Results Day: How To Be Ready For Whatever Happens

Results day can be one of the most emotional milestones in a student's education. Whether it’s GCSE, A Level or IB results, a little preparation can make the day feel far less overwhelming. From understanding UCAS updates to knowing what the options are if things don't go to plan, here's everything students and parents need to know.

Preparing Exam Results Day: A Parent and Student Guide

After weeks of waiting for their IB or A Level results this summer, results day can feel like one of the biggest moments in a student’s life. For parents too, it is often an emotional and nerve-racking experience after supporting years of hard work, revision and university applications.

Results day determines far more than grades on a piece of paper. For many students, it confirms whether they have secured a place at their first-choice university, whether they will need to rely on their insurance offer or whether they may need to explore alternatives through UCAS Clearing or take a gap year and rethink. 

The key to managing results day successfully is preparation. Things move extremely quickly once results are released, so having a clear plan beforehand can make a huge difference.

Lomond School

How to Prepare for Results Day

Preparation, calm thinking and flexibility are the keys to navigating the day successfully.

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Before results day arrives, students should make sure they:

  • Understand exactly how results will be released by their school

  • Know login details for UCAS Hub

  • Keep a copy of their UCAS personal statement nearby

  • Have contact details for universities easily available

  • Good WiFi and phone access on the day to speak to the school or to Universities. 

If there is any uncertainty about procedures, students should speak to their school counsellor or university adviser before results day.

Preparation helps reduce panic if quick decisions need to be made later.

Bryanston School echoes this with their advice “When Results Day arrives, preparation and remaining calm are everything. Every pupil is encouraged to have both a Plan A and a Plan B, so whatever the outcome, the next step is already clear.”

Understanding the Possible Outcomes:

Receiving the results is not the same thing as having your university place confirmed. To find out if you have been accepted into your first choice or insurance university you will need to log into UCAS hub which will update at around 8.15am UK time.  This will show if you have been accepted or declined for your Firm or Insurance place.

1. Plan A - You Meet the Conditions of Your Firm Offer

This is, of course, the ideal outcome. If you achieve the required grades, your university place is normally confirmed automatically through UCAS.

For international students, this also allows universities to begin issuing CAS documentation for visa applications.

2. Plan B - You Miss Your Firm Choice but Meet Your Insurance Offer

If you narrowly miss the grades for your first-choice university but meet the conditions for your insurance offer, your place there is usually confirmed automatically.

While this can initially feel disappointing, many students go on to thrive at their insurance university and look back on results day very differently a few months later.

3. Plan C - You Miss Both Offers

If you do not meet the conditions of either offer, you will usually be entered automatically into UCAS Clearing.

Although this may feel overwhelming initially, it is important to remember that Clearing is now a well-established route into university. Every year, thousands of students secure excellent university places this way.

What About Remarks and Appeals?

If you have narrowly missed your grades, then it is always worth giving the university a call to find out if they will still consider you for a place. Have your arguments ready for why this was your top choice and the reasons you think you will flourish there and what you will bring to the environment. Many a university has been persuaded by a compelling plea from a motivated student who has decided to pick up the phone!

In these situations:

  • Speak to the school immediately

  • Ask whether a remark is realistic

  • Contact the university directly

  • Explain that a review is being requested

Many universities will hold places temporarily while remarks are processed, although deadlines vary between institutions.

How to Prepare for UCAS Clearing

One of the biggest mistakes students make is waiting until results day itself to start researching Clearing options. The UCAS site is already listing courses at a wide range of universities that have spaces on their courses https://www.ucas.com/explore/search/courses-beta?query=

Before results day, students should:

  • Explore universities that are listing Clearing vacancies

  • Research alternative but related courses

  • Create a shortlist of realistic options

  • Check how individual universities manage Clearing applications

  • Prepare questions about accommodation, course structure and support

Some universities ask students to complete online forms, while others prefer phone conversations directly with admissions teams. Having this information ready in advance is extremely valuable because Clearing moves quickly. 

Fancy a Listen?

How to Approach Clearing Calls

If you enter Clearing, universities will expect students, not parents, to make contact directly.

These conversations are often informal but should still be treated seriously. Students should be prepared to explain:

  • Why they are interested in the course

  • Why they want to attend that university

  • What interests them academically

  • Why they may have missed their grades if relevant

Having a copy of the personal statement nearby can be very helpful.

Students should also remember that they are interviewing universities as much as universities are assessing them. Important questions to ask include:

  • Is accommodation guaranteed?

  • What support is available for first years?

  • What are graduate outcomes like?

  • What flexibility exists within the course?

Most importantly, students should stay calm and positive. Admissions staff are looking for students who are engaged, enthusiastic and genuinely interested in studying there.

Considering a Plan D

For some students, results day may lead to a broader rethink about future plans and that is perfectly okay and may lead to more positive outcomes in the long run. 

  • Consider retaking some of the subject choices or changing subjects and applying to a different course. There are plenty of options for doing an A Level subject in a year.  

  • Consider taking a gap year and rethinking university choices.  This allows time to re-evaluate the different opportunities and plenty of time to make a new application. There are so many valuable and worthwhile activities to do in a ‘gap year’ which can enhance a future application and be a great preparation for being a student in the future. 

  • It maybe that university is not the right path at the moment, and that launching into a career, either an entry level job or via a degree apprenticeship would be a better route for now. 

For many young people, a change of direction ultimately leads to opportunities they had never previously considered.

The Scholato View

Whether it’s celebrating a first-choice university offer or preparing for alternative options, results day moves quickly. Understanding the process in advance from collecting results to navigating UCAS, Clearing and next steps will help students and parents approach the day and decision making with confidence and clarity. 

Whilst results day can feel enormously important it is also worth remembering that exam results do not define a person’s potential or future success. Many students who initially feel disappointed on results day later discover that alternative universities, courses or pathways suit them much better than their original plans.

And whatever happens when the results arrive, there are always options, opportunities and ways forward.