Preparing for results day

See how they are feeling and understand how they think they performed in their final exams. Regardless of the outcome, it is always good to have a backup plan, particularly if they have genuine concerns over how they think they might have done.

Having a list of alternative options can make a real difference on results day. Work with your young person to create a list of the things that are important to them at university – course, placement opportunities, location, etc.

Every university and course offers something different. Make sure you and your young person consider different institutions - you may even find some you hadn‘t considered before are the perfect option.

If you feel that your young person has been affected by mitigating circumstances (such as illness or bereavement) then it is worth discussing this with their school/college and, if necessary, contacting their chosen universities in advance of results day. This allows them to take this into consideration when making decisions as to whether a student’s application is successful.

If your young person finds themselves going through Clearing, having all the information they need in one place is useful (check out our Ultimate Guide to Clearing for useful note pages).

If your young person needs to contact a university, they may be asked for information such as their UCAS ID and their grades (this may include Maths and English Language GCSEs) so make sure they have this information to hand.

On results day, your young person will receive their results from their school or college - this will not show on UCAS. This may be in person or online, so they will need to check with their school or college what their arrangements are and at what time they can receive their results from. You will need these results if your young person decides to go through Clearing.