example, and if that is something they would support. If you’ve achieved better than expected, they could also advise on making applications to different college or university courses your predicted grades might not have made possible. 12
Make The Future Yours! Issue 2
Results better than expected
Doing better than you or your teachers predicted is a fantastic achievement – well done! Results are very rarely downgraded after the event so you can be confident your grade received reflects your ability. For many people, doing better might not actually change anything in terms of what their next steps will be. You picked the college course, degree or apprenticeship that you think will be right for you so why should higher grades change that? However, higher grades do give you the chance to reflect on whether other doors might now be open to you. If it’s your A Levels, you might decide
