A level results day 2024

[Happyface246]

How’s everyone else feeling about results day? I’ve got one at uni already and 2nd dd hoping to go to Kent in September. She seems ok about it at the moment although think that will change as it gets closer. Me I’m so keeping my fingers crossed she gets what she wants, I know there will always be other options but she loved the open day. Going to struggle with this one going though as it has been a real journey to get to where she is.

I thought the universities had the results over the weekend? I think there in an embargo in place from the 9th to 15th?

It must take quite a while for them to sort through all the applications, so must need a few days.

Uni's got the A levels results last Friday pm - schools get them this Wed.
UCAS say applications are down 0.3% on 2023.

Sorry I have a question.
My daughter has been asked for ucas points to gain her place, but when I look at the website for her choice the courses she's studied aren't even listed.
So using the historical data with her predicted grades says she wouldn't be offered a place because it's not the right course selection, but she's been offered a place based on points so as long as she makes the points that will be ok?

I stayed well away from all this until this last week and wish I'd not looked!!

Universities don't list all courses that they accept to satisfy entry requirements - only the most common ones. If your DD has got an offer then the university must be happy with her choices. Look at the offer she has, not what the website says!

Ah thank you; I knew it was earlier than schools but couldn't remember when.

redskydarknight thank you! I think I'm going to step away from any websites till Thursday ha ha!! 🤣

TW : Suicide

Daughter's boyfriend attempted suicide the day before some of her exams.
Frankly, if she's got in, I'll be surprised over the moon - still can't believe she made it in for the exams after that.

We've booked accommodation and I'm hoping against hope she manages it, but if she doesn't, we will try clearing.

I'm so sorry that's happened to your daughter ( and obviously her boyfriend that he felt that was the only way)

Checking in.

I have a question - DS has applied for 2025 deferred entry. Is there any point looking at clearing? He says you are automatically put in clearing if you don't get your first choice. That doesn't make sense to me if he's not going until next year anyway.

You can’t find a deferred place in Clearing but you could, to be a bit sneaky, get a place in Clearing and then after a week or so ask for it to be deferred. The uni may of course say no.

Thanks! That makes sense. I couldn't see why someone who deferred would be put into clearing.

@Pinkypinkyplonk and others putting the house on the market quickly. Our little darlings still needed a base, most weekends of 1st yr one of them was home. There was still a ton of their stuff here. Daughters don't take many of their clothes with them. Sports kit, skis and boat stuff! It might be next year before you can think of it.
On a happy note we did not want to abandon the memories of our house either.

Interesting to read about lots of universities having not filled their places. I looked when Clearing opened in July and DD’s firm uni/subject was listed in clearing.

DD has also observed that many of her cohort at college are taking gap years and have either not applied to uni or have gone for deferred entry. We were thinking was a bit of an anomaly but it seems that it might be the picture nationally if universities are struggling to fill spaces this year.

@Rollergirl11 DD is sitting on offers but has no intention of going to uni this year (her school strongly encouraged her to submit a UCAS application, even though she always planned to take a gap year). I did advise her to cancel her application for this coming academic year but she hasn't done so yet.

Of course, it could make it significantly more competitive to apply for 2025/26, if so many of this cohort are not going to uni this year but intend to do so in the future.

TBH I noticed this in both my DS's year which was 2 years ago and in my DD's year (waiting for A Level results).
I think there is definitely a trend in students taking a gap year (sometimes to re-evaluate options, or to save money) prior to going to university. I would be interested to know if it is more prevalent this year than the last couple of years (post Covid).
I also wonder if the probable/possible (depending on new government) introduction of LLE next year has persuaded anyone to hold off applying this year.

Excuse my ignorance but what's LLE, @redskydarknight?

With youngsters now knowing that they'll be working until at least 67 (possibly longer), who can blame them for not wanting to start the journey to adulthood straight out of sixth form?

It gives them time to consider things from a more detached perspective than school allows them, I'd hope.

LLE=Lifelong Learning Entitlement; a funding mechanism that will replace the current student loan system for England undergraduates (basically you get a "pot" of money that can be used for study, rather than having to tie your study to a qualification).

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lifelong-learning-entitlement-lle-overview/lifelong-learning-entitlement-overview

It was introduced by the last UK government and was meant to come in from January 2026, but the new government has not indicated whether they wish to continue/delay/abandon it yet.

It was mentioned at a couple of the Open Days that we went to - in response to questions about deferring entry.

Just checking in ahead of Thursday, which can't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned 🫤

@QuitChewingMyPlectrum im so sorry your DD had that experience and of course also sorry for the boyfriend. Indeed she must have had to dig deep to even get the door of the exam hall.
I hope all here do well but I will be checking how your DD does if you want to share on Thursday.

@redskydarknight thanks for filling me in. I like to think I keep myself up-to-date on education-related matters but clearly not!

Just read a comment on WIWIKAU, about UCL research on A Level results. It shows that only circa 25% do as well or better than predicted. Go figure...

I've been busy thinking that DD could do better than predicted because she pulled her finger out, revision-wise, when it came to her actual A Levels (rather than the very little revision she did for mocks / previous tests). But thinking I'm perhaps being naive.

What is WIWIKAU?

The point on predicted grades is interesting. Some schools bow to pressure from parents to push the predicted grades upwards and therefore they have a lower predicted/actual rate. I think the hope is that universities then just accept them anyhow.
In a year where the pressure is less, they might indeed accept them so it is unfair to students whose schools play it straight.

What is WIWIKAU?

What I wish I knew about University. Established Facebook group.

@O2HaveALittleHouse yes, I was thinking the same thing about predicted grades. But yes, that approach doesn't favour the students/schools that don't play the system in that way.

I usually find WIWIKAU very helpful but it’s making me anxious the last few days with so many people posting asking the exact same questions about firm, insurance, clearing and having a million different plans in place.

@Rollergirl11 our plan doesn't currently extend beyond potentially asking to look at exam script(s), if DD is close to a (higher) grade boundary, particularly in her preferred degree subject.