For parents and caregivers: how to support your child on level 2 results day

Results day is a major event, and for your child, it might feel like the rest of their life hinges on whatever’s in that envelope. This isn’t the case, though – there are plenty of options if they receive lower or higher results than expected on the big day. This guide will help you to understand those options and support your child through their next steps.

What to do on the big day 

Once your child receives their results, they’ll need to confirm their place. How they do this will depend on where they applied to:

• If they applied to a sixth form at their own school, they’ll need to confirm that they still plan on attending. The sixth form team will be around on the day to help them enrol and check they meet the entry requirements for their chosen subjects (or offer alternatives if they don’t).
   
• If they applied to a college or sixth form elsewhere, they’ll usually be invited to enrol in person. They’ll need to take their results, ID, acceptance letter, and a trusted adult.
   
• If they’re starting an apprenticeship, they’ll need to send a copy of their results to their learning provider. Alternatively, they might be asked to bring a copy of their results on their first day or on an assessment day (if they apply after they receive their results).

If your child receives lower results than expected 

Offer support and encouragement

Reassure them that low results don’t have to be the end of their academic dreams, and they haven’t let anyone down. Allow them some time to be upset if that’s how they feel; then, when they’re ready, encourage them to start thinking about their options. 

They could: 

• resit some of their exams*
• request for their papers to be remarked*
• resit Year 11 / fifth year (if their school allows them to)
• choose an alternative college, school, or sixth form
• see if they can study their chosen subjects at a lower level (e.g., a level 2 BTEC instead of a level 3)
• apply for a job or apprenticeship

*It often costs to resit exams or have papers remarked, and there’s no guarantee that their grades will improve.

You might not know this, but in the UK students get three years of funding for post-16 study. This means your child can go to college and redo their GCSEs or level 2 equivalents, then continue on to level 3 study (e.g. A levels, level 3 BTECs, etc.) the following academic year.

Encourage your child to speak to their teachers and careers advisers for help and advice on their options.

If your child receives higher results than expected 

That’s fantastic news! And unless they want it to, nothing will change.

When students get higher results than they thought they would, they sometimes feel tempted to change their chosen post-16 qualifications or subjects for more prestigious ones, or even change their chosen place of study for one higher up on the school league tables. Your child can of course do this if they want to, but they don’t have to.

They probably spent a long time deciding what to do after school. Changing their course, place of study, or apprenticeship should take just as long as it did to make that decision the first time.

If your child does have a change of heart, this guidance will help them to make sure the choice really is the right one for them:  

• Changing subjects: advise your child to fully research any alternative subject options using Unifrog’s Subjects library and the school / college prospectus, especially if it’s a subject they haven’t studied before—level 3 courses can actually be very different to their level 2 counterparts. English language at A level, for example, is nothing like it is at GCSE.
   
• Changing college, school, or sixth form: advise them to visit any institutions they’re considering, if they haven’t already attended an open day. They’ll be there for at least two years, so an open day can help them to figure out if they like it and if it has the facilities they need.
   
• Changing apprenticeship: your child should research and speak to any alternative apprenticeship providers / places of work they’re considering. They’ll be working in that environment for up to 80% of their apprenticeship, so they’ll need to know the company’s ethos and values, and what the team they’ll be working with is like.

If your child is feeling anxious about results day 

Encourage them to talk about what specifically is worrying them. If it’s something fairly simple, like ‘I don’t know where to get my results’, you can find the answer together and figure out a plan for the day. 

If it’s something bigger, like ‘what if I’ve done really badly’, then you can have a conversation about it:

• Reassure your child that, no matter what their results are, they won’t let anyone down – you (and the rest of their family) will continue to be proud of their efforts.
• Remind them that they won’t have to open their results in school or in front of everyone – they can choose exactly how, when, and where they want to do it.
• Reassure them that if they achieve lower results than expected, there are plenty of options (we list them above).

It can help to plan something relaxing for the night before they get their results. You could, for example, watch a film together with some snacks, do some baking, listen to some music, play a game, or do something active like bowling. Encourage your child to avoid social media if possible, as their friends’ worries about results day might increase their own. 

It can also help to plan a treat for after the big day – one that will go ahead regardless of the results they achieve. 


Some helpful guides

Here's a list of guides that might help your child to choose their next step:

• Choosing your level 3 qualifications
• College qualifications and levels explained: England, Scotland, and Wales
• Is a UK apprenticeship right for me?