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!

DC isn't allowed into school. They have decided to only email results from now on and anyone needing help can call and get help from a teacher. I think it's a shame but DC thinks it's much better - doesn't want to have to face people unhappy or be unhappy himself in front of people...

I can see it both ways, @Gulplastonetogo . For those who need extra support it feels a bit impersonal but there is the trade-off of not having to see the star student getting 4 A stars and photo taken for social media etc etc.

We're taking him up to school but will be waiting outside until he's ready to tell us.

But his firm Uni (LSE) have started holding teams mtg today based on the halls they applied for. There are 2 halls with mtgs today and tomorrow, so they won't even know their results before getting all the joining instructions. Luckily his on Thursday afternoon so they will either all be there and very happy, or they will be missing as not got the grades I guess.

DD went out with friends today to see the Barbie movie. All are now nervously awaiting Thursday. She was fine until today, and its finally hit home. She will be checking UCAS, then going to school which opens at 9am. I just hope she gets what she needs as shes happy with both firm or insurance. She says she will go into clearing if it does not work out as she refuses to do a gap year.

I can’t believe results day is tomorrow. It feels like a horrible Christmas Eve!
DD has absolutely no idea if she’s done enough to meet the ground boundaries. She had a look though clearing yesterday in case she misses the firm and insurance.
I hate seeing her so worried and nervous. She couldn’t have worked any harder so I’m hoping she gets what she needs.
thinking of you all, we are all in the same boat, and I hope when we all post tomorrow it’s happy news.
I had a dream last night that I was drinking whisky with some crumpets at 7am on results day. Guess my stress is coming out too!

I'm terrified. DD worked incredibly hard. Her grey ashen skin and hollow dark eyes were an indication of how little she had done anything but revise in forever.
But she is so dyslexic it's impossible to tell!

She has said if she doesn't get her grades she will retake and get a job for a year.
It's so hard.

Hello 👋, just checking in after a pretty blissful few weeks with it all pushed to the back of our minds. DD has had a good summer, enjoying her part time job and socialising, culminating in a few days away at a festival last weekend. Like the flick of a switch on her return (and not helped by the exhaustion of partying and sleeping in a tent for 4 nights!)) that happy, hopeful, chatty young person has reverted to the grumpy, stressed, monosyllabic shell of a girl, that I worried about so much during all those months of revising and exams.

It's that awful feeling of not being able to make it better... We have all the plan Bs & Cs but she's a bright girl who has always pushed herself academically and puts a lot of pressure on herself to achieve. It was this very personality trait that led her to take A-level Physics over another (any other!) subject that she would have excelled at like her other two choices. She struggled with it but persevered throughout the 2 years and then the exams were an absolute shit show (bloody AQA). Unfortunately she is now faced with the fact that she may very well have failed at something for the very first time in her life. It's a very hard lesson to learn, especially when other dreams rest on that one ill fated decision.

Oh for a fast forward 48 hours button to take us safely to a place in time where the dust has settled...

@Guinefort my DD is also regretting one of her subject choices.
she is full of ‘what ifs) at the moment. I just had to say yesterday that its all done. The results are in and they are what they are and there’s nothing to do but wait now.
it all feels so cruel. All these months of work, jumping through hoops to get the offer, and then this long wait to log in and see if they’ve got in.
this time in 24 hours is going to bloody horrible!

Dd is taking it well so far. She has a vague plan of which (surprising) uni to look at if clearing is required. One she never had on her list originally but I can see why as it will tick some of her boxes....and it isn't a million miles away either which is good.

I feel bad talking to her about plan C because she did v well last year at AS and should be able to get over the grades she needs. She needs ABB and got AAA at AS last year, which is 40% of her grades done. But obv things can change with this year's exams. She worked hard with a clear plan for revision and went into college on every day of her study leave. And in for revision sessions for maths in the holidays too so everything points to her doing well, but you can never tell!

We aren't allowed to mention grades or how tomorrow will go now in case we jinx it!

Mostly we have
Plan A...it goes well, she goes into college to see a couple of favourite teachers and some friends then we go put for the day shopping and for lunch in cheshire oaks.

Plan B....get stuck into clearing.

Morning all

Can't wait for this to be over now. Had my first "exam results" dream last night. I was in a bar with no reception and suddenly realised it was 9am. Yikes.

I know that Clearing's been open a while, but does anyone know when it's updated following the Universities considering A level results? I don't know if it's a drip feed or whether any extra vacancies or grade changes all appear at a certain time.

No dreams here in fact I woke up blissfully forgetful and dh said big day tomorrow and I said oh something else

Then he reminded me. Felt the anticipation stress come back

Feel bunched up against it now

Really nervous now. Like others have said I just want it to be done.
As DS is away I've taken a couple of days off in case it all goes wrong, I'm really hoping I can have a lovely relaxing time after all this stress!

@KefaloniaKid we have been tracking a few possibilities and the expected entry requirements changed yesterday (downwards! phew!). UCAS wasn't up to date but the actual uni websites were.

I'm not sure whether these will change again of course.

I think ds is just trying to forget it's happening until this time tomorrow when we will be sitting outside school waiting for it to open at 8.
He has a Plan A, but that's it. Stupid I know but he didn't want to do anything else.
Plan A is a degree apprenticeship with a very well-known global company which will undoubtedly lead to a good job for life if he wants it.
If he doesn't get the grades/points, who knows. It's going to be touch and go I fear.😱

The more I think about it and see the way in which DD and all her friends have navigated the last couple of years, the more I think the system needs reform. This endless wait and high stakes outcome is not necessary. They could do A-levels a touch earlier, then apply with grades in hand. If universities want more info they could still have pre-qualification tests so that you know if you've cleared that bar before you go into what would essentially be wholesale clearing. I don't see that would be much more work for universities and would remove all this agonising waiting. Like lots of her friends DD doesn't know which end of the Uk she will be living in in a few weeks time; or even when she would go as there is a two week gap between term start dates for her firm and insurance offers.

I think that the system is awful, and Results Day/Clearing is the worst bit of it. It is always a horrible day for me as a teacher (worrying about the results of my own class, and then being available for the bunch of students who I've helped through UCAS). Fortunately, my DD had an unconditional offer last year; I am not sure how I would have managed if I'd had to deal with Clearing stresses for her as well as doing my job at school.

Hang on in there, everyone.

We are taking her in first thing and waiting in the.car. It's going to be a long wait !!! I am very anxious today. Haven't felt this anxious in a long time. Summer was good amd we.managed to enjoy it, DD has barely been home. I also have a couple of says off work to help with whatever is coming next !!!

All getting a bit too real now. DS had a meltdown about something else yesterday and insisted on lying on the driveway for 20 mins - I know how he feels.

@LaurelGrove I couldn't agree more with This endless wait and high stakes outcome is not necessary If they could have done AS levels and have some marks in hand, if the wait were shorter or they could apply to uni after they have their grades ... the whole thing is just unnecessarily stressful.

It's not like we can even feel like 'this time tomorrow it will all be over'. Argh.

Absolutely agree with you @PhotoDad , is it just our kids here in the UK that have to go through this weeks-long anteroom of hell? It's long overdue a reform for everyone's sakes, from the unis to us parents!

Love the description of today as being like 'a horrible Christmas Eve' - yes!

Dd is heavily set on her course and uni, was lucky to get a generous contextual offer from them, but anything and everything can go wrong, of course. We have discussed plan Bs and Cs, she has a vague idea of trying clearing but hasn't really looked at it. Magical thinking, I suspect.

We had a different system. I think it’s hard no matter how or when you get the results as you’re either in or not

I’ve either blocked it out or I actually do feel more nervous about Ds results than when I went through it

I couldn’t be more tense about it. There’s nothing you can do though, except just wait

@LaurelGrove we have that gap between start dates for firm and insurance. If DS gets his insurance his accommodation is open first week of September, firm is end of September and course starts in October. Some accommodation has set dates when you can move in (I am assuming can be reasonably flexible) but for firm you choose (or more likely get allocated) accommodation on results day, so can’t yet book what day to take off work to help move. Then of course we could be looking at clearing, which could be a whole different date and location.

Good luck to all dc tomorrow.

it’s going to be a long 23 hours! We’re off for a family day out today as I thought a bit of enforced bonding would be good for us all 😂

Durham have put on their website that they’ll have approx 150 vacancies for home students - don’t know if they normally have things in clearing but I have spent some time over analysing this statement. Had a rotten nights sleep envisaging all sorts of doom laden scenarios. Fortunately dd whilst I know she’s v anxious seems a lot more upbeat.

I know everything will be ok (even if it’s not the original plan) and have stressed this to dd - I think MN is just my outlet for my neurosis!

I see Nottingham have added clearing grades to their vancancies - has anywhere else?

I had some utterly bizarre anxiety dreams last night (one of which involved calling Jake Gyllenhaal's mobile and having him hiss 'why are you calling me you moron' while my phone malfunctioned and prevented me ending the call).

I don't even like Jake Gyllenhaal! Thanks, brain. Might go and lie down on the driveway...

@KittyMcKitty I lol'd Durham's distinction that the 150 clearing vacancies are for 'well-qualified' candidates.

I get the impression they'd rather not have to use Clearing

Yes I did something of an eye roll but then decided that it meant they’d rejected dd.

@PacificState live your JG dream!