Results day and the lead up to it can be a nerve-wracking experience. Especially at a time where grades seem to be one of the most important things in your life. They can hold a lot of weight and wanting to receive the grades that you want is to be expected.
On the day; your school will let you know when and where you’ll need to pick up your results in advance. Once the day comes, you’ll arrive at where you’ve been told to go and there will be stations where you’ll be able to pick up your results. Your teachers will be there to support and help you if you need it.
If you’ve got the results you wanted, you can start planning for the next stage, weather that is six form, college or Uni. Usually, this takes place on the same day as you receive your results. If you want to improve your grade before you start your next steps, you’ll be able to ask about exam re-takes.
If you are in year 11 and wanting to go do A-levels at the same school you’ve already in, you will get first dips on receiving a place in your school’s sixth form. You’ll be able to put your place in on the same day once you’ve received your results. However, you may decide to go to college or another sixth form. Usually, you’ll already have the college/sixth form you want to go to picked out and an unconditional offer provided to you, subject to your results. Then, you’ll have to notify the chosen college/sixth form on your results. The same with Uni, you’ll receive an unconditional offer, and you’ll have to notify them on your results.
Overcoming disappointment in your results!
There may be a chance that you may receive grades that you are disappointed in and being able to deal with that disappointment is important. As there will already be teachers at school who will be there to help and support you, reaching out to them if you need to talk through things is something that you can do. Teachers can be there as a listening ear or help you get the ball rolling on where you can go next.
There’s also support within friends and family. They can be there as another listening ear and can also distract you from the results you got. It allows you time away from thinking about your results and can uplift your mood. However, having your own space can be important. Having some time for yourself can help you come to terms with your results. It allows for you to be able to decompress at your own pace.
Other options; if you receive results that you weren’t hoping for, there are other paths you can take to get to where you want to go. For example, taking an access course for college/Uni which is usually a year long course. It’ll allow you to get to the stage where you want to be. It’s usually a qualification below from the course you want to get onto, but it will allow you to get onto the next stage without needing as high of grades.
After coming to terms with your results, you’ll be able to have more clarity going forward. You’ll be able to work out what path works for you and remember that exam results aren’t the be all and end all. You’ll still be able to progress onto the next stage as there are other options such as exam re-takes and access courses.