How to Prepare for Results Day 2021
First and foremost, we would like to wish you all a massive good luck for Results Day 2021. It’s been a year where exams have been done completely differently so anyone who sat public exams should give themselves a big pat on the back.
A Level Results Day 2021: 10th August 2021
GCSE Results Day 2021: 12th August 2021
Talking to Family and Friends
Your family and friends are likely to be interested in your results as they care about you. This is great in 99% of cases but if you find yourself stressing about their reaction more than your results, please make sure you have a trusted confidant to speak with about your feelings.
Once you have your results, it is up to you who you tell what grades you received. Nobody has a right to know; you are entitled to say that you don’t feel comfortable talking about them before and after Results Day.
The Night Before
Make sure you know what time your results are being released. You may need to go into school to collect your results or they may be released online or over the phone. If you have any questions, your school or exam centre will be able to tell you how they release results to students.
Once you are sure that you know what times are important, you should be able to think about whether you want to open your results in front of everyone or if you want to open them in private. They are your results and you should be confident in making the choice that works for you.
Last but not least, we understand that you will be nervous and sleeping might be difficult. If you do have trouble sleeping, you should try resting as you will need all your energy on the following day. All the normal self-care techniques like exercising, eating well, and doing an enjoyable hobby can be used to make sure you are on top form for Results Day.
Have a Plan B
A Level
With A Levels, there are three main outcomes when you get your results:
You receive better grades than expected
You receive your expected grades
You don’t receive the grades you expected
If you get exactly the grades you wanted, then you can just head over to UCAS Track to confirm your place at your chosen university which is probably Plan A. However if you get a different result from your expectations, then you may need to use your Plan B.
You did better than expected
This is the point to consider whether you want to go through Adjustment or consider reapplying to university or your next step.
Adjustment is where you can apply to another university because you have better grades than expected. If you have a secret hope to attend an institution you didn’t apply for, you should definitely have a look the week before at what their process is for Adjustment.
Most universities will want you to call them as they make decisions on a case-by-case basis in each subject if they have spare places.
You can also reapply to university if you have done better than expected by withdrawing from your university of choice.
The benefits to reapplying is that you might be able to apply to a university or course that doesn’t usually allow Adjustment like Oxford and Cambridge, or a medical course.
You didn’t receive your expected grades
This year you probably have a good idea of roughly what grade you are going to receive but it’s always worth thinking about your back-up plan. If you don’t get the grades you want, you have three options depending on your exact grades.
The first thing to do is to check UCAS Track to see whether your place has been confirmed; some universities will still take their firm offer holders if you have narrowly missed your offer. If they have accepted you, then your only decision is whether you want to have your papers remarked if you are close to the grade boundary for your own personal satisfaction.
If this is not the case, you have 3 options to consider:
Remarking/resitting
Reapplying
If your grades are close to what you need for your desired course, you will be offered matches by UCAS through their Clearing option. You will then need to call any universities you are interested in and speak to the admissions office about your application. Assuming you have the course you want and a university you like, then you can add it to UCAS Track and confirm your place.
You may want to have your papers remarked if you are close to a grade boundary; this can be a part of your conversation with a university that you apply to through Clearing or it can be a decision you make because you want to reapply. Your school or exam centre will be able to talk you through the process of requesting a remark.
Alternatively, you may want to resit part or all of a subject to improve your grade. Your school should facilitate this but you can also sit an exam as an independent candidate (please get in touch with Pembroke Tutors for more information). It is worth considering what support you need to successfully resit and whether you want to resit in May/June of the following year or earlier on in the year.
Your final option is to reapply with your grades that you received via UCAS to attend the following year. Again, your school should support you in this but it is important to make sure that you have support in place while you do this.
If you have any questions about any of your options and are unsure of what the best option is, please contact Pembroke Tutors and we will match with an academic mentor who can offer support and advice on the options available to you.
GCSE
With GCSEs, you have two main things to consider; does your next step have any minimum requirements and what grades will you need for university applications.
If you don’t get the grades you want, you should talk to your school/exam centre about the possibility of remarking your exams or resitting while you take your A Levels.
You should ask for all the support you need during this process, particularly if you know what you want to study at university. Your grades are important but you shouldn’t feel undue pressure to make a decision on the day as you do have time to decide what you want to do.
If you do decide to resit, please make sure you talk with your school and parents/guardian to make sure that you will be receiving the support you need; if you decide you want additional support, we recommend discussing with your parents/guardians before starting the academic year so that they can help you set all/any support up.
If you have any questions and would like to speak with an academic mentor who will support you and your unique academic goals, please contact us at enquiries@pembroketutors.co.uk or call us on +44 (0) 203 663 2167.
