You'll need to wait a little longer for your actual grades, but there are some things we already know about A-level results day
Exams already seem a lifetime ago, but results day is (finally) almost here. A-level results are released from 8am on 17 August 2023.
Everyone's grades are kept tightly under wraps until then, but there are a few things we do already know. Read on to see how your results might look, and what it could all mean for university applications.
1. Overall results will be lower than last year
Although exams went ahead as normal this year, the effects of the Covid pandemic will still be felt on results day. Back in 2020 and 2021 overall results were much higher than usual; exams had been cancelled and teacher predictions were used to set grades.
Last year - when exams started up again - the idea was to start getting grades back to normal. Exam boards aimed for grading that would be somewhere in between 2019 (the last exam season before the pandemic) and 2021 (the last year of teacher-defined grades).
This year is supposed to be fully back to normal. So you can expect to see results that are comparable with 2019 (when 51.1% of A-level results were B or above) but are a fair bit lower than last year's (when 62.2% of results were B or above).
"It will be most meaningful to compare this year’s results with 2019, the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic," writes Ofqual associate director Rachel Taylor on the exam regulator's blog.
"The approach to grading means that results for individual schools and colleges are highly likely to be lower than last summer."
2. Grades might be slightly less difficult to achieve than normal
Although grades will be lower than last year, that shouldn't be because of any lost learning time caused by Covid. Exam boards say they have a system in place that will iron out any drops that would otherwise have been caused by disrupted learning.
"Senior examiners have an important role in grading," writes Taylor on the Ofqual blog. "They will review the quality of student work, and will make allowances this summer where national performance is lower than before the pandemic due to disruption.
"This means that a typical student who would have achieved, for example, a B grade in A level geography before the pandemic, will be just as likely to get a B in geography in 2023, even if their performance in the assessments is a little weaker."
More like this: what are grade boundaries and should I care about them?
3. Universities took all this into account when making offers
So the bottom line is that there will be fewer high grades going around this year. But that shouldn't mean it will be harder to achieve your university offer.
"Universities understood what grades will look like overall this year and took this into account when making offers," writes Ucas boss Claire Marchant in a joint letter to students from the heads of Ofqual and Ucas.
"They also look at the full range of information within the Ucas application, including the personal statement and reference."
4. Most people won't get their predicted grades
Don't freak out about this one. It's not because grades are lower than last year - it's just what always happens. In the Ucas/Ofqual joint letter, Marchant writes: "If you don’t get your predicted grades, don’t worry, this happens very often. In 2019 only 21% of accepted applicants achieved or exceeded their predicted grades."
So what about the remaining 79% who still got a university place? For many it will be because their chosen university was flexible on their entry requirements - so they got the place despite missing their offer. Others would have got a place at their insurance university, or found a place in Clearing.
5. There may be fewer courses available in Clearing
The Ucas Clearing service lists thousands of university course spaces...but not quite as many as it once did.
In another blog post, Ucas chief Claire Marchant writes that there has been "a small gradual decline in the number of courses available in Clearing over the past few years – about 3,500 fewer courses in 2022 compared to 2019. We anticipate this could be the case again this summer as competition for places ramps up."
Clearing can be competitive, too. Last year, 20,000 students declined their existing place and found an alternative through Clearing. A further 12,000 students were placed after being released into Clearing by their first choice.
The good news is that Clearing is already open. If you think you might want to switch or find another course on results day, you can do all your background research now. That way, you can identify the courses you're interested in ahead of time, and be ready to act on results day.
More like this: here’s what Clearing is, and how you can use it
