Exam results

If you think that other problems in your life have affected how well you did in your exams, you should be able to resit any exams you want to. Your teacher can help you with this. It's a good idea to talk to them as soon as possible.

If you miss an exam because of a problem with your health, your school can apply for 'special consideration' from the examinations board. Your doctor or a family member might have to give extra information if this happens. Your teacher can help you with this.

If you're worried about your teacher telling somebody else about your problem, you could ask about their 'confidentiality policy' before you tell them anything else. This way, you can find out the sorts of things they have to tell someone else about.

You can always talk it through with a Childline counsellor before seeing your teacher.

If you're worried that your grades are going to affect your future plans, talk to one of your teachers or a careers adviser about your options as soon as possible. It’s their job to support you and help you plan what to do next. They can help you decide if there's a different subject or course you might enjoy more.

Remember – there are lots of courses out there. Sometimes it takes a little while to find a subject and way of learning that suits you. Don't be too hard on yourself if your exam results weren't what you were hoping for.

If you're not sure what you're going to do next, call the Exam Results Helpline on 0808 100 8000. They can give you independent advice on courses, apprenticeships and jobs. This can help you decide on an option that's right for you.

Getting on the course you want
Not done as well as you were expecting in your final-year exams? If you needed certain grades to get on to the course you want, the first thing to do is to check the status of your course. To do this, visit the UCAS website’s Track your application page. You might not have lost your place, especially if you got only slightly lower grades than you expected.

If you haven't got a place, try not to worry. There’s a chance you could get a place at a different university through the clearing process. There are also other opportunities like college courses, work experience, internships, gap years and volunteering.

Getting a place through clearing
Think about other universities or colleges you liked, and see if they have any free places on a course you want to do. It's important to get advice and act quickly. But remember – you don't have to take the first clearing place you're offered.

3 options other than clearing
If you don't want to apply through clearing or you can’t get a place, you do have other options. You could:

1. Retake your exams
   You’ll have to wait a year until going to university or college, but you’d have another chance to take your exams and get the grades you need. But, it's worth thinking about how motivated you’d be to do the work again. Make sure you get some advice from a teacher or careers adviser to see if this is the right choice for you
2. Take a year out (or gap year)
   Do something different for a year – such as travelling, getting a job or doing voluntary work. Then, if you still want to, you can reapply next year for university or college and get a place with the grades you already have
3. Look into different courses
   If you're thinking about doing a degree but don’t want to do a particular programme, you have a couple of options. Your grades might get you into a different course. Or you could do a combined degree or the same course at a different university or college.

You can get advice on all your options from the Exam Results Helpline on 0808 100 8000.

You can also call Childline on 0800 1111 any time you need to talk things through.