Ewan :
As someone who was in your exact position this time last year (now first year uni student), I've got 2 pieces of advice:
1. On the Wednesday, have a look at other uni courses you'd be happy to do, just in case you need a backup for clearing so you have a shortlist ready if things go wrong rather than having to start from scratch on the day. Doesn't need to be extensive, just enough so you can have your Plan B ready.
2. When it comes to looking at your results, this is what I did (and what I recommend to all my friends who are in Year 13 right now). Go somewhere quiet where you can be alone, that could be the garden (like me), the bathroom (like my parents did for their results days back in the 80s), or just a room where you can ask your family to temporarily step out. Open up UCAS, and it'll say one of two things:
If you've been accepted by your firm or insurance, job done, you can then saunter down to your school/college, safe in the knowledge it doesn't matter what you got because you're in (you may even be in for a pleasant surprise if it turns out you exceeded your entry requirements)
If not, you've got a clearing plan (from the first piece of advice), and I can guarantee it'll be a lot easier to come to terms with the news if you're not surrounded by people you know celebrating their results, and instead you've got family members who can help you with the clearing process.
If there's one thing you take away from this: YOUR GRADES DO NOT DEFINE YOU. One of my friends got a D in Art and failed Maths, and he's now at London Metropolitan Uni doing Fine Art, another failed 2/3 of his A-levels so he couldn't do a Mechanical Engineering degree, but is now doing a degree apprenticeship as a motor mechanic in the field he was planning to go into in the first place.
You've got this, best of luck!
2026-08-11 23:35:34