TENS of thousands of teenagers are awaiting their A-level results tomorrow.
But with exams cancelled and university places "more competitive than ever", grades, clearing and appeals might be a little different.
GRADES
Instead of being based on how well teenagers do in their exams, grades will be determined by teachers due to the pandemic sparking education chaos.
England's exams regulator Ofqual and the Department for Education said schools can draw on a range of evidence when determining marks.
Mock exams, coursework and any other assignments completed as part of a student's course – such as essays or in-class tests – can all be taken into consideration.
But pupils will only be assessed on what they have been taught during the pandemic.
RESULTS DAY
Grades were submitted by June 18 and will be released tomorrow.
Schools and colleges were asked to provide samples of student work to exam boards, as well as evidence used to determine the grades for the students selected, as part of quality assurance checks.
It is hoped this year's system will be a major improvement on 2020's botched computer algorithm disaster which saw huge public outcry over some unfairly low marks.
Students normally receive their scores in mid to late August, but this year they have been brought forward to August 10.
This will ensure pupils have enough time to log appeals so they don't miss out on their preferred university for September.
APPEALS
Appeals can be made to the exam board via individual schools if students or parents believe there has been an error in their grade calculation.
Any students who was assessed independently must speak to the centre that submitted their results.
Pupils applying to higher education who did not get the grades to match their offer must appeal by August 16.
All students in England will be allowed to appeal their grades at no additional cost.
And there will be the opportunity to resit exams in the autumn if they are still unhappy with their results.
Priority will be given to appeals where the outcome impacts a student's plans for further education or training.
CLEARING
The official university applications body last week said competition for places is tougher than ever thanks to inflated grades and a lack of courses.
UCAS said students going through clearing – which helps people find courses with places remaining – are likely to find it harder to get onto the courses they want.
Hopefuls are able to search for a course against the subject they are interested in, or the university they would like to attend.
Clearing is a way for universities to fill any places they still have empty, while applicants who did not receive an offer have another chance at getting into higher education.
There will be around 90,000 students aiming to join different courses, with many trying to switch after doing better than expected thanks to teacher-graded A-levels.
Applications chief Clare Marchant reckons a record number of students will take up places through clearing, but there will be highly sought-after "hotspots".
She warned that "for those most selective courses at the most selective institutions, it is likely to be more competitive".
Ms Marchant urged students to make a decision about courses "in a matter of days" rather than waiting weeks as she expects the system to be "active".
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) think tank, also believes there could be less choice in clearing at Russell Group universities this year due to the introduction of teacher-assessed grades.
He said: "There is a lot of competition at the hardest-to-reach institutions.
"Some uber-selective universities that cannot easily expand need to be careful they do not over-recruit and will behave accordingly."
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