GCSE and A-Level results day: what to do next
Your options on results day, from marking reviews to resits and Clearing.
Last reviewed 22 October 2026 · Written by the Acing team
Results days in 2027
AQA lists A-Level and AS results day as 12 August 2027 and GCSE results day as 19 August 2027. JCQ's key dates for the June 2027 series also show the earlier restricted release to schools and colleges, with Extended Project results released to candidates on 12 August and GCSE projects on 19 August. Check your school or college for pick-up times.
Before the day, find out who to contact at your school or college, and how you will reach them in August. Most actions below go through them.
Step one: read the result against your plan
| Situation | What to do first |
|---|---|
| You got what you needed | Check your university or college offer status, or your course place, and follow their next steps |
| You missed by a little | Tell your university or college straight away, and ask your school about a review |
| You missed by a lot | Look at Clearing, resits or a different route |
| A mark looks wrong | Talk to your school or college about access to your paper and a review |
Reviews of marking and appeals
Ofqual's student guide sets out the process for England. Awarding organisations mostly do not take review requests from students directly, so you ask your school or college, and they need your permission. The stages are:
- Access to scripts. Your school may first request a copy of your marked paper so you can see where marks were lost.
- Clerical re-check. This checks that every part was marked, marks were added up properly and recorded correctly.
- Review of marking. A reviewer checks the mark scheme was applied correctly. It is not a fresh mark from scratch.
- Review of moderation. This applies to teacher-marked coursework or non-exam assessment where marks were changed after moderation. Marks here can stay the same or go up, but not down, and it affects the whole group at that school.
- Appeal. If you are still not satisfied, your school or college can appeal. An appeal must be on grounds such as a marking error or procedures not being applied fairly.
- Ofqual's exam procedures review service. After the final appeal stage, your school can ask Ofqual to check that the process was handled properly. Ofqual looks at procedure, not your grade.
The risk to know about
A review can lower a mark as well as raise it. Boards cannot add marks because you were near a grade boundary or missed a prediction. Because of this risk, the board needs your written consent for a clerical re-check or review of marking. Think it through with your teacher before you agree. The board may charge a fee, but not if your grade changes.
Deadlines
Each board publishes its own deadlines, and they change by year. As an example, the 2026 JCQ post-results page set 20 August 2026 for priority review of marking (A-Level, T Level and some Level 3 qualifications) and 24 September 2026 for standard clerical re-checks and reviews of marking. Ofqual says priority reviews, which your school can request if you need the outcome for a university place, are aimed to finish by 3 September in the 2026 guide. Use those 2026 dates only as a guide to the pattern, and look up the 2027 dates on your board's website once they appear.
For an appeal itself, JCQ's guide to awarding body appeals (effective from June 2026) says the written application should be made within 30 calendar days of the review outcome being issued. Only the head of centre can appeal for a school or college candidate, while private candidates can appeal directly.
Check the full details in JCQ's post-results information.
GCSE English and maths resits
If you are 16 to 18 and did not reach grade 4 in GCSE English or maths by the end of Year 11, the government's 16 to 19 condition of funding applies to your school sixth form or college. It means your provider must enrol you in approved English and maths study.
| Your Year 11 grade | Full-time 16 to 19 study programme |
|---|---|
| Grade 4 or above | Condition met, no further maths or English required |
| Grade 3 | Study towards a GCSE in that subject |
| Grade 2 or below, or no GCSE | Work towards Functional Skills level 2 or a GCSE |
- Part-time students with grade 3 can study any approved qualification on the route to grade 4.
- Full-time students need at least 100 planned teaching hours per subject.
- The condition ends once you gain grade 4 or an equivalent qualification during your programme.
- A narrow set of exemptions applies, including some students with an EHC plan, and overseas qualifications confirmed as equivalent to grade 4.
The rule sits with the provider, not as a personal penalty. Read the current guidance on GOV.UK and ask your college which exam series it enters you for. Resit preparation is a good use of the methods in our revision techniques guide, and you can build a plan with our revision timetable guide.
Clearing basics
Clearing is how universities fill places still available on their courses. You can use it if you applied after the cut-off, received no offers or none you wanted, missed your offer conditions, or declined your place using UCAS's decline-my-place option. If you already hold an offer you plan to accept, you do not need it.
These 2026 UCAS dates show the usual pattern. Check the 2027 dates on UCAS before you rely on them.
- 30 June: applications made after this are eligible for Clearing.
- 2 July: Clearing opens and vacancies appear in UCAS's search tool.
- Mid-September: universities stop regularly updating vacancies.
- 19 October: Clearing closes.
How it works
- Talk to a teacher or careers adviser about alternatives.
- Search the UCAS tool for courses with vacancies. Consider related subjects.
- Contact the university with your Clearing number and Personal ID, and ask if they will give you an offer.
- Only after they agree, use Add Clearing choice. You can add one at a time, and adding it counts as accepting.
- Once confirmed, arrange accommodation.
If you missed an offer and are waiting on a review, UCAS tells you to inform your university and send them the outcome as soon as you have it. UCAS notes that most want it by 2 September, though this varies. See UCAS's Clearing explainer for current dates.
If you are heading into work or training instead
Not every route needs a university place. Apprenticeships, college courses and jobs are all valid next steps, and the careers section covers CVs and applications. For general study help, go back to the education hub or the guides hub.
Free tools for this
- Revision timetable generator — Weekly GCSE or A-Level plan from your exam dates, weighted to weaker subjects.
- GCSE & A-Level exam countdown 2027 — Days until summer 2027 exams, results days and each of your own papers.
- Flashcard maker — Paste notes, get question-and-answer cards. Download for Anki or Quizlet.
Sources
- AQA: Results days
- JCQ: Key dates in the examination cycle, June 2027
- JCQ: Post results
- JCQ: A guide to the awarding bodies' appeals processes, effective from June 2026
- Ofqual student guide: What to do if you think there is a mistake in your results
- GOV.UK: 16 to 19 funding, maths and English condition of funding, 2026 to 2027
- UCAS: What is Clearing?
- UCAS: What to do after you get your exam results
General information only. Check details with your school, exam board, employer or adviser.