A level results day 2026

[SilverBlue4]

Thread ready for results day tomorrow!

Yeah it’s ridiculously frustrating because he didn’t finish any of his papers either, and one of them was an 8 hour written exam. He ended up getting top marks on all of the coursework for the engineering, and only needed a mid merit for a distinction star, but because of the 8 hours of writing and no extra time he just didn’t finish any section of it. Ended up getting a pass so distinction overall.

If the GCSEs don’t come out perfect (especially English/history/RE given that they’re writing heavy) don’t worry too much because you’ll have time in college for them to properly assess whether extra time is needed, or whether rest breaks work. I think the key is to prove that without the time restriction she can answer everything, and that without a time restriction they’re just testing her speed not her knowledge.

She can do it :)

I took A levels in the early 80s and AFAIR you could only hold two offers. I recall I had to cancel one application (slightly complicated process) as I already had an offer from my first choice and my second choice so there was no point going for interview to Manchester (interviews much more common in those days – I had three).

@Lemons1571 sorry to read of your DS's difficult couple of days.

My DD was predicted A A/B AB and had offers of AAB and ABB – for various reasons she got BCC which was obviously disappointing. But after a day on the phones she had a place to study at Uni of Leicester, a place that IMHO flies under the radar, and turned out to be a great option for her.

Hope your DS sorts out his next steps soon. All the best to him.

@ComingInByAnsible and everyone else with a DC going to Warwick, I've just set up a thread in Higher Education if you want to join

That’s so lovely, thank you. 🥰 I like that phrase and will pass it on (along with the hug).

Super, thanks very much, @Fabfabfab, have checked in 🙂

Please tell your daughter that once she has her degree, no one will ever ask for her A-levels again. I did have AAA, but I did four and also got a D! I thought my life was ending! I didn't get into Cambridge so I had to "settle" for UCL. And I loved it! I now have a PhD and honestly, at each stage people just cared about the most recent degree.

DD got into her firm which is her dream uni but got a grade below predictions in 2 subjects and is also inconsolable. It’s hard when you’re so proud as they’ve done so well but all they see is failure. It’s got to be the system and pressure on them, to me this is insane. We’re having one of the subjects reviewed as she’s only a mark below the boundary. The other subject at no point in 2 years did she ever drop a grade from the predicted grade and she is really shocked. Even for this one she’s only 6 points below so really has done well. I really hope once at Uni she can find some perspective. And all I want to do is jump about being proud and happy!

Also I’d really appreciate advice on how to deal with her as I’m struggling! So far I’m just talking about Uni non stop. And I’ll go into her school to help sort out the review as she wants me to go along with her . I’m just a bit flummoxed about the sadness when she’s successfully got to the next step and by any standards has done exceptionally well.

I'm struggling too, but my one did not get into firm, which was the dream, missing it by one grade. I'm virtually on suicide watch here and would appreciate advice on how to be. I have tried consolation, leaving him alone, talking up insurance, reinforcing that he has not let anyone down...he just keeps crying, as his image of himself is shattered.

They’re sort of grieving in a way. My DC just went silent and held it all in stoically which was worse than crying it out imho.

We didn’t really say or do much really other than just let DC process it themselves and come to terms with their new path. Once they started uni it was all water under the bridge and friends who had got into the universities they’d missed out on weren’t having a great time. So it’s all swings and roundabouts for different reasons.

Had to go through the same thing a year later with DC2 who had longer to process and make a uni decision with grades in hand as took a gap year. And didn’t have the energy to retake.

It’s so hard when you are supporting them like this. Last year, my DS was broken by his grades. We drove him home from the school and he just wouldn’t get out of the car. He was sort of frozen. We were so worried.
Honestly it just took time. He did retakes in the end but he had to take that decision himself. We just had to sort of hold him until he was ready to take the next steps.
Good luck with it all.

She just has to go through the feeling and ride it out, and you have to let her. It's such a big emotional rollercoaster, they are very young, it's often their first experience of failure that matters, and their sense of perspective is skewed by the total lack of life experience.
She won't always feel this way - it just needs time. (And honestly, as someone involved with mark reviews, if it's only for vanity and not for a uni/apprenticeship place, don't bother - ask her how she will feel if the mark goes down. Which it might. She's scrambling for a way to feel better, I get that, but riding it out and gaining some resilience from it will serve her far better in the long term.) There may also be a point at which you just have to bluntly tell her to stop being so bloody silly.

As has been said, if he needs to grieve, let him. Don't try to fix it. He won't cry forever. Just tell him you know he's disappointed and you're all set to help him start preparing for the place he's got as soon as he's ready.

Sorry to hear so many kids are struggling.
DS had email from collrge about posdible remarks. As Accountancy was 1% of next grade he has asked fir that to be done just waiting on how to pay the £10.00. He email Geography to see if it is worth it but not heard back was also 1% off.
Still no.luck on apprentiships but does have an interview for a shop job which will get him some spending money, while he continues too look, as he was starting to get down so fingers crossed it goes well.

Is there a thread on here about kit for university? I'm starting to sort kitchen kit and not exactly sure if I'm getting too much or not enough. Already have cutlery and plates and bowls and a chopping knife, but pans? How many? What size? Someone also suggested an airfryer!

@manywanderings and everyone, I’ve just started a fledglings 2026 thread, could be a good place to discuss uni kit etc:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/5567080-fledglings-2026-support-discussion-and-looking-after-each-other?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

@Tebheag, good luck with the remarks, sounds like he was very close! And best of luck for job hunting, hope he makes a breakthrough soon.

@manywanderings
You need to check with their accommodation. None of my dc's uni accommodation would allow toasters let alone air friers! They did provide toasters though.

It also depends on what they like to cook/will want to cook.
For my oldest she took 3 pans, my youngest the frying pan was the most important - I think he had one other pan. #2 I think took one pan but they shared equipment.
And the size of the kitchen and the space they have - remember they may want to keep food in their "cupboard" or whatever space they have too, so there isn't a huge amount of space. They may manage to link up with people beforehand and discuss sharing equipment, or they might not.

We went for the basics:
Bowl/plate/dinner plate set of 4
Cutlery x4
Cups x 4
1 pan
1 good knife
1 chopping board
1 baking tray
1 can opener
1litre jug that could double as a bowl
1 wooden spoon

Then altered it depending on the child. Extras included:
More pans
Frying pan
Cake tins
Scales
Scissors
bottle opener
casserole dish
glasses
Filter jug
Cooking bowls
Food mixer
Cheese grater
Cake tin
Biscuit barrel
Plastic lunch boxes/storage tins

To identify it they had different ways.
One got it out, cooked, washed up and put it away in locked cupboard so no danger of mixing
One labelled all their stuff with coloured dots (they took spares in different colours and I think the whole flat used them in the end
And ds trusted to luck and that he wouldn't really care if he got the wrong one back anyway

You also want to put in washing up stuff so:
Fairy liquid (or equivalent)
dish cloths
Brush
Scrubber
tea towels

Thanks, yes I was tempted to go with something like the basics. Maybe 1 pan and 1 frying pan would be ok. University list has just about everything on it. Where did you get the 1 litre jug bowl? We have a great one at home and I can't find them any more. Ours might be 1.5 or 2 litre. It's a jug and also a microwave bowl.

I'm looking on Argos so I can spend nectar points!

When I went to uni anything new was "bought" with Esso vouchers. I got a sandwich toaster and some glasses.

I’m so sorry to hear that. It’s really awful to watch them struggling and not be able to help. 😢
I’m a children’s psychotherapist, (my DD is always telling me not to counsel her & there’s no emotional distance with your own child), but they’re probably going through the stages of loss/grief (for the future they imagined/identity they held). There’s denial, bargaining, sadness, anger and acceptance will finally come. My DD is currently at sadness and anger (at not getting the outcome she had worked so hard for).You can’t rush the journey, only support them through it. I really hope he feels better soon.

I hope she feels better soon. She’s sad that reality didn’t meet her expectations, but I think the further they get away from results, social media celebrations etc…the better they’ll feel (or that’s certainly my hope). Tomorrow we’re making an IKEA list for uni…moving forward.
Thinking of you both.

Thanks, wise words. 🙏
I told her people say that, as they want to comfort you, but don’t know what to say.
We’ve asked for the scripts and a teacher is going to talk her through them - won’t change the outcome, but will hopefully give her the closure, as you say.