Our Director of Programmes, Katy Hampshire, shares her thoughts and advice ahead of A Level Results Day.

So, it’s that time of year – on Thursday 17th August, young people across the UK will receive their results for A-Levels and other qualifications, and get ready to embark on the next phase of their lives. Students in Scotland already have their National Highers and it was hugely encouraging to see an uplift in students from disadvantaged areas being accepted onto university places.

Among those receiving results will be thousands of students who have participated in Sutton Trust programmes or others like ours. With this year’s school leavers taking their first formal exams this year after their GCSEs were cancelled, and having experienced huge upheaval in recent years through school closures, strikes and the cost of living crisis, we know they’ve all had to work particularly hard and all of us at the Sutton Trust are rooting for them.

Even at the best of times, A-Level results day can be a hugely emotional and stressful day. But for the class of 2023, recent press coverage about the highly likely drop in top grades to bring these closer to 2019 levels, more intensive competition for spaces at university and the likely reduced options in Clearing, particularly at the Russell Group universities, may well be adding to their worries.

While these points of course cannot be ignored, there’s some great advice and practical support out there that anyone feeling unclear or uncertain should take advantage of:

And the picture may not be quite as bleak as media commentary suggests.

It’s been acknowledged that most universities will rightly seek to maintain access and spaces for young people meeting widening participation objectives such as those from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds. Many students that have participated in access programmes may have received contextual offers. Widening participation teams alongside those in admissions have strong experience in supporting students and are on hand and ready to help, with most universities running hotlines for students.

Students can check out this video from Sutton Trust alumni with tips ahead of Results Day and those registered with Sutton Trust Online can access our webinar Succeed Phase Launch: From Results Day to Freshers Week which includes key timings for the day, advice on plan B’s, and how to have clearing conversations.

It’s also helpful to keep in mind that the employment context into which young people will eventually enter is starting to shift. Many more employers are now aware of socioeconomic diversity within their workforce and are doing something about it. This includes expanding their recruitment pool, whether that is in terms of universities or entry requirements. Some are making use of contextual recruitment tools such as RARE Recruitment and many are working with organisations such as ourselves and upReach to open up access to internships and graduate recruitment.

What does this mean for results day? Students should feel able to look at a wider range of universities and potentially course subjects without feeling this will negatively impact on their career prospects.

University is a fantastic route into careers but it isn’t the only one, and sometimes another route will be just as good or even better. For example, while there is a need to increase the number and range of apprenticeship opportunities for young people, there are good opportunities on offer. Students can use the government’s online resource to see what might be available that matches their interests.

Whatever the outcome, students should be proud of their hard work and achievements in the face of a range of challenges, and keep in mind that there is lots of support out there and a range of options to explore.