A level results day is very important for a lot of our Pathway athletes. We understand that most, but not all, of you are looking forward to going to University; either way there is a lot of planning you can do to move forwards effectively if you are considering leaving home. 

While most of this is information is captured on our Leaving Home page, please also read on to find out more information specific to A level results, as well as listen to interviews from World Class Programme athletes Alex Yee and Ben Dijsktra.

We are very aware that plans can very quickly change dependant on results and below is some advice on what you can do if results don’t go as hoped for or are better than expected. Over 60,000 students change plans each year after A levels so this is actually quite a common situation. While not getting the A level results you expected is probably the most common, there are all sorts of other reasons plans change too. Whatever happens it is important to know that you still have options.

If results don’t go to plan

If you don’t get your grades UCAS have some good information on what do and how to apply to go through clearing, the process Uni’s use to fill any available places they still have. There is also a great page offering clearing advice and top tips from University staff

Which? also have a survivors guide to clearing which is a great resource too and some top tips here on clearing from students who have been through it.

If results are better than expected

If your results are above expectation you might want to swap what and where you are studying, UCAS have some good information on this process too, it is called adjustment . Also the Daily Telegraph have some advice here, along with Which? here.

Watch and Listen...

Below are interviews with World Class Programme athletes Alex Yee and Ben Dijkstra both reflecting on their results day and the decisions they made when things didn’t go to plan.

Alex Yee

Alex, who burst on the senior stage in 2019 with a silver in his first WTS in Abu Dhabi, missed the grades first time around to his first choice of Leeds Uni and decided to take a year out and re-take. His plans changed again as the result of a horrendous crash in the Cagliari World Cup which left him hospitalised through the entire of his re-take exam period. Thankfully he managed to get a place at Leeds Met through clearing.

Ben Dijkstra

Ben, the 2019 European U23 Champion, whose first choice was PE & Sports Science at Loughborough Uni, just missed out first time too. His decision was to do a foundation year at Loughborough College that with the right result opened up joining a number of different sports related degree courses at the University. During the year Ben realised that he preferred Sports Technology to PE & Sports Science and he was able to get a place on that course instead.