Ready for Anything ✌️
As A Level Results day approaches, it can become increasingly stressful. However, it’s important to remember that even if you don’t receive the grades you had hoped for, it does not determine your future. There are opportunities for improvement and you can retake the exams next year or use the clearing process.
A Level exam results day in 2023 is on August 17th. Here are our tips and tricks to ease your worries even for a little bit!
Keep Yourself Busy Before the A Level Results Day
✔️ Try New Hobbies
It’s hard to focus on anything other than exams, predicted grades and universities, but there is no harm in trying, right? Start journaling and write down your emotions every time you get anxious. Write what you are thankful for generally and focus on other aspects of your life, after all, there is more to it than exam grades.
✔️ Go Out For a Walk
Go out and just wander around. Walking promotes the release of brain chemicals called endorphins that stimulate relaxation and improve our mood. Also, you don’t even have to walk fast for it to work as a stress relief.
Find a motivational audiobook, put on comfortable earphones and go. You can tell your friends too, others’ support and help in this waiting period mean more than you would think. In addition, don’t forget that it’s summer. Don’t waste your precious holidays worrying about something you can’t change or control, use summer for relaxing. Notice and remember how your friends love you for who you are and not for your grades, keep that in mind!
✔️ Try Yoga or Meditate
The beauty of meditating is that you can do breathing exercises anywhere and you can feel the results immediately. Even if you are in a cafe or on a bus, just breathe in, hold and breathe out. The longer and calmer those breaths are, the better. There are so many youtube channels for guided yoga sessions and guided meditations. They don’t even have to be long, try a 10-minute stress-relief guided meditation video or 7-minute yoga.
✔️ Watch Motivational Videos on Youtube about A Level Results Day
You are not alone in feeling anxious about exam grades and university acceptance. The waiting period before results day can be overwhelming and stressful for everyone. To ease your worries, consider watching videos of others preparing for results day, or how they react to their grades. If you know someone who has already gone through A-level exams, reach out to them for support. They can understand your feelings and provide valuable tips for coping with the stress.
✔️ Go on a Shopping
Summer holidays are for relaxing and getting your mind off of school stuff. Call your friends if you want to or go to the mall alone, eat your favourite fast food and visit your favourite shops, maybe try something new too! Research shows that shopping and making shopping decisions gives us a sense of control over our lives and environment and it eases anxiety and sadness.
Don’t Be Shy to Ask for Support
Asking for help can be difficult for many people, but it’s important to remember that your loved ones care about you and want to support you. Don’t be afraid to talk to your parents, friends, or even consider therapy before results day. Sharing your feelings with someone who truly listens can provide valuable emotional support. If you’re feeling particularly anxious the night before results day, let your parents know and they may be able to plan a calming evening for you. It’s important to express your worries and reach out for help, rather than keeping them hidden.
Check and Plan Everything for A Level Results Day
On the day before results day, take some time to ensure that you have all the necessary information ready, such as your UCAS login and password, and verify that your contact details are up to date. This can help to ease any anxious thoughts.
Additionally, you can plan small details such as what you will wear or what you will eat for breakfast. Making a to-do list can also be helpful.
While it’s natural to want to get into your first choice university, it’s important to remember that some universities can be difficult to get into. Having a plan for every possibility, including using the clearing process, can provide a sense of security.
What is Clearing?
Clearing matches students to university courses which still have places. Even if you expect to have good grades, still get your clearing courses list ready to go. You may even receive offers, but change your mind on the results day. Some students even use clearing when they receive better grades than the predicted ones and want to change their choice of university.
As soon as the results are up, you’ll have to call the courses listed in clearing to secure your place. Have your qualifications, UCAS number, clearing number and grade ready to go, they might even do an informal interview with you on the phone. If you need further tips, read the full guide on how to be prepared for UCAS clearing.
What if you get good grades but don’t have a desire to study at the university yet? You can use UCAS career finder to find internships and apprenticeships. Also, whether you get offers or not, you can always take a gap year to resit A-level exams or to work and get some real-life experience, it’s all up to you!
What Should You Do if You are Away on Your Results Day?
We suggest that you stay at home or go to a location where you have internet access on the day of results release. Some decisions may need to be made quickly and you may not have much flexibility. If you cannot be present, consider asking a family member or a trusted friend to check your UCAS track account on your behalf.
Ensure that you have added their contact information to your application’s nominated access. Make sure you stay in contact with them or provide clear instructions on what they should do. If you need to use clearing, we recommend not waiting to start the process as your desired options may not be available later.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep Before the Results Day
✔️ Go to Bed Early Before the A Level Results Day
Yes, it’s hard, especially in the summer, when you don’t have school and you get used to going to bed late. However, you should be your most energetic self on the results day, so start trying to go to bed early a few days before the results day, maybe it can help! Drink some relaxing tea in the evening before and have a positive attitude. If you are sure that you won’t be able to sleep early, you won’t.
✔️ Meditate
Meditation helps with relaxing and calming your mind. There are many guided meditations for sleeping on youtube. Worrying and being anxious won’t help you on your results day, so try your best to just relax and listen to the guide’s voice. Even if you don’t complete it to the end, every minute counts.
✔️ Read a Book
It is scientifically proven that reading helps with falling asleep. While there are many people who can read for hours during the night, most of us relax and prepare for a heavy night’s sleep after reading for half an hour or more. You might not even make it to 30 minutes and fall asleep. Try to pick a book that you are also very interested in so that it takes away your thoughts from the exam and allows your brain to relax and prepare for sleep. Don’t pick something too interesting, though 😉
✔️ Turn on Do Not Disturb on Your Phone
You don’t want notifications from Instagram or Tiktok to interfere with your relaxing evening. We all love checking our phones before we go to sleep, but studies show that it disrupts our sleeping patterns. Read a book or turn on relaxing music to fall asleep. The next day will be draining, so you need sufficient sleep to conquer the A-level results day.
✔️ Set an Alarm
Results are updated around 8:30am, so get ready by then. Have your documents, login information and clearing list ready! But don’t get up too early, since you will be restless the whole morning. Time yourself wisely and set an alarm to help you be ready at 8:30am.
A Level Results Day Came and You Didn’t Get Good Grades? Don’t Worry!
At the end of the day, there are many options for you if you fail your A levels or for any reason, don’t get into any university you chose. You can take a gap year or use clearing to find good courses that are fitting for you. Be confident in yourself but also be ready for everything.
Remember, there are ways to talk with the current students of top universities in the UK. If you got the grades you needed or even if you don’t but still wish to speak to someone who has been accepted into your target university, go to edumentors.co.uk and select Mentoring service. You can plan your gap year to better prepare for the next year’s exams or if you were lucky enough to get into your dream university, start receiving tips on how to prepare from someone who recently got there.
