A-level results day 2022: key dates and information

When is A-level results day and what happens if your students don’t achieve the grades they wanted? We round up the key information below

28th July 2022, 9:30am

Tes Editorial

When is A-level results day 2022?

This year, A-level results day will be Thursday 18 August 2022 for A and T levels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) results day is 9 August 2022.

Schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be able to see A-level exam results on most examining boards’ systems by 17 August but these are for headteachers and the exams officer only.

For more details about post-result analysis for your centre, please refer to the exam board website using the links below.

How will grades work this year?

This is the first time that exams have taken place since 2019, following two years of cancellations as part of the measures to control the spread of coronavirus.

In 2020, exams were replaced with centre-assessed grades (CAGs). Then, in 2021, teacher-assessed grades (TAGs) were used.

As a consequence of using a different method of assessment, grades were much higher than normal. with two in five grades awarded either an A or A*, meaning inflation and grade reliability were called into question.

This year, A-level grades will be calculated by using boundaries set at around a midway point between the distributions seen in 2021 and 2019, the last year when public exams were sat.

Ofqual has said this is to reflect how 2022 is a “transition” year during which students have still suffered disruption as a result of Covid-19.

You can read more about the grading and how it will work in our interview with Jo Saxton, Ofqual chief regulator, who sat down with Tes to exclusively review this year’s exams details.

Collecting A-level results

Students will be able to collect their results from their school or college in the morning, usually from 10am. It is advisable for students to bring with them their Ucas letter and the relevant contact details for any university that has made them a firm or insurance offer, as well as copies of personal statements and references.

Those who are unable to collect their results in person can request in advance to receive them via email. These will be available from 8am. To receive your results via email, speak to your school or college.

This year, it is advisable for students to check with their school or college on the collection procedure. There may be one-way systems, staggered collections or the requirement to wear a face covering.

What if the results aren’t what I expected?

If you are unhappy with your results, you can request a review of marking, or a “remark”.

There are more details on appeals here.

Support phone lines

The Department for Education has provided an exam results helpline.

Telephone 0800 100 900

The helpline can provide information on appeals, complaints or what a student might be able to do next after they have received their results.

Students can also contact Ofqual by telephone on 0300 303 3344.

Students can call this number if they want to find out more about how they were graded, the autumn exams series, how to make an appeal or raise a concern about bias or discrimination.

Other useful post exam information on future employment opportunities once results have been received can be found at nationalcareers.service.gov.uk

Resits

If a student wishes to resit their exam, there will be an opportunity in the next summer exam series in 2023.

To get in touch with the relevant exam board, use the links below:

A-level students in England and Wales can call an exam results helpline, run by Ucas: 0800 100 900. It is open from 16-30 August.

A-level students in Scotland can call a separate helpline, also run by Ucas: 0808 100 8000. It is open from 7-15 August.

Find out more about Ucas

University clearing

If your students didn’t make the grades they needed for their university course, they will need to go through Clearing.

For questions on how Clearing works, see our guide to Clearing. And for how to support your students on results day, one head of sixth form shares their wisdom on how to support students through the A-level results process.