Students have been told to prepare themselves for lower grades and increased competition for university places.

Comments from leading figures in the education sector suggest that thousands of students look set for disappointment this year, with 80,000 A’s and A*’s less than last year according to one estimate, which could, in turn, result in 40,000 students or more missing out on their course or university choice.

Claire Marchant, the UCAS Chief Executive, has stated that universities ‘offer-making’ had “been precise conservative and cautious”.

Students whose education has been severely disrupted by COVID-19 are facing yet another setback. Lower grades and a tougher screening process.

John Blake, the OfS director for Fair Access and Participation, stated.

“That could lead to a lot of students feeling quite disappointed on the day that their grade doesn’t match up to the grades that they were expecting. And I think it’s important for people to prepare themselves a bit for that and to acknowledge that.”

Students will have faced several challenges

over the last couple of years, all that hard work and all those years of build-up means that the day can feel very daunting to everyone involved.

If you or your child did not get the grades they were hoping for, don’t panic. Here’s what to do.

Plan B

Missing the grades for the university that you were set on is very upsetting, but it is not the end of the journey, you can call the university and ask if they will still consider you, or if you qualify for a foundation course. You can apply again through ‘Clearing’, or take a year out to travel, you can revisit you’re A Levels or if you feel you’re ready for the world of work why not consider a modern apprenticeship?

Gap year

Many students will feel like they’ve been on the conveyor belt for education for years already, so taking a year out rather than going straight to university can be advantageous. It gives you an opportunity to really think about what you want to do with your life, you can always apply again next year.

Professor Smithers, director of the centre for education and employment research at the University of Buckingham, points out that if you have your sights set on certain professions, there are apprenticeships in various areas that would be worth looking at. “You can earn while you learn”, he says, “and get into a profession like nursing or teaching via that route.”

Make sure the course is right for you

Don’t panic and go for something else just because you missed out on your first choice. You need to think about what you want to do. Whilst the postgraduate employment rate remains high at 86.7%, of those graduates, 65.2% are working in high-skilled employment with the number dropping to 36.3% working in their chosen degree’s field.

The forecast average debt among the cohort of borrowers who started their course in 2021/22 is £45,800, when they completed their course, you want to be sure that the course is right for you with that amount of money in play.

Modern apprenticeship

The traditional journey of GCSE S, A Levels and then onto university is ingrained into most students. People don’t consider doing an apprenticeship because they know almost nothing about them. Apprenticeships were viewed as something for ‘tradespeople’, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Apprenticeships have changed.

Working in collaboration with UK employers, the government has divided the schemes into four tiers:

• Intermediate level 2
• Advanced Level 3
• Higher level 4-5
• Degree level 6-7

After you have completed you’re A Levels, you can apply for a higher or degree level apprenticeship.

An apprenticeship is a real job. Apprentices work for a company full-time and study towards a nationally recognised qualification, preparing a young person for work or job role in a particular sector whilst earning a real salary.

You can find out more about apprenticeships here.

Apprenticeships versus university

University

• Undergraduate degrees last between 3-4 years
• Tend to focus on the individual, academic study
• Over 130 universities in the UK and thousands of courses on offer
• Courses vary from vocational, such as Nursing or Architecture, to more general subjects like English and Geography
• Opportunity to do a placement (or year in industry) to get professional experience
• Campus life: living in halls, student unions, career fairs, and freshers week
• Tuition fees, up to £9,250 (p.a) in England

Apprenticeships

• Duration depends on the level of the scheme, lasting anywhere between 1-5 years.
• Specific focus on on-the-job training
• Apprentices develop practical skills, alongside qualifications
• Schemes available in thousands of job roles
• No tuition fees. Costs are covered by the employer (with government funding)
• Salary paid for the duration of the programme

Keep perspective

When the heart has been set on something, not getting onto the course may feel like a tragedy for the next few days.

Geoff Barton, the Secretary General of the Association of School and College Leaders, says “I’ve seen so many young people devastated on the day that they haven’t got onto the course they wanted, but then went somewhere else and loved it.”

As a parent, it’s your duty to be a calming voice and reassure them that there are other options out there despite how they have done in their exams. It’s important that adults in this situation or sympathetic and allow their teenagers to feel whatever they need to feel reassure young people that whilst this might feel like a really challenging moment there are plenty of options out there.

If you’d like to find out what courses we have available we work in partnership with Get My First Job to kick-start careers, head over to our careers page.