Sixth form results day and university applications

Jul 1, 2024
2 min read

Updated: Jul 22

A-level results day arrives in August, when sixth form results are revealed. If your teen’s applied to university and received a conditional offer, there are three possible outcomes.

Sixth form results day and university applications

Achieving the desired results

Celebrations ahead. If your child has a conditional offer and meets the grades, that offer switches to unconditional and they should receive a confirmation from UCAS with details of the next steps (which vary from university to university). Congratulations, they have their place.

If they’ve matched their offer but no longer want to go to that university or take that subject, they can reject the offer and go through Clearing to try something else. Don’t forget, there’s no guarantee they'll get the course they want through Clearing, and they'll lose the place they’ve been offered if they reject it. However, it does provide options if they realise they’ve made a mistake in the application process and don’t want to wait to reapply next year.

Surpassing the desired results

Having researched thoroughly, most students are happy to accept the place they've been offered even if they got better grades than predicted. However, they may not have felt confident enough to apply to a course with very high entry standards, and now feel they've missed out. In that case, they can reject the place they've been offered and go through Clearing to apply for another course or university.

Don’t forget, acceptance isn't automatic, even if their grades are much higher than the stated minimum entry requirements. This can be for a variety of reasons, but often because the course is already fully subscribed with those who applied originally. If they aren’t accepted through Clearing, they'll have lost the place they were originally offered and will have to wait to reapply the following year. This is different from the 'adjustment' process previously available for students who surpassed their predicted grades, where their original offer could be held for five days. Adjustment was discontinued in 2022 due to low take-up.

Failing to get a place

Yes, it’s disappointing, but there are still plenty of options, and it’s important to keep your child motivated and not let them feel like a failure. This can be difficult if you feel they ignored warnings and didn’t put in enough effort, but it's a significant learning experience and may put them on a more productive path in future. Options vary depending on the gap between their predicted grades and what they were awarded. If they missed by a small margin, it’s possible to speak to the university to see if they'll make an exception. Alternatively, they can apply for another place through Clearing. If they need time to refocus, a gap year could be an option.

Unconditional offers: a reminder

If your teen has accepted an unconditional offer, they already have a guaranteed place, so there’s not much to worry about other than whether the results show they achieved their potential.