A level results day 2026

Just found this thread - congrats all!

My own child is still primary-aged, but my niece got her place at LSE and she is thrilled. We are happy to have her around London too - she can be a bit wild so good to keep a slight eye on her :)

I went to uni in London too and loved it. DH was in Warwick and really disliked it but obs things change a lot in twenty years!

DS has deferred his place for a year, but it’s lovely to know that his next 4 years at least are mapped out, 5 if he decides to do the masters!

I shall be looking to you and @Fabfabfab for top Warwick tips when DS does finally get started! He’s already hoping to get Jack Martin halls - moving out over Easter doesn’t bother him (it will be a bit of a nuisance for us though!) but the thought of extra beer money appeals to him!

Talking of apps, I used the family wall app for revision timetables/chore checklist etc at home and will still be using it for DS2 (dreaded GCSES). Would it be embarrassing to repurpose it to share recipes and help him with budget planning?

My DD’s uni people found people via tik tok. They didn’t find out flat allocation until move in time.

Congratulations and commiserations.

In the absence of extenuating circumstances I don't understand how schools get grade predictions so wrong. I have read some really sad posts on the WIWIKAU Facebook page from parents of young people who were predicted high grades and ended up with Es and Us.

My heart goes out to them. I hope these young people find another way forward.

Its funny isn't it. DD got a C in her best topic in her best subject bringing it down to a B overall. Luckily got her firm choice and she seems absolutely fine with it. I feel a bit disappointed for her as I know she had her heart set on all A/A* but in a year no one will care.

Your son would have to phone.

Universities want the students to advocate for themselves

Reassurance to anxious parents - I have observed over the years (mine are now in their 30s) that as long as they like their course, the actual university is less important. Happened to me 50 years ago when I missed my place in Manchester and ended up scrambling into Newcastle. I loved it and would have stayed up in NE had it not been for a job abroad.

I noticed with my kids’ friends that those who didn’t like their university were those who had chosen the city over the actual course.

@Lemons1571 I really hope you get the grades today. I actually can’t imagine how frustrating and exhausting it must be to have spent all day yesterday still in the unknown. Your situation really does seem very unusual, and the school/college unbelievably crap to not be contactable after lunch time on results day!

All the schools here will have had senior staff in all day, and admin staff work through the summer anyway, so it’s rare you’d get a day when there is absolutely no-one in. Senior staff will also all be in today, and I know a lot of my friends who are teachers, but not necessarily senior staff, were in for a while yesterday too. My sister who is an HoD and head of sixth form was in a good bit of Wednesday in preparation, and then was in yesterday morning from 7.30am and didn’t leave until about 4pm.

Hoping you got some sleep last night. I was shattered as hadn’t slept well the few night before and then had a busy day yesterday. I was in my bed by 9pm last night.

The whole system is broken. Predictions are often best day/best scenario. If they don’t err on generous side then they won’t get offers.
Then some parents and yp think because they are predicting that that’s likely outcome.
My DD’s predictions were based on yr12 mocks less than a year into 6th form.
Lots can happen in a year - get a car and be out driving around, discover alcohol, dating, working lots of hours in pt job.
When we were looking there didn’t seem to be much B/C level certainty not at top 20 type universities.
So everyone needs As predicted to get a chance of being able to apply. Yet for many courses and unis inc RG they drop to B/C for clearing.
Surely better to advertise around B grade in first place not have a dance of ‘John’ is really a strong B student, but we’ll predict A as he once got an A in an essay so he can apply. He has a bad question on day gets a C and it looks like gone horribly wrong. Uni take him with BBC anyway but he still feels a bit rubbish as predicted AAB.

Absolutely agree. And, though it is a big generalisation, I think the view is that private schools tend to over predict grades and state schools can under predict.
Both my DDs opted out of predicted grades/ clearing by planning a local foundation year. Even if that hadn't been an option I'd have encouraged a gap year. DD2 will be applying this year with known grades so should get quick answers. DD1 knew in the January that she'd have a place at her preferred university and the summer felt much calmer. There was a lot of pressure from school to apply and defer but I could not see the point of that.
Hard to see how to improve the system though....

One of mine going to Edinburgh had ‘met’ online all of his flat mates (central living kitchen and eight bedrooms in a self catering hall).

Brilliantly they had even worked out who was bringing what - like a wedding gift list. No chance of eight toasters….😉 but an air fryer, a sandwich machine etc.

In other countries they manage to allocate places after results. I know this happens in Ireland for example. It seems ridiculous the amount of stress the current system generates.

@Lemons1571

hiws things today ? Any news ?

I can’t see how the school are going to make this upto your dc now 😡😡as so many places will be snapped up already

I’m so shocked by this, I’ve be heard of this happening before

good luck to you today
hope you ca. soemthing good sorted

Ohh, @Lemons1571 I can't believe you and your son are still in limbo!! I hope you manage to speak to someone today. Are you able to go to the school?

I agree, the system as it is is bonkers with offers being based on grades predicted by teachers, and then the stressful wait and last minute decisions being made on results day.

@Lemons1571 did he manage to get his grades? I have been thinking about you.

sorry didn’t mean to quote above.

Also wondering how things are for you @Lemons1571 - fingers crossed. I feel for your son - he must feel anxious and upset. Do let us know.

I agree that the system is bonkers and actually quite unfair as it’s more dependent on getting offers than on actual achievement. I’ve also a DS in Dublin so have walked through the CAO system with him and much prefer it.

However, I would caution against assuming that applying with grades in hand gets a better/easier result within the current system.

When we did open days with both DS and DD, all the unis said very openly that they couldn’t give preferential treatment to people applying with grades in hand compared to predicted grades and had to treat them all equally.

Anecdotally, My niece applied for nursing in U6th with predicted grades of 4A. She got her interviews and got 5 offers. She took a year out (which included some relevant experience) and none of the courses would allow her to defer so had to re-apply with grades in hand. She re-applied with 4A confirmed and only got 2 offers the second time around, and neither her previous firm or insurance made an offer. She ended up taking another year out, and reapplied for a 3rd time. This time she got 3 offers and thankfully it included the one she really wanted. But all that to say, that it’s not a given that if you have grades in hand, even if they exceed the entry requirements, you will get an offer.

How’s comes the rest of Europe manage to a post results based system ?

yet we have this seriously weird bonkers system
of apply on often false predicted grade then uni
lowering the grades to ccc or lower

it’s all a bit smoke and mirrors

and seems to be designed to create a sort of scarify mindset and make people panic into making huge financial descions without the time to really think it through ?

sure a post results based system like rest of Europe would eliminated sooooo much of this stress ???

Today I woke up thinking - all the tension and then excitement and relief. And now - grr. About student loans. So I've started worrying about the next thing now! I do really worry about it and wish we were wealthy and could pay everything for him so no student debt. They work so hard and want to achieve. Son was insistent he wanted to go to university (understandably) but I really wish governments would write off student loan debt! Anyway. It is what it is. But grr. Maybe that's for another thread - funding.

@manywanderings me too! I wish my dc wouldn't be 'taxed' for going to university for their whole working life.

Agree. It's such a ridiculous stress inducing system! Why, for example at the very least, do they not allow you to shortlist your 5 so keep a larger variety of options you then choose from calmly post results? Or just a better post results system?

I feel like this used to be the system. I don't remember having to choose a firm and insurance (early 90s).

no I did mine in the early 90's too and don't remember choosing now you mention it. I also had 2 forms. One of uni and one for poly ( which did not only have technical courses. My friend did a degree in English at a poly.