A guide for parents · August
Results day: a guide for parents
A level results come out on a Thursday in mid August and GCSE results on the Thursday a week later. Students collect them from school in the morning, or by email if the school offers it, and the exam boards publish their grade boundaries the same morning. If a grade is lower than expected, the choices are a review of marking through the school, a resit, or for A levels clearing.
On the day
Schools open in the morning to hand out results; ask the school for the time and whether a student can send somebody else with written permission. A level students applying to university can see their offers in UCAS from early that morning, often before they open the envelope.
The boards publish grade boundaries on results day, and cookie adds them to each course’s grade boundary tables after that. The share of students getting each grade nationally is on the grade statistics pages.
If a grade is lower than hoped
A review of marking is asked for by the school, not by the student or the parent, and the board charges the school a fee that is usually refunded if the grade changes. The grade can go up, stay the same or go down. The deadlines are tight, especially the priority service for A level students whose university place depends on the grade, so ask the school on the day. JCQ explains the post-results services.
Students aged 16 or over can resit GCSE English Language and maths in November. Other GCSEs and A levels are resat the following summer.
Clearing, for A levels
A student who misses their offers, or who does better than expected, can use clearing to find a university place with spaces left. It opens in July and is busiest on results day itself. UCAS sets out the steps for results day and clearing on its own site.
Where to check
Checked against these on . The rules change from year to year, so the pages above are the ones to trust if anything here disagrees with them.
Common questions
What time are GCSE results released?
Schools choose the time they open, usually in the morning. The boards release results to schools earlier than students see them, so a school can have everything ready when the doors open.
Can a grade go down after a review of marking?
Yes. A review can raise, confirm or lower the grade, which is why schools check the paper first, often by asking for a copy of the marked script.
Which GCSEs can be resat in November?
Only English Language and maths, and only for students who are 16 or over by 31 August of that year. Every other GCSE is resat in the summer.
What is a 9 in old grades?
There is no exact match. The bottom of a 7 was set to line up with the bottom of the old A, and the bottom of a 4 with the bottom of the old C. A 9 goes to fewer students than the old A* did.