A Level Results Day And Clearing

We make cards, pin badges and prints in the UK. We don't sell laptops, textbooks or bedding sets, so this is a straight guide with the card at the end.

A level results come out on the third Thursday in August. UCAS Track updates from 8am, before the paper results are handed out at school.

Clearing sounds like a crisis and usually isn't. Thousands of people get their place through it every year, including at well-regarded universities.

Finish it with a card

A good luck or congratulations card, ready either way before the morning starts.

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The timings

  • UCAS Track shows whether the place is confirmed from 8am, but not the grades.
  • Paper results are collected at school from about 8am, which is where the grades are.
  • Clearing vacancies are published on the UCAS site on the morning itself.
  • Phone lines at popular universities are busiest between 9am and 11am.

Before the day

  • Charge the phone, write the UCAS ID and clearing number on paper, and know the Track login.
  • Note two or three back-up courses and their phone numbers.
  • Be somewhere with signal and a quiet room for calls.
  • Agree who's making the calls - it should be the student, since universities won't discuss it with a parent.

How clearing works

  • Check the vacancy list, call the university directly and give your clearing number and grades.
  • They give a verbal offer on the phone, often within minutes.
  • You then add the clearing choice in UCAS Track - only one at a time, so be sure before you add it.
  • Sort accommodation the same day; the good halls go within 48 hours.

If they've just missed the offer

  • Call the firm choice before doing anything else - universities often accept a near miss.
  • Adjustment-style upgrades also exist if grades came in higher than expected.
  • Taking a year and reapplying is a legitimate choice, not a failure.
  • "You've got options and we'll work through them" is the only thing worth saying at 8.15am.

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How to write it so it lands

  • Track at 8am, grades at school.
  • Student makes the calls, not the parent.
  • Book accommodation the same day.

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

What time do A level results come out?

UCAS Track updates from 8am on the third Thursday in August, and schools hand out the paper results from about the same time.

How does clearing work?

Check UCAS for vacancies, call the university with your clearing number and grades, get a verbal offer, then add the choice in Track.

What if you miss your offer by one grade?

Call the firm choice first. Universities frequently confirm a near miss, especially if the student calls themselves.

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