A-level results: More disadvantaged students set for university than pre-Covid

It comes as hundreds of thousands of pupils receive their A-level grades

Students celebrate A-levels

Thousands more students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds have been accepted onto university courses this year compared to the last time students sat A-level exams before the pandemic.

Around 46,800 of this group got the grades needed for their first or second choice university - a rise from 3,770 in 2019, according to Ucas.

“We’re encouraged to see early indications of a continued increase in the rate of disadvantaged students gaining places,” John Blake from the Office for Students said.

It came as hundreds of thousands of pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland found out their marks on A-level results day.

The overall pass rate and proportion of top marks awarded dropped compared to the year before, but is still higher than the last time students took exams.

This was expected under a crackdown on grade inflation that still took into account disruption suffered by this year’s cohort in the Covid pandemic.

Key Points

• ‘Continued increase’ in rate of disadvantaged students getting university places
• Students open results after weeks of waiting
• A-level results: Grades down on last two years but higher than pre-pandemic levels
• Second highest number of students get first or second choice at university
• Every single student collecting result today should be proud - education secretary

[17 August 2022 14:53 · Matt Mathers]

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of A-level results day.

Hundreds of thousands of teenagers will get their results in less than 24 hours.

Stay tuned as we bring you all the latest developments as they come in.

[17 August 2022 14:57 · Matt Mathers]

University blames ‘admin blip’ for drop in clearing places

The number of courses for students in clearing has dropped ahead of A-level results day, with one university blaming an "administrative blip" for showing more than 500 as available when they should not have been.

With less than 24 hours to go until the exam results are published, the availability of courses for those who do not get into their first choices was down on last week - most significantly at the University of Liverpool.

As of Wednesday morning, a PA news agency snapshot of the UK’s largest higher education providers showed there were 22,685 courses with vacancies for students living in England, down from 23,280 on Friday.

The University of Liverpool had shown 529 courses as available in clearing on the Ucas website last week but it is understood this should not have been the case and was an "administrative blip".

[17 August 2022 15:15 · Matt Mathers]

University of Liverpool responds

Commenting on the administrative blip that showed too many course on clearing, a Liverpool University spokesperson said: "The University of Liverpool will be in clearing for a small number of high-quality candidates in a range of subjects, but we are unable to be more specific until results day tomorrow, when we will know exactly which courses might have spaces available.

"The Ucas clearing pages were live for a period of time for pre-qualified applicants, as is the case each year. We removed the pages while we determine which courses are available in advance of results day tomorrow, when we will advertise any vacancies."

[17 August 2022 15:30 · Matt Mathers]

Birmingham reduces clearing places

The change saw options at the Russell Group universities - of which Liverpool University is a member - dwindle compared to last week, with 1,785 courses at 15 of the 24 elite institutions as of Wednesday morning, compared with 2,358 courses at 17 of them on Friday.

The University of Birmingham, which is also a member of the Russell Group, had shown on the Ucas website 10 courses as being available last week but has now advised people to check its own website on Thursday for any vacancies.

This is expected to be one of the most competitive years for university places and admissions service Ucas has acknowledged universities have been more cautious in their offer-making.

[17 August 2022 15:45 · Matt Mathers]

Stigma remains among students about apprenticeships versus degrees – survey

Stigma and dated views remain around apprenticeships as being second-rate to a university degree, a survey has suggested.

Graduate careers service Prospects said views of apprenticeship content on its website have dropped by per cent compared with last year, while views on advice for getting into university have increased by 38 per cent.

Aine Fo reports:

[17 August 2022 16:14 · Matt Mathers]

Thousands of students could miss out on university first choices, says professor

Tens of thousands of students could miss out on their first choices for university in what is likely to be the most competitive year ever for courses, it has been suggested.

The proportion of pupils receiving top grades could fall by almost 10 percentage points compared with last year, when students were given grades determined by teachers rather than exams due to the Covid-19 pandemic, an education expert has said.

Aine Fo:

[17 August 2022 17:15 · Matt Mathers]

ICYMI: Students should turn to apprenticeships to ease soaring demand for degrees, Ucas boss warns

More students should be steered towards apprenticeships than traditional degrees to bring down soaring demand for higher education places, the head of the university admissions service has warned.

Clare Marchant, the chief executive of Ucas, told The Independent the number of university applicants was expected to hit 1 million in the next few years – up from a record 700,000 this year.

My colleagues Zoe Tidman and Kate Devlin report:

[17 August 2022 18:15 · Matt Mathers]

3 things never to say to a teen who is disappointed with their A-Level results

Results are in and they are not what they’d hoped for. Imy Brighty-Potts talks to experts about dealing with this very sensitive time, writes Imy Brighty-Potts.

Read Imy’s full piece here:

[18 August 2022 04:42 · Arpan Rai]

A-level results: When are they expected and where to collect them?

The students awaiting their A-level results will be able to secure them on the portal of Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) from 8.15am on Thursday, 18 August, said officials from the organisation handling the admission and application process to universities.

Students looking to access their much-awaited results to ensure they have their sign-in details readily available when they sit in the morning to check their grades.

Where can students collect their A-level results?

It’s a mixed bag with the results declaration as some of the schools and colleges will allow their students to receive their results in person. However, some universities will publish the results online.

For best outcomes, the students should check with their school or college to find out when their results will be made available.

[18 August 2022 05:21 · Arpan Rai]

Anxious about A-level results? Fight anxiety and stress with this mental health aid group

Coping with the exam stress can sometimes be worse than the outcome. Thousands of students today are likely to experience anxiety as UCAS will roll out the results for the Covid generation school and college pupils this morning.

There are multiple groups and collectives readily aiding students to fight the stress.

Students can look to ‘Open your mind’ initiative by London-based The Cavendish Square Group, which is a collective of 10 NHS trusts.

Based at King’s Cross, these include the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, which runs outreach projects in Cheshunt, Hemel Hempstead, Ware and Watford, and the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust.

Students and parents can find immediate strategies and online resource on the Open your mind website, which are likely to prove helpful in the 11th hour.