The day you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. You’ve got your a-Level results. Some of you will be flying through to their chosen university. Others will be left feeling a bit disappointed. If you fall into the last category, remember one thing:
 

Your A-Level results are not the end of the world. You have plenty of options available to you.

What to Do If You Don’t Get the Grades

If you haven’t already, give yourself a moment. Take a deep breath. Put this into perspective. The world isn’t over, and you don’t need to spend any time wallowing!

If you didn’t get the grades you needed, don’t panic. Your results really aren’t the be all and end all. It will be OK. We promise.

There are a few things you can do straight away…

Option 1 – Request a Remark

If you think your marks are wrong, or they’re on the border between two marks, you can request for your paper to be remarked by different examiner. You’ll need to speak to your school/college as soon as possible, and if your uni place relies on your grades keep them in the loop; they’re more likely to hold your place for you. If you’re still not satisfied after your paper has been reviews, you can submit an appeal. You’ll have until the 31^st August 2018 to submit your results if they’re under review/appeal.

Option 2 – Go Through Clearing

If you just didn’t get the grades you needed, you can apply for a university place through clearing. This is where universities have available spaces after filling their conditional and non-conditional places. If you’re certain you want to go to university, this is a great option. Speak to UCAS about their clearing service. If you’re set on going to a particular university, speak directly to their admissions team – they might still consider you for your original course, offer you a different course or recommend you come back in a year after you’ve re-sat some exams.

Option 3 – Resits

Second time can be a charm! If you’re certain you want to go to university, but you didn’t get the grades you needed and didn’t find a course for you through clearing, you might need to re-sit those exams that have let you down. Resits give you a second chance at getting the results you wanted; you can take the exam again at your college (or another centre if your college can’t accommodate resits) or you can re-sit some exams online. Online resits will give you the flexibility to take the exam again at a time that suits you best as you’re not confined to an exam timetable.

Option 4 – Don’t Go

If results day has made you realise that university isn’t for you, that’s OK too! You won’t be surprised to know that just a handful of career paths rely on you having a degree. These days, more employers look for experience and a willingness to learn and adapt. Chances are, you’ve got most of the core soft skills employers look for, like good communication and attention to detail. You might just need to brush up on a few hard skills for certain roles.

If you don’t have your sights set on uni, you might consider an apprenticeship. Hold up. Here’s what you should know about apprenticeships and what you can achieve with an apprenticeship. 

If you’ve realised apprenticeships aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, vocational training is a great alternative.

What is vocational training?

Vocational training is an educational route that gives you hands-on and practical experience for a particular career. This type of training prepares you better for the workplace (that could be in fitness, beauty, IT or social care) as you’re learning the key skills and gaining the most relevant knowledge. Usually, vocational training is completed over a short period of time, so you could be up and running in your new career in a matter of months.

Unlike uni, vocational training doesn’t leave you with tens-of-thousands-of-pounds worth of debt (one more reason why you’ve made the right choice with vocational training!). Training courses typically range from £1500 - £4000, depending of course on what you’re looking to do, how quickly you want to do it and what level you’re looking to train at. Vocational training is an affordable choice and you can even choose funding options to help you out.

There are many career paths that vocational training is clearly suited to, like Personal Training or Events Management – you’ll need hands-on experience in these specific areas that you won’t get at university. But what about careers in technical areas, like web development, software development or digital marketing? Don’t you need a degree to start your career here? NO!

You might be surprised to learn that careers in IT don’t hinge on a degree. Seriously! In fact, many employers look for specific certifications that prove you can do the job. Sure, you can go to university, take a 3-year degree in web development, rack up a minimum of £30,000 of debt and start a junior level job after you’ve graduated. But why would you when you can get certified in the specific areas employers are looking for, train in an average of 6-9 months and benefit from a money back guarantee to boot? We know what we’d choose…!
 
If uni isn’t for you, speak to an advisor about starting your career in fitness, beauty, IT, education, social care or events management now!

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