Countdown to A level results day - 2023

[HereWeGo2023]

Following on from the A level support thread I thought I would create one for results day.
Hopefully you will all join me for the long nail biting wait and the big day at the end of it!

Sounds encouraging @SertralineAndTherapy

Hope Highers people got what they needed to today.

Ofqual said they would go back to 2019 levels, SQA to meet in middle. So I don’t think we can extrapolate from Scottish results what might happen to English and NI results.

I dont think the SQA said meet in the middle

The SQA has this year returned to what it describes as a "normal awarding procedure" but promised to be "sensitive" to any ongoing impacts of the pandemic.

and Ofqual said

This year GCSEs, AS and A levels are returning to pre-pandemic standards, with protection built into the grading process to recognise the disruption that students have faced.

As I understand it, Ofqual want a similar distribution curve to 2019.

I suspect results will be ever so slightly better than 2019.

Just a week to go. It’s strange with time going quickly and slowly at the same time. Planning to keep busy between now and then. There is so much talk of preparing for clearing everywhere that it almost feels inevitable that most people with need their plan B but telling myself that logically that is not the most likely outcome.

@SerenadeOfTheSchoolRun i said the same yesterday, how can time go quickly and slowly at the same time!
nerves are really kicking in here. DD is so invested in her firm, but has now started looking more at her insurance option, and also taking about downloading a clearing app.
As said by pp, it seems so unfair to let them get this far into it without knowing the grades.
it must be nearly a year since she applied and it could could all be wiped out in one second when she logs into UCAS
this time next week is going to be torture, I want it to come around but I also don’t!

My countdown timer has just kicked over to 7 days 0 hrs 0 mins. Same feeling here - time going so fast and so slow.

Is the talk of clearing just because there's nothing else that can be talked about at the moment? DS remains adamant it's not for him, so I'm not investigating.

Trying not to think about it, or the fact it's 38 days until he would be going to uni.

Nerves are kicking in here. DD refusing to look at plan B and still not keen on her insurance.

post from BBC this morning about clearing states that most have got their preferred choices

In a separate statement sent to BBC News, Ms Marchant said applications this year were "likely to be more competitive than in recent years".
She said most students who want to go to university "will have secured their preferred choice",

How are the BBC reporting on this when the universities haven’t received A level results yet? It’s tomorrow isn’t it? Is Marchand working from the Scott’s and IB results?

@kackle would she considering resits then? I’ve been looking at universities’ policies and both DDs firm (Bath) and insurance (York) accept resits. No idea how they actually take resits though!

@tribpot 38 days 😱😱

@HereWeGo2023 what’s the clearing app please? Someone on WIWIKAU said they had their student on the laptop and the two parents on the phone lines trying to get through & then would pass the phone to the student. Does that mean you can apply online too? I’d be worried they wouldn’t see it!

Some results are out today.
CIE exams.
DD had forgotten her Geo was due!
Received an A but at 89 & with A* a 90 she will probably ask for a remark. A lot in her class asking for a remark apparently.

Indeed, how do they know most students have their preferred choice and dies that mean either firm or insurance. All blah with no substance

@NotDonna I’m not sure but I’ll ask her and let you know. I’m sure she said to me ‘should I download the clearing app or will that be tempting fate’

I just want it over and done with now so we can plan going forward. It’s been such an awful year for both my dc and for us as a family that I can’t imagine a scenario with a positive outcome despite putting on a resolutely positive face for everyone- I just feel worn down by it all.

Anyway as the results go to the unis tomorrow it’s obviously all over and done with - keeping fingers crossed we end up with a positive outcome whatever that may be 🤞🏻

I'm guessing that exam boards have released total numbers to the qualifications body and so they will be aware that, looking at the whole, results are such that they broadly meet or exceed the offers. But it's meaningless for our individual children and could be meaningless for a whole institution as they might have chosen an algorithm that doesn't work so well this year for them.
I'm burying my head in the sand a bit... I have no idea how well DC will have done! I know he's capable and worked really hard but that means nothing until the grades are received. I think he's nervous too but we are not discussing it here! I wouldn't be surprised if he chose to take a year out if he doesn't get his firm choice.

Going to be a long week...more so for me than DS I suspect! He says he's not too bothered as thinks he has done well enough.....not entirely sure that's 100% true but he's not even looked at when insurance term would start, yet knows everything about everything to do with his firm choice. And he's having nothing to do with anything to do with clearing, resits, year out etc as is adamant all will be well. Needs A * AA for firm and AAB for insurance, but he will crash so far if he doesn't get preferably the firm offer, but certainly either offer...

@Cantonet so close to the boundary! Wishing all the best for the remark.

DS has checked dates for both firm and insurance, there seems to be nearly a month difference between the term start dates. If he gets insurance, he could be moving away in 3.5 weeks time (I'm not ready!!) I am sure he will be really disappointed if he doesn't get his firm choice but he liked his insurance choice too, and if he gets that there won't be much time to dwell as we will need to get everything sorted quite quickly. So he has a Plan A and a Plan B, but we haven't mentioned a Plan C eg clearing, retakes, keep thinking we need to

Am mystified by the CIE results situation - two of three of DSs exams were CIE but it seems the school doesn’t release the results until next week alongside other A level results - does that sound right? He’s just been comparing the grade boundaries between 2019 and 2023 and some seem to have gone up slightly (not materially) which was not what I was expecting tbh.

I don’t really understand about the thresholds clearly as it looks like the geography threshold is more like 65% for an A star if I am reading this thing correctly

https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/690792-geography-9696-june-2023-grade-threshold-table.pdf

Too complicated. Will see what school says next week.

@legalalien , lots of chat on the WIWIKAU Facebook page about schools not releasing CIE results to students today and waiting until next week. Not much a parent can do as the school has the portal login.
Best of luck to everyone, my dd is waiting for next week.

The 89 is the % uniform marks apparently. So the 90 in this equates to an A*. So i'm not sure what her actual marks are. The grades seem to have been tough for Geo this year in her class.

Is so odd here-no talk of the results at all other than how there are actually being received which we now have clarity on.
DD is for sure having a gap year and has deferred places that she may or may not take up should she get the grades needed. I guess that is driving the lack of anxiety around the grades as it won’t affect what happens straightaway -Is a weird one!

I’m getting really scared now! The reality of makes coming out for CIE which seem so high.. mine needs AAB and I really don’t know if going to get into firm… have no idea how he has done and was feeling v relaxed- now scared stiff!! Wish media would stop with all speculative coverage… doesn’t help get through next week…. How everyone else?

Also getting very nervous - DD is so desperate to go to her first choice but needs AAA and her course is very much oversubscribed so if she misses by a grade or two she is likely to lose out. She is working every day saving money so luckily doesn't have much time to stress about it. Next Wednesday night will be very nerve racking!

We're also nervous. DD worked really hard but feels it's all such an unknown, particularly with 3 essay based subjects. We're not requiring A's but needs a B in key subject for both firm & insurance - if she misses that then I'm not sure what she'll do. There's nothing in clearing that would be acceptable.

@SB1971 same here, DS is taking a gap year so decided not to apply this year - he's still at the stage of sitting down to write his personal statement! So although obvs is nervous/ wants to do well, I think it's much easier not having invested emotional energy in a particular course/ university etc.