A-Level Results Day 2023: when is it, what to do and what happens if you need to appeal

A-Level results are out today with ministers in England aiming to restore pre-pandemic grades.

Hundreds of thousands of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are hoping to receive grades that will put them on track to university, work or training. 

However, the proportion of top A-level results is expected to fall on last year.

To prepare parents and students for the day, NationalWorld has put together a guide on everything you need to know. 

When is A-Level results day? 

Pupils will be able to collect their results from 8 am on 17 August. 

The qualifications being collected today are A-Levels, AS-Level and T-Level. 

Results are available in the post, but it advised going in to school or college to collect results - where teachers will be around to help advise students who are unhappy with their results. 

You can also arrange for a relative or friend to pick up your results, but they will need to take in a signed letter and a form of ID for themselves. 

How will exams be graded? 

The current A-Level cohort received the highest GCSE grades on record in 2021, however, in England, exams regulator Ofqual has said this year’s A-level results will be lower than last year – but they are expected to be similar to those in 2019.

Last year, more than a third (36.4%) of UK A-level entries were awarded A or A* grades, compared to 44.8% in 2021 and 38.5% in 2020.

In 2019 – the last summer before the pandemic – around one in four (25.4%) UK A-level entries were awarded A or A* grades.

In Wales and Northern Ireland, exam regulators have said they do not expect to return to pre-pandemic grading standards until 2024.

Leaders in the education sector have warned that this cohort could face greater disappointment on A-level results day as they may have higher expectations after receiving record-high GCSE results in 2021.

Getting your results

In most schools, there will be teachers waiting on results day to greet students, and many places will have their results laid out in the main hall with individual results sealed in an envelope. 

If you meet your grades

Depending on the time you go to pick up your grades, you may have already been alerted by UCAS that you've got into your firm or insurance university choice. 

Relax, celebrate, and check your emails to see if there is anything your university wants you to do. 

If you just miss out

Sometimes universities still accept students who have not quite met their offer, but this will be up to the discretion of the individual university. 

However, you may be offered a place at your insurance university instead. 

You may also be offered a slightly different course by your chosen university, which you’ll need to accept through Track. If this doesn’t happen, proceed to Clearing, where you can apply for other courses, either at the same university or at a different one. You could also appeal your grades. 

Missing your grades

In this scenario, check if your insurance option will accept you onto a course. Or you could begin to ring courses in Clearing that are on your contingency list, and within the relevant grade range. 

Appealing results 

Speak to your teacher, exams officer, exam centre or the national Careers service exam results helpline (0800 100 900) to request a review from the exam board - this should be done as soon as possible. 

Your school or college can do this before deciding whether to ask for a review to see if they think there was a mistake during the marking process. 

It may also be worth talking to your chosen university to see if they will hold a place for you. 

The latest information is: 

England – read Ofqual’s guidance on this year’s exam arrangements and appeals.

Scotland – get the latest updates on the appeals process from SQA.

Wales – details of appeals will be on the Qualifications Wales website.

Northern Ireland – guidance on the appeals process will be on CCEA’s website.

Can I defer my place?

If you have changed your mind about going to university or wish to take a gap year, call your university’s admissions team to find out if this is something they can offer. 

What is Clearing and how do to apply? 

Clearing allows the matching of students with spaces on university or college courses. Clearing helps students find a course if they have not met the grades outlined in your offers. 

The system can also be used if you are considering changing to a different course because your grades are better than predicted, after declining your original place. 

Clearing will be open from 5 July until 17 October but some courses will close before this deadline depending on their popularity.

Different grades but the same number of UCAS points

This scenario depends on the university and will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

UCAS points are used by around a third of universities when making offers, so instead of asking for B, B, C grades for example, a university may ask for 112 points. 

Traditional universities are more likely to make an offer on grades and not points.