Breakdown of the UCAS Letter for Y13 Students

On 18th of July, UCAS published a letter to all finishing Y13 students written by Ofqual, who have been regulating England exams and qualifications since 2008, so they know what they’re talking about. They have written guidance on questions about how your results are determined, results day, confirming offers and Clearing procedures. Here is the important information you should know:

What is different about this year’s marking?

Examiners will mark and grade papers the same as any other normal exams, they will only use your final exam work and won’t know anything about you as a student, just as usual. This is kept the same by Ofqual to give everyone an equal opportunity to achieve well. They also regulate across exam boards so every student in the country is assessed equally.

How much have the grade boundaries really changed?

Grading standards have almost been returned to normal but they have allowed slightly more lenient grading this year to take into account disruptions during your Y12. This will ensure students receive accurate grades but not be dragged down by difficulties of the last school year, but keep in mind this is not enough to cause any drastic changes to your grades. This is true for all structures of higher education (T Levels, IB, BTEC etc.) not just A Levels.

What are my results day options?

Firstly, not quite achieving your predicted grades is very common, only 21% of the 2019 cohort achieved or exceeded theirs but over 80% made it to their chosen Uni. Remember, your university chose you based on your whole application including GCSE results, personal statement and teacher references so they can still accept you even if you slightly miss the predictions. However, in the case where it doesn’t work out, don’t worry, you still have other options like Clearing, which is a system designed to help anyone quickly pick up a university placement with their actual grades on results day from universities with spare seats.

How can I make use of Clearing?

If you find out on results day that you couldn’t make the predictions and are unable to follow through with your university offers then you should check out Clearing as soon as possible. Many people will be attempting to get places on the day so you should be prepared beforehand by researching available courses on UCAS here or the website for a particular university. Clearing is a great option for anyone who is also rethinking their university or course choices since you can choose anything and you don’t need to write a new personal statement to apply. Thousands of students were able to get great placements using Clearing last year. This can even be a great option for any students with better grades aspiring for a better university/ course, find out more information and guidance (from UCAS) for everyone here.

Any other options I could try?

You can always take a gap year to try new things and gain some independence. Or you could use this time to work, earn money and even gain a degree for free through an apprenticeship. Typically apprenticeships will last several years because they have an extensive application process when the company decides to hire you and you will be doing a full degree and job at the same time. This makes for great work experience and industry knowledge, but if you want something just for one gap year an internship is the perfect way to build experience which looks great on applications/ CVs and help you figure out what you want to do in the future. Learn about these options here, explained in detail by UCAS themselves!