Received your BTEC results? Check what happens with them...

It's that time of year again when results for the different BTEC qualifications start rolling in from Edexcel. The results go through a slightly different process to others, and in this blog post we’ll explain how it works.

Once a week, until mid-September, we receive a batch of results from Edexcel, the awarding body for BTEC qualifications. When we receive your results we match them to your application and send them to your uni choices.

Next, it’s up to the uni to update your application with their decision. Your Track status will change when this has happened – if you're unsure what your status means you can find out on our 'What your results mean' page.

Providing you've got the grades the uni set in the conditions of your offer, your place will be confirmed once they've received your results. Remember, there might be additional requirements you need to complete, such as health checks or sending proof of your past qualifications, so make sure you read all the conditions carefully.

If you get your results before the university receives them from us, you could get in touch with them to ask if you can pass them on yourself.

If you know you haven't met the conditions for your firm and insurance choice, but they're waiting for your results to be confirmed or for the results of other qualifications to be published before they make a decision, it's a good idea to be prepared and look into Clearing.

Do you have any questions about your UCAS application? If so, contact our advisers on Facebook and Twitter and they’ll be more than happy to help.

Results better than expected? You may be able to use Adjustment...

As we approach results day, you may start thinking about other courses and options. It might be possible to apply to them using Adjustment. Read on to find out how…

What is Adjustment?

Adjustment runs from 13 August to 31 August and is open to anyone who has met and exceeded the conditions of their firm choice only. Your firm choice will confirm through Track whether you have met and exceeded your offer. You cannot use Adjustment if you’re confirmed at your insurance choice.

How to use Adjustment in 4 steps

1. Make a shortlist

You need to research the unis you’re interested in. You’ll find all the course information you need in our search tool. You can ask to be considered for any course in Adjustment, and when you speak to the universities you’re interested in, they’ll let you know if they have any places available. 

2. Register 

So that universities can see your application when you contact them, you need to register for Adjustment – you do this in Track. Remember, just because you’ve registered for Adjustment, it doesn’t mean you’ll lose your current place! If you register, you have five 24 hour periods to find a place. This starts from the moment you register in Track.  

3. Get talking

Contact the universities on your shortlist and ask if they’ll consider you for your chosen course through Adjustment. It’s important you let them know you’re using Adjustment and not Clearing. 

You can speak to as many unis as you like, but make sure you don’t accept a place if you’re not 100% sure you want it!

4. How do I accept a place in Adjustment?

Once you’ve been offered a place that you want to accept in Adjustment, let the uni know and then it’s up to them to update Track to show you’ve been accepted. Remember, you only have five days before your Adjustment period ends, so if time is running out, it’s a good idea to contact the uni to remind them. 

And that’s it – the university that had originally confirmed your place will be notified that you’ve found an alternative place through Adjustment, and your new Confirmation letter will appear in Track within a week.

Remember – if you register for Adjustment by mistake, don’t worry! Your firm choice won’t be affected as long as you don’t ask another uni to accept you! 

Want to know a bit more about how to use Adjustment? Check out this video…

Do you have any further questions about Adjustment? Have a look at our website or get in touch with our advisers on Facebook or Twitter.

Five things you need to know about Clearing

Last year, thousands of places were available in Clearing, in courses ranging from science to history, with over 61,300 applicants securing places. Here are the five things that'll give you an understanding of what Clearing is.

1. What is Clearing?
Clearing runs from 3 July to 21 October and is an opportunity for anyone who hasn’t been accepted by a university or college to find a place on another course.

2. How do I know if I can use Clearing? 
When you log in to Track, you’ll see if you’re in Clearing. In the ‘Next Steps’ section, there’ll be an option to ‘Add a Clearing choice.’

If you applied after 30 June, you’ll automatically be entered into Clearing.

3. Where can I find vacancies?
The first place to start is our search tool. When you select where you normally live along with ‘Clearing 2015’, you’ll be shown all the available courses. The Telegraph will also publish all Clearing vacancies on Thursday 13 August and Saturday 15 August.

4. How do I apply to a course in Clearing?
When you’ve found the course want to apply to, give the uni a call to ask if they can consider you for a place. If they confirm that they’ll accept you, add the choice in Track in the ‘Your Choices’ section.

You can speak to as many universities and colleges as you like in Clearing, but you can only add one Clearing choice at a time. This must be the place you want to accept.

5. What happens after I’ve added a Clearing choice?
If the uni has offered you a place, they will update your status in Track to show you’ve been accepted. Once this has happened, your Confirmation letter will appear in Track within a week.

Do you have any further questions about Clearing? Take a look at the advice on our website or get in touch with our advisers on Facebook or Twitter. You can also check out our Clearing video guides.

The Exam Results Helpline gets ready for your call

The countdown is on to A Level results day and the Exam Results Helpline is preparing to help more peopleTwitter and Facebook as well as by calling 0808 100 8000.
than ever before. For the first time in the Helpline’s history, you can speak to careers advisers on

The Exam Results Helpline is manned by top careers advisers who help thousands of students each year with free, independent advice and they’re ready to give expert advice again this year.

On Thursday 14 August you can find out whether you’ve been accepted onto your chosen university course early in the morning (UCAS Track opens at 08:00 UK time). In most cases you will then need to go into your school or college to pick up your results. If you haven’t got into your chosen university, don’t panic! The Exam Results Helpline opens at 08:00 and advisers will be ready to talk through your options.

No question or worry is too small and the advisers can guide you on a number of topics including: higher education, retakes, Clearing, gap years, funding, vocational learning, apprenticeships and careers advice.

Exam Results Helpline adviser John Carberry explains how the helpline can help you in this short video:

Good luck, and whatever happens, don’t panic – we're here to help you. Either pick up the phone and call 0808 100 8000 or ask your question on the Exam Results Helpline Twitter and Facebook pages.

Dispelling the myths about A level results day and Clearing

Isn’t it funny how every year the same myths about A level results day and Clearing appear? We do our best to stamp them out but somehow they still do the rounds. I mean, who exactly is circulating them? And why?

We’ll probably never know, but you can get the truth behind the rumours right here in our dedicated myth-
busting blog post. And after reading it, please help your fellow soon-to-be-students by tweeting, sharing, blogging about and – if necessary – shouting these results day and clearing facts to anyone who’ll listen!

1. TRACK DOES NOT UPDATE AT MIDNIGHT or at any time the night before A level results day. Neither does it show whether you’ve got in to your uni at 06:00, or 07:00. It’s at 08:00 on A level results day. Honest! Here’s the proof.
     
2. YOU WILL NOT SEE YOUR A LEVEL RESULTS IN TRACK. Your school or college will give these to you. We’ve got lots of info on our website to explain exactly what happens to your results, so take a look if you want to know more!
      
3. CLEARING VACANCIES CHANGE ALL THE TIME. That means they can disappear and appear throughout Clearing, as and when places are filled and become available. The universities and colleges update their own vacancies, so as soon as they change the status of one of their courses, this’ll be reflected in the vacancy search.
       
4. UNIVERSITIES CAN’T UPDATE EVERYONE’S APPLICATION AT THE SAME TIME. Although I’m sure they wish they could, and have all their applicants’ offers changed to the correct status in an instant, it just doesn’t work like that. Some offers will change later than others. So the moral of the story is, if you get the grades you need and your offer hasn’t changed to unconditional, don’t worry about calling UCAS or the uni straight away. Chances are your offer will update during the day. In some instances you might need to contact the uni though – you can find out more on our “Still waiting?” page.
     
5. YOU CAN APPLY FOR ANY COURSES YOU’RE INTERESTED IN IF YOU’RE IN CLEARING. Even if you originally applied for marine biology and you’ve now realised that food science is your calling, there’s nothing to stop you contacting unis to ask for a place on their course. There’s no guarantee they’ll consider you, but you can most definitely ask. Don’t ask, don’t get.
       
6. YOUR CLEARING NUMBER WILL APPEAR IN TRACK AS SOON AS YOU’RE IN CLEARING. And not before. If you’re not in Clearing there’s no point calling UCAS to ask for a Clearing number – this is only generated once you’re not holding any offers, and as soon as we’ve got it, you’ll have it!
     
7. YOU’RE ONLY ELIGIBLE FOR CLEARING IF YOU HAVE NO OFFERS. If you’ve been accepted by your firm or insurance choice, this doesn’t mean you can go ahead and use Clearing. In some situations you may be able to, but this requires a conversation with the uni you’re placed with to ask if you can let go of their offer to use Clearing instead. This video FAQ explains.
     
8. YOU CAN’T CHANGE YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT. If you’re applying for courses in Clearing that are different to your original choices, and the unis would like you to write a new statement, then you’d need to send them a copy directly.
     
9. CLEARING IS NOT JUST FOR PEOPLE WITH LOW EXAM RESULTS. There are lots of reasons why people use Clearing - some will have declined all their offers, others might not have received any offers in the first place, perhaps if they applied for particularly competitive courses, and some apply after 30 June and automatically enter Clearing.
    
                                   


10. THERE ARE GOOD COURSES IN CLEARING. Let’s get this straight; absolutely any course can enter Clearing if the uni has places they want to fill. Even some of the most popular subjects can be found in the Clearing vacancy search, so don’t write off Clearing because you don’t think you’ll find what you’re looking for.

The Exam Results Helpline – helping you face the unexpected

Need advice about your options? Call 0808 100 8000

If your exam results aren’t what you were expecting, it might feel like your world’s been turned upside down. Whatever your situation, the Exam Results Helpline (ERH) can offer you free and independent, expert advice. Meet four students who are glad they made the decision to call the ERH.

Didn’t get the grades you needed? Rohan's story...

Rohan didn’t get the grades he needed due to illness. With some help from an ERH adviser and the support of his family, he successfully applied through Clearing for another course. 

No offers? Tanya’s story...

Tanya’s exam results were good enough for her to study medicine but unfortunately she didn’t have any offers. After speaking to a member of the ERH team she decided to take a gap year and now she’s on course to follow her dream of becoming a doctor. 

Had a change of heart? Tryfan’s story...

Tryfan didn’t know what to do when he realised the course he’d accepted wasn’t right for him. With expert advice from the ERH however, he’s now studying a subject he loves. 

In Clearing? Ollie’s story...

Ollie felt lost when his exam results were lower than he expected. Calling the ERH was the right thing to do, and by talking through his options he was accepted on a course in Clearing. 

Contact the Exam Results Helpline from 5 - 23 August on 0808 100 8000.

Unexpected exam results – what next?

Results day arrives and it’s the moment of truth: Have you achieved what you needed to get in to college or university?

Regardless of your situation, don’t panic, there are always options. It’s a good idea to talk them over with someone who can help you make or adjust your plans, and that’s what the Exam Results Helpline is for. Whether you have questions about gap years, skills and experience, vocational qualifications, retakes and re-marks, moving out of home or finding employment – qualified and experienced careers advisers are at the end of the phone to support you with independent advice about your next steps. You can meet four students who are glad they got in touch with the Exam Results Helpline on results day in our blog post "The Exam Results Helpline - helping you face the unexpected".

John Carberry, a Careers Adviser for the Exam Results Helpline shares valuable advice on the different options to consider if your exams results aren’t what you expected. 

Pursuing university or college
If you only narrowly missed being offered a place at your chosen college or university, you may still be accepted so be sure to check your status in UCAS Track.

John Carberry - Careers Adviser, Exam Results Helpline

If you find yourself in Clearing you’ll need to look for courses you’re interested in that have vacancies and start speaking to universities and colleges to find out if they can offer you a place. Everything you need to know about how to use Clearing is on the UCAS website. 

Better grades than expected? Terrific! 
If you’ve met and exceeded the conditions of your firm choice, you’re eligible for Adjustment, which means it’s possible you could swap your course. You must register through UCAS Track, and again you’ll need to do a bit of telephone work. It’s important to be prompt if you want to use Adjustment – you only have a few days. 

Taking a gap year
Whether you’re planning to reapply for university next year or head straight into the job market, a gap year used as ‘constructive time-out’ can be great for your CV. It could give you the opportunity to ‘test-drive’ a career, develop your confidence and independence and build up your skills and experience – and ultimately make you a more valuable and competitive candidate for college, university or a job at the end of it. You could even earn some money along the way!

You have many options – voluntary or paid work in the UK or abroad, internships, work experience, travelling or a Year in Industry are just a few. 

If you’re unsure what you want to do, a gap year may provide you with the time and experience to help decide. If you want to return to education, remember to be aware of application deadlines!

Getting your exam papers re-marked
If you don’t agree with your exam results and you want to explore getting your papers re-marked, speak to your school or college IMMEDIATELY, especially if your place depends on the overall grade. There are strict deadlines in place and support from your school or college is essential.

Re-taking your qualifications 
If you think that you could have got a better grade in specific subjects or modules then there might be an opportunity for you to resit the exam, and reapply for uni next year. You need to speak to your subject teacher about this as it’s ultimately the school or college’s decision and they will organise next steps. 

Vocational qualifications
If you know what you want to do career-wise and you like the idea of earning while you learn, this could be a great choice for you. 

Vocational qualifications such as apprenticeships, HNDs and NVQs are credible, well-valued work-based training programmes. You’ll get top quality training while developing skills, earning a wage and gaining a qualification on the job. Vocational training is designed to give skills for specific jobs and is great if you want to move straight into employment.

To learn more about any of these options, contact the Exam Results Helpline. The service is available from 5 – 23 August on 0808 100 8000. Calls are free from UK landlines.

5 things you need to know about A Level results day!

As you can imagine there are lots of questions and comments flying around right now about A level results day and Clearing.We'll be sending out advice based on your queries in the run-up to results day, as indeed we've done for the past few weeks. We've also got a handy video to help you prepare for getting those all-important grades. However, many students often have concerns and expectations that go unnoticed because they never ask us a question about them. Fortunately we're a vigilant lot, so with all this in mind, here are 5 things you need to know about A Level results day!

1. Track doesn't go live at midnight! It'll start updating at 08:00 (UK time) on 15 August. So from that time you'll be able to check the decisions made by your university choices.

2.  The vast majority of universities will update their decisions on Track on results day... but not all of them will. We've got lots of information about this on our 'Still Waiting' page, but in a nutshell it'll usually be for one of the following reasons:

• You've narrowly missed meeting the conditions of the offer and the university are still giving your application consideration. They'll usually wait to see how other applicants for the course have done and then make a decision then.
• They've not got your exam results. If their conditions included a qualification for which we don't pass on the results then they'll need you to send them the results. Details of exam results we handle can be found here
• If you've been asked to achieve a certain grade in a GCSE, the university won't be able to confirm your place until the results for those are out on 23 August. You'd need to pass the results to them.

3. Track has had some BIG improvements since last year. All of our technology has been through thorough testing to make sure that all our attention can be focused on helping students through the Clearing process on results day.

4. We'll be sending emails to you to let you know the universities' decisions.These won't be the standard Track updates you usually get telling you that there's been a change to the status. These emails will be telling you whether or not you've got into your chosen university. 

5. You won't be able to add a Clearing choice until the afternoon on 15 August. This gives you time to research your options and make informed decisions before potentially adding a choice. Check our Clearing guidance for what to do if you're using Clearing.

Emails we'll send you on A Level results day and beyond!

There's been quite a lot of interest in the fact that this year we'll be emailing students with news on whether or not they've got into their chosen university or college. However, in almost equal measure, there's been confusion as to when we'll send them and who we'll send them to! Hopefully this will clear things up a bit:

When will the email be sent?

Emails were sent out on 7 August for anyone whose university place had been confirmed between 1-7 August. As Scottish exam results were published on 7 August, the emails were mainly sent to Scottish students although some BTEC students also got an email.

No further emails will be sent now until 16 August when A Level results are published. They'll then be sent at regular intervals every day up until 31 August. 

Who will get sent an email?
You'd be sent an email if:

• you've been accepted by either your firm or insurance choice university on Track
• you're eligible for Clearing because you've not been successful in meeting the conditions of your firm and/or insurance choice university

What does it mean if I don't receive an email?

Try not to worry as not everyone is going to be sent one. You won't be sent an email if:

• Your place was already unconditional
• Your chosen university hasn't yet made a decision
• Your chosen university are making you an offer on a different course or different start date

If in doubt about the status of your application, remember you can check Track for the latest updates!