A-level results are being collected on Thursday across the UK, with thousands of sixth form students anxiously waiting to see if their grades are as hoped.
The results come at the end of a tumultuous school year for many, which has seen poor quality concrete closing classrooms.
There have been calls for pupils affected by the crisis to be allowed to bid for a higher grade.
The situation comes in the context of last year, when more than a quarter (27.2 per cent) of UK A-level entries were awarded A or A* grades, down from 36.4 per cent in 2022.
With everything at stake, more students than ever before are expected to use clearing.
Here is how the day will unfold.
When do A-level results come out?
The A-level results day for 2024 is Thursday, August 15, for most of the UK.
In Scotland, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) publishes its examination results online the same day your Scottish Qualifications Certificate arrives by post on August 6.
What time can I pick up my results?
Results are made available from 8am and most schools will open from that time on the day itself. But schools may have their own timetable for this.
Results can also be accessed on UCAS from 8am while in Scotland the MySQA site is updated from 8am.
See UCAS for more information.
When can I add a clearing choice?
You will not be able to add a clearing choice using the UCAS hub until 2pm on A-level results day.
The higher education portal Prospects states: “By getting in touch with universities now, you can attempt to sort out invitations to add a course for when UCAS is updated with its clearing option later in the day.
“The official clearing list will then be displayed in the UCAS search tool.”
