BRITAIN's students are finding out their eagerly awaited A-level results TODAY - in turn shaping the course of their futures for years to come.
Tens of thousands of teenagers woke up to receive the important news on "results day", which will determine their university placement.
Students have scored record A-Level results this year after the number of top grades almost doubled under teacher-assessment.
A whopping 44% of grades were at A* and A this year, sky-rocketing from the 25% registered when exams were last held in 2019.
Read our A-level results blog below for the latest news and updates...
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk 8 minutes ago
PUPILS CAN ‘FEEL SATISFIED’ THEIR EXAM RESULTS ARE FAIR – OFQUAL CHIEF
Tens of thousands of pupils in England awaiting their A-level and GCSE results can “feel satisfied” their grades are fair despite exams being cancelled for the second straight year, according to the head of the exams watchdog.
Pupils are set to receive their A-level results on Tuesday and GCSE results on Thursday, with grades determined by teachers, rather than exams, as they will only be assessed on what they have been taught during the pandemic.
Ofqual interim chief regulator Simon Lebus told the BBC that the watchdog wanted to create a system where every student was given a fair chance to show what they can do.
“I’m very confident that, when they get their grades on Tuesday and Thursday this week, they’ll be able to feel satisfied that that’s happened,” he told the broadcaster.
Mr Lebus said there have been three stages of checks to ensure students can feel they have been “fairly treated”, including Ofqual checking the policies that schools have for awarding grades and exam boards looking over them.
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk 18 minutes ago
TAKE TIME OUT WITH A GAP YEAR
A GAP year is always a good option. Employers look for life skills – and you will get plenty of those once you leave school and navigate your own path.
But have a plan, whether it is getting work experience, paid work, more studying or travelling.
If you have a university place for this year, and you want to defer, they will ask what you intend to do with the time – so have your answers ready.
If you plan to study maths and physics courses, they will want you to keep your hand in learning during your gap year.
You can keep studying with hundreds of short, free, online courses from Future Learn, futurelearn.com/courses.
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk 28 minutes ago
EXPLAINED: WHAT ARE TEACHER ASSESSED GRADES?
Thousands of A-level students in England will receive their predicted grade today. GCSE pupils will receive their results two days later, on August 12.
Grades have been determined by teachers, with pupils only assessed on what they have been taught during the pandemic.
Decisions about the final grades are evidence-based and might include tests, class work, mock examinations etc.
Evidence covers a range of topics to demonstrate a student’s breadth of knowledge.
No algorithm has been used. Each school’s headteacher has had to sign off the results.
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk 39 minutes ago
STUDENTS DESERVE GOLD MEDALS… NOT JUST A-GRADES AFTER COVID DISRUPTED THEIR LIVES
Sun exclusive comment by education secretary Gavin Williamson
Results week is here – and for thousands of young people and their families the wait is almost over. Getting your A-level, GCSE or vocational results is always a nerve-racking time.
But this year students overcame even greater challenges than normal. While the pandemic has caused disruption to everyone’s lives, young people have really had to dig deep.
Frankly, if there had been an Olympic medal for grit, our students would all have won gold.
We faced stark choices this year when a new variant of Covid meant schools had to close again for public safety as we locked down.
Some people argued loudly that we should put off the entire process — making students repeat the year, then take exams and receive their -qualifications later. But putting all those futures on hold was not an option.
Read more here.
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk 48 minutes ago
BAD EDUCATION
Schools and students could have to face yet another year of exams chaos with teacher-assessed grading stretching on into 2022, Gavin Williamson has said.
The education secretary announced contingency plans are being drawn up for a third year without A-Level and GCSE examinations if another Covid wave hits.
His remarks come with hundreds of thousands of youngsters across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland set to get their A-Level results today amid fears over rampant grade inflation.
It is predicted that almost half of pupils will get A*s and As, compared to a quarter who achieved the top grades when exams were last held in 2019.
Mr Williamson announced an "extensive consultation" will soon get underway on how teacher assessment would work next year if it's needed again.
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk 56 minutes ago
BREAKING: ALMOST 50% OF ENGLISH A-LEVEL PUPILS SCORE A GRADES
Students have scored record A-Level results this year after the number of top grades almost doubled under teacher-assessment.
A whopping 44% of grades were at A* and A this year, sky-rocketing from the 25% registered when exams were last held in 2019.
The number of pupils getting a B and above has also risen sharply to 70% with pupils at private schools and in London the biggest winners.
But while the proportion of top grades has grown, the percentage of those at C to EU has remained "relatively stable".
Officials admitted that the discrepancy is partly down to teachers giving their pupils "some benefit of the doubt".
Just under one in five (19%) of all grades awarded was at the top A* level.
And a massive 12,945 students in England registered three A*s compared to 7,774 last year and just 2,664 in 2018.
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk 58 minutes ago
HOW MANY UCAS POINTS DO YOU GET FOR EACH A-LEVEL GRADE
Some universities and courses will make offers based on the total number of points you earn.
A* – 56 A – 48 B – 40 C – 32 D – 24 E – 16
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk Today, 09:20
MANAGE STRESS
BEFORE the results come out, every pupil should be patting themselves on the back for getting through their GCSE and A-level years during a pandemic – studying from home with less interaction with teachers.
Last night, A level students will have been pacing about like cats in anticipation of today. Today, make a choice to step away from social media.
Put your phone down. Ignore the mass hysteria going on in your WhatsApp groups. Ignore the noise of results day and stay calm in your own little bubble.
For GCSE pupils, I would advise putting a message out on Wednesday night wishing your friends good luck and telling them you are stepping away from social media for a day or so.
Parents, you can encourage this.
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk Today, 09:10
UNIVERSITY ENTRY WILL BE ‘MORE COMPETITIVE’ THAN EVER THANKS TO INFLATED GRADES AND LACK OF COURSES
ENTRY to universities will be “more competitive” than ever thanks to inflated grades and a lack of courses, according to the official applications body.
With days until A-level results, UCAS said students going through clearing are likely to find it tougher to get on to the courses they want. Applications chief Clare -Marchant warned that “for those most selective courses at the most selective institutions, it is likely to be more competitive”.
There will be around 90,000 students aiming to join different courses, with many trying to switch after doing better than expected thanks to teacher-graded A-levels.
Ms Marchant believes a record number of students will still take up places through clearing, but she warned there will be “hotspots” where it could be much more competitive this year.
She urged students receiving grades on Tuesday to make a decision about courses “in a matter of days” rather than waiting weeks as she expects the system to be “active”.
Read more here.
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk Today, 09:00
EXPLAINED: HOW CAN I SEE THE GRADE BOUNDARIES?
The grade boundaries can be found on their websites below.
AQA OCR Pearson CCEA WJEC
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk Today, 08:50
UNIVERSITY ENTRY WILL BE ‘MORE COMPETITIVE’ THAN EVER THANKS TO INFLATED GRADES AND LACK OF COURSES
ENTRY to universities will be “more competitive” than ever thanks to inflated grades and a lack of courses, according to the official applications body.
With days until A-level results, UCAS said students going through clearing are likely to find it tougher to get on to the courses they want. Applications chief Clare -Marchant warned that “for those most selective courses at the most selective institutions, it is likely to be more competitive”.
There will be around 90,000 students aiming to join different courses, with many trying to switch after doing better than expected thanks to teacher-graded A-levels.
Ms Marchant believes a record number of students will still take up places through clearing, but she warned there will be “hotspots” where it could be much more competitive this year.
She urged students receiving grades on Tuesday to make a decision about courses “in a matter of days” rather than waiting weeks as she expects the system to be “active”.
Read more here.
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk Today, 08:40
WHAT IS CLEARING PLUS?
Clearing Plus is a new personalised matching service that matches courses you may be interested in via your application to universities and colleges.
The service began in 2020 and works by looking at the original choices you applied for, combined with your qualifications and grades.
It then makes suggestions based on courses that universities have already specifically made available for Clearing Plus.
If you are unplaced or have started a new application, a button will appear in Track under "My matches".
This will take you to your top 50 course matches, allowing you to easily indicate that you're "interested" in universities courses.
If they still have vacancies and you meet their entry requirements, they may call you, but the call isn't guaranteed so it's best to get on it as soon as you can and use it alongside the traditional Clearing process.
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk Today, 08:30
EXPLAINED: WHAT ARE TEACHER ASSESSED GRADES?
Thousands of A-level students in England will receive their predicted grade on Tuesday, August 10 2021. GCSE pupils will receive their results two days later, on August 12.
Grades have been determined by teachers, with pupils only assessed on what they have been taught during the pandemic.
Decisions about the final grades are evidence-based and might include tests, class work, mock examinations etc.
Evidence covers a range of topics to demonstrate a student’s breadth of knowledge.
No algorithm has been used. Each school’s headteacher has had to sign off the results.
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk Today, 08:20
HOW DOES CLEARING WORK?
Students are able to use Clearing if they missed out on a university place, including if:
They are applying after June 30 They didn’t receive any offers (or none that they wanted to accept) They didn’t meet the conditions of their offers They have paid the multiple choice application fee of ￡25 They have declined their confirmed place using the "decline my place" button in UCAS' Track
The process works by helping students find out which university courses still have places remaining.
Hopefuls are able to search for a course against the subject they are interested in, or the university they want to head to.
Clearing is a way for universities to fill any places they still have empty, while applicants who did not receive an offer have another chance at getting into university.
caroline.mortimer@thesun.co.uk Today, 08:10
DON’T PANIC
A-LEVEL students can get on to the UCAS Track site – to find out if they have got their university place or not – from 8.30am (not midnight as some think).
If you’ve got your firm or conditional offers, then happy days, go off and celebrate. If you haven’t got either of these, then the most important thing is not to panic.
You haven’t got your results yet, so don’t make any rash decisions until you’ve got those from school. Read them carefully.
It’s OK to feel disappointed and sit with that feeling for a while, but the best thing to do is move on calmly with a plan.
Parents, it is important to stress to your child that their grades do not define them.
The best job you can do right now is to put the kettle on and make breakfast – it could be a long day ahead.
Milica Cosic Today, 08:00
WHAT TIME DOES UCAS UPDATE ON RESULTS DAY?
Ucas is a service that allows students to follow their university application online.
The Track became available from 8am on August 10, 2021, updating records for each applicant.
Students do not see their A-level results through the service, instead they receive them from their school or college.
Despite the myth, Track does not update at midnight before the release of the results.
Milica Cosic Today, 07:30
EXPLAINED: HOW TO APPEAL A RESULTS GRADE
Students will be able to appeal to the exam board via their school if there has been an error made in their grade calculation.
Students who are applying to higher education who did not attain the offer they accepted as their first choice, must appeal by August 16.
Milica Cosic Today, 07:00
EXPLAINED: HOW CAN I SEE THE GRADE BOUNDARIES?
The grade boundaries can be found on their websites below.
AQA OCR Pearson CCEA WJEC
Milica Cosic Today, 06:30
A-LEVEL RESULTS DAY 2021: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Tens of thousands of teenagers are awaiting their A-level results today.
But with exams cancelled and university places “more competitive than ever”, grades, clearing and appeals might be a little different.
Read more here.
Milica Cosic Today, 06:00
HOW DOES CLEARING WORK THIS YEAR? (CONTINUED…)
There will be around 90,000 students aiming to join different courses, with many trying to switch after doing better than expected thanks to teacher-graded A-levels.
Applications chief Clare -Marchant reckons a record number of students will take up places through clearing, but there will be highly sought-after “hotspots”.
She warned that “for those most selective courses at the most selective institutions, it is likely to be more competitive”.
Ms Marchant urged students to make a decision about courses “in a matter of days” rather than waiting weeks as she expects the system to be “active”.
Milica Cosic 9th Aug 2021, 05:30
HOW DOES CLEARING WORK THIS YEAR?
The official university applications body last week said competition for places is tougher than ever thanks to inflated grades and a lack of courses.
UCAS said students going through clearing – which helps people find courses with places remaining – are likely to find it harder to get onto the courses they want.
Hopefuls are able to search for a course against the subject they are interested in, or the university they would like to attend.
Clearing is a way for universities to fill any places they still have empty, while applicants who did not receive an offer have another chance at getting into higher education.
Milica Cosic Today, 05:00
HOW MANY UCAS POINTS DO YOU GET FOR EACH A-LEVEL GRADE
Some universities and courses will make offers based on the total number of points you earn.
A* – 56 A – 48 B – 40 C – 32 D – 24 E – 16
Milica Cosic Today, 04:30
HOW ARE GRADES BEING AWARDED THIS YEAR?
GCSE and A-level exams have been cancelled for 2021, because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and third lockdown that saw schools closed.
The government decided to axe this summer’s testing regime with a Department for Education spokesperson saying in early January: “The Government position is that we will not be asking students to sit GCSE and A-Levels.”
On January 6, 2021, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said GCSE, AS and A-level exams in England will be replaced by school-based assessments. The Department for Education and England’s exams regulator Ofqual says teachers can draw on a range of evidence when determining grades.
This includes mock exams, coursework or other work completed as part of a pupil’s course, such as essays or in-class tests. Pupils will only be assessed on what they have been taught after months of school and college closures.
Schools and colleges will submit their grades to exam boards by June 18 to maximise teaching time.
Milica Cosic Today, 04:00
EXPLAINED: HOW TO APPEAL A RESULTS GRADE
Students will be able to appeal to the exam board via their school if there has been an error made in their grade calculation.
Students who are applying to higher education who did not attain the offer they accepted as their first choice, must appeal by August 16.
Milica Cosic Today, 03:30
EXPLAINED: HOW TO APPEAL A RESULTS GRADE
Students will be able to appeal to the exam board via their school if there has been an error made in their grade calculation.
Students who are applying to higher education who did not attain the offer they accepted as their first choice, must appeal by August 16.
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