Students urged not to panic but seek advice if they miss first-choice courses
Students who miss out on their first choices for university when A-level results are published this week have been urged not to panic and instead turn to teachers for advice and support.
Tens of thousands of pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to find out on Thursday how they did in the first exams held since the coronavirus pandemic.
It is expected grades will go down overall compared with last year, when students were assessed by teachers, but should still be higher than in 2019.This year’s race for university places is expected to be one of the most competitive yet, with almost 40% of students thought likely to make use of the clearing system to find a place on a course.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) has acknowledged that offer-making has been “more conservative” this year, with the chief executive Clare Marchant warning results day will not be a “pain-free” experience for students.
On Sunday, Ofqual – the exams regulator in England – and Ucas sent a letter to students reassuring them that most will still secure their first choice of university.
Students who do not find a place on their first-choice course have been advised by a headteachers’ union to avoid panicking and instead seek advice.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said pupils should remember that their teachers are “very experienced in providing advice and support” around other options.
He said: “Universities made their offers with all these factors in mind and where students miss places on their first-choice courses, there will be many other options available.
“We would urge students in this situation not to panic and to talk to their school or college where their teachers are very experienced in providing advice and support.”
He said it was “important to bear in mind that this cohort has been more disrupted than any set of students since the second world war”, having spent recent years “under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic which has had a massively disruptive impact on their learning”.
We would urge students in this situation not to panic and to talk to their school or college where their teachers are very experienced in providing advice and support
Geoff Barton, ASCL general secretary
قال بارتون إن قرار درجات هذا العام لتعكس نقطة منتصف الطريق بين 2021 و 2019 هو أحد التعديلات التي تم إجراؤها "لمحاولة التخفيف من اضطراب التعلم قدر الإمكان".
لكنه حذر من أن التأثير على التعلم والنتائج "من المرجح أن يكون غير متساوٍ اعتمادًا على كيفية تأثر المدارس والكليات والمجتمعات المختلفة".
وقال إن المنافسة المتزايدة على الجامعات والدورات الأكثر انتقائية كان "بسبب ارتفاع عدد الطلاب في سن 18 عامًا وليس له علاقة بالتعديلات في معايير الدرجات".
وأضاف: "الجامعات قدمت عروضها مع وضع كل هذه العوامل في الاعتبار ، وحيث يفوت الطلاب أماكن في دورات الاختيار الأول ، ستكون هناك العديد من الخيارات الأخرى المتاحة.
"نحث الطلاب في هذه الحالة على عدم الذعر والتحدث إلى مدرستهم أو كليتهم حيث يتمتع مدرسوهم بخبرة كبيرة في تقديم المشورة والدعم."
يمكن للطلاب استخدام عملية المقاصة لمعرفة الدورات أو الجامعات التي قد تكون متاحة لهم إذا احتاجوا إلى خطة ب.
أنشأت جامعة Ucas سلسلة من المدونات الصوتية لمساعدة الطلاب على الاستعداد ليوم نتائج الامتحانات وقالت إنها ستضم أكثر من 250 شخصًا يدعمون الطلاب على قنواتها المختلفة يوم الخميس.
يمكن للطلاب زيارة www.ucas.com/contactus لمعرفة المزيد.
تلقى الطلاب في اسكتلندا نتائج امتحاناتهم العليا الأسبوع الماضي ، مع انخفاض معدل النجاح عن العام الماضي ولكن أعلى بقليل من مستويات ما قبل الوباء من عام 2019.