What is expected from this year’s exam results?

– When are exam results this year?

A-level and T-level results are out on August 17, while GCSE results will be released on August 24.

This is the second year that students in England will receive results for the Government’s flagship T-level qualifications – which were launched to provide high-quality technical alternatives to A-levels.

Thousands of students will also receive results for vocational technical qualifications (VTQs) this month.

Results for VTQs at Level 3 taken alongside or instead of A-levels, such as BTECs, are due to be released to students on or before August 17. Results for many Level 2 VTQs are expected on or before August 24.

– What can we expect?

In England, exams regulator Ofqual has said this year’s national results will be lower than last year, but they are expected to be similar to 2019 – the last year before the pandemic.

The aim to return to pre-pandemic grading comes after Covid-19 led to an increase in top GCSE and A-level grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams.

But schools minister Nick Gibb has said “additional protection” is in place this year where grade boundaries will be altered if senior examiners find national evidence of a drop in standards compared with 2019.

He told the PA news agency: “A typical student in 2019 – given the same level of ability, the same level of diligence – the likelihood is that same student would get the same grades in 2023 as they would have done in 2019.”

– Was anything done to support students taking exams?

In England, GCSE students who took mathematics, physics and combined science this summer were given formulae and equation sheets during exams to acknowledge pandemic disruption to learning.

GCSE students were also not expected to confront unfamiliar words in language exams.

Exam papers in the same subject were spaced out more in the GCSE and A-level timetable than they were prior to the pandemic to give students more time to revise.

But unlike last year, students in England were not given advance information on the focus of this summer’s exams.

– How does the situation differ in the devolved nations?

England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland offered different levels of support to students who took exams this year, and the approaches to grading this year are set to vary.

In Wales and Northern Ireland, many students were given advance information about what to expect in their exam papers this summer to help them prepare.

In both countries, exam regulators have also said they do not plan to return to pre-pandemic grading until 2024.

In Scotland, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has taken a sensitive approach to grading and modified course assessments this year.

Figures released by the SQA on Tuesday showed that the pass rate for exams in Scotland is down from last year, but it remains above 2019 levels.

– Will students face tougher competition for university places?

Clare Marchant, chief executive of Ucas, expects it to be “more competitive” to secure a place on a degree course this year due to the growth in 18-year-olds in the UK population and rising demand from international students.

She told PA that any vacancies on selective courses are likely to “go faster” in clearing so students need to be “quick off the mark” on A-level results day,

Professor Sir Steve West, former president of Universities UK (UUK), has suggested that students could face tougher competition for places on some courses at selective universities this summer due to infrastructure pressures following major expansion during the Covid-19 years.

– What can students do if they are not happy with their results and they do not get accepted to their first choice university?

Clearing is available to students who do not meet the conditions of their offer on A-level results day, as well as those who did not receive any offers.

Students who have changed their mind about what or where they wish to study, and also those who have applied outside the normal application window, can also use the clearing process through Ucas.

Applicants will be able to add a clearing choice from 1pm on A-level results day (Thursday August 17).

Education expert Professor Alan Smithers has predicted that the expected drop in top A-level grades this year will lead to “a lot of disappointment” among students and a possible “huge increase” in appeals.

In England, if a student is unhappy with their grade they can ask their school or college to request that the exam board reviews the marking.

If there are still concerns following the review, the student can ask their school or college to appeal the result.