GCSE results day is an emotional time for students, their families and educators across the country. Understanding exactly what you need to do before you collect your results is a key part of making the day feel less stressful. Here' s everything you need to know and a quick checklist of what to bring with you on the big day:
Checklist
Mobile phone (fully charged!)
Pen
Acceptance letters
Contact details for your potential colleges or sixth forms
A drink
A form of ID (if needed)
1. Understand what to expect
Before collecting your results it's always important to know when and how you will be collecting them.
Every school has a different process for collecting results so double check what you need to do on your school's website.
As a rough guide, most schools will be open for you to collect your results between 8:30am - 10am on results day. You often receive your results in an envelope so it's typically entirely up to you when and where you open them. However most students tend to open their results with their friends, parents or teachers at their school.
2. Know who to contact after you open your results
On the day that you get results you will have to confirm your place with your college or sixth form. There are typically minimum grade requirements for A Levels, T Levels, Apprenticeships and BTECs, so your next education provider will want to know what grades you have received and whether you still want to study with them in September. Each college and sixth form has a different process for how they want you to contact them on the day, so make sure you know what to do in advance and take any relevant documents with you.
If your grades don't meet your course requirements you may need to negotiate your place at your potential college or sixth form, so make sure that you have the telephone number and email address of the relevant people to hand (usually, you need to contact the admissions team).
3. Know what to do if you don't get the grades you need
One of the reasons why it's a good idea to open your results at school is so you can get advice from your teachers if your grades aren't as expected. You have a couple of options if this happens and it's good to be familiar with them in advance:
Resits
You can usually resit GCSE exams later on in the year around November and this can often be done alongside any A Levels, BTECs or T Levels you will be starting in September. You will typically be charged around £35 to resit a GCSE exam.
Remarking
You can get any of the exam papers you sat during May/June remarked by a different examiner if you suspect that your marks may have been miscalculated. You will need to pay approximately £30, however this price varies for each exam board. It is also worth noting that your marks could go down, however if your grade changes you will be refunded the price of your remark.
4. Know where to get support
Results day can be overwhelming whether you get the grades you wanted or not so it's a good idea to understand what help is available if you need it. Here are some useful free resources:
Career advice helpline: 0800 100 900
Speak to a 1-to-1 counsellor about your results: 0800 1111
Best of luck with GCSE results day - we're believe in you!