A-Level results: what to do

The A level results should arrive in school on third Thursday in August – the 16th August in 2007 and the 21st in 2008 - and will be available to you after 9.00 a.m. in the U6 centre.

 

UCAS will be sending confirmation letters to students on the day before this which you may receive this before you get your A level results. This does not necessarily mean that you have been awarded the grades that you require – only that the university has accepted the grades that you will receive. Non receipt of a confirmation letter does not necessarily mean that you have been unsuccessful. The university or college may not have made their decision in time or the postal service may be slow.

 

Please be aware that universities may take several days to reach a decision about your place if you have missed the offer requirements; the best advice is to ring the department to check on progress.

1. If you have met the condition of your firm offer you will be placed there. You will be sent an AS12 letter confirming your place with a reply slip that you must complete and return to the institution without delay. If you have narrowly missed the offer you should check via UCAS Track or by ringing the department to see if you have been accepted. You must contact your Local Education Authority to confirm with them the university that you will be attending. 
    

2. If you are rejected by your firm offer but have met the condition for your insurance place you will be placed there. Again, it is worth using UCAS Track or a phone call to the department if you narrowly miss, to see if you have been accepted with the grades you have got. You will be sent an AS12 letter with a reply slip that you must return without delay. You must let your Local Education Authority know if you are going to attend this university.

You can check the status of your application by using the on-line UCAS Track service. The service will be up-dated several times a day after the afternoon of the 17th August. If you have lost your password you can request a new one through www.ucas.com
 

3. It is possible that, if you miss the grades required, you will be made a changed course or year offer. You are NOT obliged to accept this and may enter Clearing.
    
4. If you are unsuccessful and are rejected by both Firm and Insurance institutions you become eligible for Clearing. You will be sent a Clearing Entry Form (CEF) and an instruction leaflet. This can involve a delay as UCAS cannot send it until they have been notified of your rejection. In the meantime you should ring institutions direct to make contact and to see if they have vacancies and if your grades are acceptable. However, please note that, whatever is said over the telephone, the institution cannot make you a formal offer until they know your Clearing number (as shown on your CEF) and have received your form. Make a note of your Clearing number – you may need it again. You can find your Clearing number on the Track service at www.ucas.com. When it has received your CEF the university will either make you a formal offer or return your form, in which case you can resume your search. To avoid rejection it is far better that you get the university to be as definite as possible about the offer of a place before you send the clearing form to them.

If you have to enter Clearing you may have to be more flexible about your choice of subject or university. However, remember that any decision made now will affect you for the next three or four years so do not accept something that is well outside your preferences and requirements. Approach Clearing in the same methodical way you did the main application.

 

If you are in this situation, don't panic or despair. Many students will find suitable courses over the next few weeks, indeed vacancies will still crop up as late as mid-October, BUT you must show drive and initiative and may have to be patient. Seek advice; my contact details are below. UCAS has a helpline – 0870 1122211. 

5. Applicants who do not hold any offers will be sent a Clearing Form in mid July. You can immediately start to ring around institutions to ask if they are likely to have vacancies and what grades they will require so that you can act more selectively when you know your results.
    

6. Please note that applicants are expected to honour their commitment. If you are placed at an institution in the UCAS scheme you are expected to either take up that place or withdraw from this year's scheme. You have no right to turn down the offer and enter Clearing or deal with any other institution. However, requests for changes of course or date of entry should be made direct to the institutions.
    

7. Official lists of vacancies will be published in The Independent and The Independent on Sunday from 17th to 25th August, and on the 31st August and 7th September. Other newspapers will probably have lists but they will not be official and may not be complete or accurate. The lists will also be available on the UCAS website (www.ucas.com)

Staff will be available to help and offer guidance on the day the results are published and on the following Friday and Monday mornings between 9.00 and 12.30 am. You can, of course, see Mr Worthington outside these times - please ring the school for contact details. The Headmaster will also be available to give any help he can - please ring his secretary to make an appointment. You can also seek guidance from ‘Connexions’. Their telephone numbers are:

Truro        01872 277993

St Austell  01726 61833

Falmouth   01326 313193    

Newquay   01637 876596

Camborne  01209 714136

Liskeard    01579 43727

 

What should you do when you have a confirmed place at a university?

• Confirm that you want the place within one week of receiving the offer.
• Confirm the place with your local education authority so that your fees are paid to the right university.
• Check that your Student Loan application is proceeding.
• Apply for accommodation if you have not already done this.

It is possible that the grade you are awarded will be below that which was expected. If you want to consider having all or part of an examination script re-marked the first person to talk to is the relevant Head of Department, who will advise you. I suggest you ring the school office to find out how best to make contact. However, do be aware that re-marks seldom result in higher grades, are quite expensive and can take considerable time. It is also possible for your grade to go down. There is very little point in re-marks if your grades are sufficient for your firm university choice.

However, it is possible to get a fast re-mark if university places depend on it, but you must contact the school by the Monday following the publication of results at the latest.

 

Please note that your modules have automatically been 'cashed-in'. If you are unhappy with your grade and want to re-sit one or some modules you can only do so by declining your grade in these modules. The person to speak to is Mr Nick Baker, by the start of our new term.

 

Finally, please

 

• Be around, or at least have access to a telephone, when the results come out. Don’t be away on holiday. You may have to attend a university for an interview if you are in Clearing.
   
• Change your address at UCAS if you have put down the school address as your postal address.
   
• Let your local education authority know which university you are going to attend. If you don’t, the fees may be sent to the wrong place.

 

Good Luck!