Julia Lopez MP has wished every student in Hornchurch and Upminster the best of luck with their grades this year. Attached at the bottom of this webpage is a letter from the Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan MP, who has provided in-depth information for students who are receiving their results on 17 August and 24 August respectively and are considering their next steps.

The Government has committed to returning grades to pre-pandemic levels whilst maintaining protection for students impacted by Covid disruption. The Department for Education recognises that students have experienced disruption in their education, and have therefore put these protections in place to offset this. Senior examiners will be guided in their decisions about where to set grade boundaries by the grades previously achieved in pre-pandemic years by cohorts of students, along with prior attainment data. That means the 2023 cohort will be protected in grading terms if their exam performance is a little lower than before the pandemic.

Awarding organisations are aware of the grading approach taken for GCSEs and A Levels and are taking an appropriate approach for each of their vocational and technical qualifications (such as T Levels, BTECs or Cambridge Technicals), given their different structures. More information on the exam arrangements can be viewed here - https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/04/28/exams-in-2023-everything-you-need-to-know/

Appealing

Students can challenge a grade or the result of a qualification if they think there has been a mistake. GCSE, AS or A Level students can ask their school or college to request a review from the exam board. For BTECs or NVQs, students can ask their school, college or training provider to review the results of these qualifications.

If students remain unsatisfied with the outcome, they can appeal directly to the awarding organisation who will send the student a final report after they have received the result.

Finally, if students believe the awarding organisation does not deal with their appeal correctly, they can complain directly to Ofqual.

For further information on the appeals process, including how to appeal, please see -  https://www.gov.uk/appeal-qualification-result

For specific advice on appealing BTEC results, students should consult Pearson’s webpage - https://support.pearson.com/uk/s/article/BTEC-Appeals-2023-Walkthrough

Clearing

For those who are hoping to attend university, we understand that this will be a nervous day. If students do not achieve the place they had hoped for, or wish to look for a different course following receipt of their results, they can use UCAS’ clearing system to apply for or wish to look for a different course following receipt of their results, other university courses on the day.

UCAS have published their Ultimate Guide to Clearing which can be accessed here - https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/clearing-and-results-day/what-clearing

This guide has all the tips students need to know about clearing and we would encourage any student considering clearing to use UCAS’ guide.

National Careers Service

The NSC provides free and impartial careers advice, information and guidance and runs a dedicated exam results helpline for all students taking qualifications. Their webpage is - https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ - and their specific helpline on getting help with your exam results can be found here - https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-your-education-and-training-choices/exam-results

We hope the information above is helpful in setting out what options are available to students. Best of luck to you in your results!