The Ultimate Guide to GCSE Results Day

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With GCSE results this Thursday, students have been told to prepare themselves this year as results are expected to drop from last year. As we lead up to the day, which for many follows years of hard work and revision, teens will be anxiously preparing, particularly with data by MyTutor unveiling that 43% of parents now say their child’s self-esteem is linked to the grades they achieve at school. It’s important to remember that it’s completely normal for teens to feel nervous before receiving their results, however it’s important to keep a healthy perspective and have strategies in place to calm any overwhelming feelings. If you recognise these feelings in your teen and can see that exam stress is taking over their life, it’s crucial to remind them that they are not alone. As such, MyTutor – the UK’s most trusted tutoring – platform shares their go-to guide to help your teen calm their nerves ahead, during, and after GCSE results day.

1. Reassurance – before, during and after
Your teen will probably be feeling anxious in the final days and hours leading up to their results arriving. While it’s totally normal to be a bit nervous, it’s good if they can manage their nerves so they don’t get overwhelmed.

Although there’s only so much you can do, part of their worry might be an irrational fear of letting you down. You can help them lots with this by reminding them that no matter what results they get, you love them and you’re proud of them anyway. If they have any older siblings or cousins who went through exams already, having them around can be a big comfort too. They should know that exam results are just one thing out of lots of other types of achievements, and they shouldn’t pin their whole self-worth on grades.

2. What to do on the day
On Thursday, your teen will have to go into school to collect their results. They’ll be on an exam slip, and a breakdown of your marks will be presented alongside your grade. AQA have also provided a useful explanation of what UMS marks mean and other information they may need to interpret their results, which can be read here.
If they’re what your teen was hoping for, then congratulations! If they have exceeded expectations in certain subjects, or under performed in a subject they were hoping to continue studying at a higher level, now is the time for them to discuss with their teacher whether or not they should change their A level options.
If they are disappointed with their grades, it may be worth requesting a remark. If any of their scores seem uncharacteristically low, there is a chance that human error is involved

2. Check if they should get any papers re-marked
If they get results that were either way off what was expected, or if they missed a higher grade by just one or two marks, they might want to send their paper to be re-marked. Sometimes examiners can get things wrong, and often kids do get a better mark with a second look.

They should be careful though, as a re-marked grade is the final grade, so if it comes back lower then they’ll be stuck with it. The best thing to do is to talk to their teacher for that subject, and they’ll help them come to a final decision.

3. Think about resits
If your child gets some grades where they’re sure they could’ve done better, they could have the option to resit the following year. If their heart’s set on a particular university course, or if they need particular grades for the sort of work they’d like to go into, then it might be worth it for them to boost their grades and help them in the long-term. GCSE resits take place in November, and A Level resits happen in the Summer (along with all the other A Levels).

On the other hand, if they’re going into their next year of school, it might make sense for them to leave it behind and focus fully on their new courses. Either way, they should talk about it with you and with their subject teacher when the new term starts.

4. Celebration
Whatever’s happened, leave everything on a high on the day with a small celebration. You could make their favourite meal at home, go for ice cream, or do whatever else they’ll enjoy as a special treat. If they’ve nailed their results, it’ll be a happy day for everyone. If they’re feeling down about their grades, it can be a welcome distraction and make them feel a bit better knowing they have support no matter what.

It can be really tough not getting the grades they hoped for or into a university, but your teen should be proud of their results regardless– they put in the time to revise and did their best! It’s important to remind them they still have lots of options and are not alone in this process.

MyTutor’s Chief Customer Officer, Nicola Anderson, comments on the lower grade expectations for GCSE results day, and options for students who didn’t get the results they were hoping for:

“We are expecting exam results to be lower this year compared with last year but it’s important to note that results will still be higher than 2019, which was the last year that in-person exams took place. Whilst it will be tempting for everyone to compare results based on the previous two years – where teacher assessed grading led to a dramatic increase in grades for both GCSE and A Level, with the proportion of A/A* grades awarded at A Level rising from 25.2 per cent in 2019 to 44.3 per cent in 2021 – the real point of comparison is 2019. To reassure teens and parents who are concerned about the impact of this, universities have already announced that they will adjust to these margins and sixth form colleges are likely to do the same

“Results day is already an emotional time for young people, so our advice is to try not to worry about these headlines and to remember that everyone who sat exams this year is going through the same situation. If your child doesn’t get the results they were hoping for, although disappointing, it’s important to remember that there are lots of options available, including exploring different universities through clearing, or getting work experience and earning a degree through an apprenticeship with a top company. If students are really unhappy with their results, they can always resit their exams later in the year.”