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.

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 – 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.

BTEC results and what happens with them...

It's that time of year again when results for the different BTEC qualifications start rolling in. There can sometimes be confusion about who handles your results and what happens with them, so this should make things a bit clearer!

Each week we receive a batch of results from the exam board EDEXCEL, right up until September. We match your results to your application and send them to your uni choices. Once they've got them, we'd expect the unis to update your application with their decisions within a few days. 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. 

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. The uni might ask you to send a copy of your transcript by post or email, or they might say they'll wait until they receive your grades from UCAS before they update your application.

Providing you've got the grades the university set out in the conditions of your offer, you can assume you've got in and your place will be confirmed once they've received your results from us. That said, remember there might be additional requirements you need to complete, such as health checks or sending proof of your past qualifications, so make sure read all the conditions carefully. 

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 in to Clearing. 

Get advice on the next steps after results.

January A level and AS level results: your next steps

Many of you will have recently received or will be receiving your A level/AS level results from the exams you sat in January. If you're not sure what to do with them and how to let your university choices know what you got, then this post should help you. But first this:

If your January results won't be cashed in by your school/college until the summer, then you don't need to take any further action. What you've done in January will be sent on to your unis with your summer results in August. If you have any doubts about when and how your results are cashed in then speak to your school.

If your winter results are being cashed in now, read on:

"I stated on my application that I would be sitting the exams in January."
UCAS will receive official confirmation of the results from your exam boards and process them over the next few weeks. However, we won't release them to your university choices until May. This allows for any re-marks or late cash-ins to be taken into account.

You don't really need to do anything with your results. However, if you want to, you can contact your unis and ask them if you can send them your results directly. It's then at their discretion as to whether they accept them from you or would prefer to wait for official notification from UCAS in May.

"I didn't mention that I would be sitting the January exams on my application."
If you didn't mention them on your application, then it's not that much of a problem. From the details we get from your exam boards, we should still be able to match up the results with your UCAS application and then send the results to your universities. However, to make certain that there are no problems with matching it all up you might want to email our qualifications team who can then update your application to show you sat the exams. Please note that they won't enter the results on your application just the fact you sat the exam.

If you've any other questions about it all then get in touch with our advisers on the UCAS Facebook page or on Twitter and they'll be happy to help.

Your questions about Clearing answered!

The Contact Centre at UCAS

Being the seasoned Clearing veterans that we are on the social media team, we've put together some answers to the questions that get asked a lot each year and which will most definitely be being asked right now.

Take a look over them and if your question isn't answered, don't forget we're all only a few keystrokes away on Facebook and Twitter to help you out! You can also get comprehensive information in the Clearing section of our website.

Why doesn't the 'Add Clearing choice' button work on Track?
It will usually be for one of the following reasons:

• You've already got a confirmed place with a university. If that's the case, you’ll need to ask them whether they’d be willing to allow you into Clearing. Any decision to do so would be at their discretion. If they allow you into Clearing, you’ll then be able to add a choice on Track. If allowed into Clearing, Track will usually update immediately with their decision. However, if they're using their own internal systems there can sometimes be a delay of up to 24 hours before it appears on Track

• You've been unsuccessful with one of your original choices but they've given you a 'changed course' offer rather than saying you're unsuccessful. In this instance, you’ll need to make the appropriate reply before being allowed into Clearing.  As your reply depends on the status of your application, it’d be best to check our guidance on replying to changed course offers. 

• You've already added a Clearing choice. If you've done this and don’t want that choice any longer, you’ll need to contact the university to ask if they can put you back into Clearing.

Where can I find my Clearing number?

You'll only see a Clearing number if you're eligible for Clearing. This can be found on the Welcome page and Choices page in Track. However, if you've already added a Clearing choice, the number will be removed. 

What's a changed course offer? 

This will appear as 'UCC' on Track. This means that you haven’t been successful for your original course choice but that the university are making you an alternative offer.  This could be an offer for a different course or it could be a change to the start date or point of entry. Once we’ve had decisions from both your firm and insurance choice, you’d then have five days in which to reply. As your response depends on the status of your application, it’d be best to check our guidance on replying to changed course offers.

Why hasn't Track changed? It still shows I have a conditional offer!

This will usually mean that the university hasn’t yet made a decision.  If you’ve narrowly missed meeting the conditions of the offer, they may be waiting to see what the general trend is with the rest of their applicants before deciding. If a significant amount failed to meet the conditions they may then offer places to those who were just below getting the required grades. You may also want to check that the university has definitely received your results and that there are no other conditions that you need to meet - for example, a GCSE result which won't be available until the Thursday after A Level results day. Also bear in mind that if universities are using their own internal systems there may be a delay to decisions appearing on Track. *UPDATE: On 16 August the systems were running slower than usual at certain points which will have caused a delay to some decisions being made*

I don't want my university place any more. Can I go into Clearing?
Whether you've been accepted at your original firm choice or been accepted by your insurance choice, you need to ask the university if they’d be willing to allow you into Clearing. As you’ve got a confirmed place with them you’d be expected to go there, in much the same way that they’d be expected to honour their agreement in giving you the place. Any decision to allow you into Clearing would be at their discretion and they’d be under no obligation to do this.

I've got into my firm choice but I want my insurance choice instead. Can I do that?
When your place was confirmed at the firm choice, the insurance choice would've been made aware of this. Therefore, they'd no longer be expected to hold a place for you. If you want to go to the insurance choice, you'll need to call them to ask if there's still a vacancy and whether they'd be willing to offer you it through Clearing. If they can, you'll then need to ask the firm choice whether they'd be happy to allow you into Clearing. This would be at their discretion and they’d be under no obligation to do it.

If that all gets agreed and processed, you'll then be able to add them as a Clearing choice on Track.

How do I reply to a Clearing offer?
You wouldn’t need to reply to a Clearing offer. If a university has provisionally offered you a place which you want to accept, you’ll need to go to the ‘Choices’ section of Track, click on the 'Add Clearing choice' button and the enter the details of your course. It’ll then be up to the university to confirm your place on Track. When they've confirmed your place it will say 'Clearing Accept' next to the choice.

I got better results than expected. Can I use Adjustment?

To be eligible to use Adjustment:

• your results must have met and exceeded the conditions of your conditional firm (CF) choice;

and

• you need to have paid the full application fee (£22 for 2012).

If you have paid the single application fee (£11 for 2012) and want to use Adjustment, you need to pay an additional £11.

You are not eligible to use Adjustment if:

• you are confirmed (UF) at your firm choice but did not exceed the conditions of the offer
• you have a confirmed place on a changed course offer

your original offer was unconditional.

Why am I unable to register for Adjustment?
The option to register will be displayed on Track for all applicants whose firm choice has gone from being 'conditional firm' to 'unconditional firm'. However, it is then up to the universities you contact to make sure you're eligible to use Adjustment. In order to be eligible, you need to have met and exceeded the conditions of your original firm choice's offer. So you'd need to make sure you meet this requirement.

Also, Adjustment is available from 16 August until 31 August, with your individual Adjustment period beginning on 16 August or when your conditional firm choice changes to unconditional (whichever is later). So you need to make sure you're trying to register within that date range.

You should visit our website for full details of how Adjustment works.

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!