A-levels results day is here again. It can be both exciting and stressful, so this week Nadine Payne, group director of careers, opportunities and progression for the Eastern Education Group joins us to talk through your options, how to navigate the day and when to start celebrating (it's earlier than you think)
Participants
- Emily Slade - podcast producer and host, Prospects
- Nadine Payne - group director of careers, opportunities and progression, Eastern Education Group
Transcript
Nadine Payne: It's what you can do before results day that I think can help to sort of help with those nerves because on the day you'll have a range of emotions, panic sets in if you haven't got the results that you were looking for, for example, and you feel like there's this mad dash.
Emily Slade: Hello and welcome back to Future You, the early careers and student advice podcast brought to you by Prospects.
Nadine Payne: Hi, I'm Nadine Payne and I'm the group director for careers, opportunities and progression within the Eastern Education Group.
Emily Slade: Perfect. So we're talking all about A-levels results today. So we're basically going to work our way through the day and figure out all the various different outcomes that can come from it. So to begin with, A-levels results day, the student should know when that is and where they're expected to be. So to begin with, you've arrived and you've got the grades that you were expected to get. What happens next?
Nadine Payne: So I think from an A-levels results day point of view, no matter how you're feeling, whether or not that's anxious, excited to find out what you've got, I think the first thing to say is that we've got you. So you will have lots of different options ahead of you and you've got a range of staff within your sixth form or college that are there to help you with those options. If you've got your results that you're expecting, congratulations, well done, you smashed it. And essentially everything will happen for you automatically. So if you're applying for university and you've got your UCAS application in, then essentially you will get your firm offer and then the universities will be in contact with you shortly to ask you about your accommodation and give you lots of information about what to do in terms of arrivals and so forth. So I think it's time to celebrate with your friends and family. I know your college or 6th form will be really keen to see you. So please go in and see them. I want to celebrate and share that with you. And then I think, yeah, go out, celebrate with your friends and look forward to all of those next steps.
Emily Slade: Yeah, very exciting. So you've opened the envelope and you didn't get what you expected?
Nadine Payne: So at this particular point you might be feeling disappointed, nervous, anxious and as I said this is the point to come in, be with the staff. There will be a range of different professionals there that have got experience in this to help you. It isn't the end of the world, that's the first thing to say. You may find again if you've applied to university that you've still got your firm or insurance offer. So that's the first thing to check though on the UCAS portal, have a look at whether or not you've been accepted. And if you haven't, then there are going to be plenty of options within the clearing with UCAS to look at.
Emily Slade: Yeah, perfect. And we will have a clearing episode coming out for more information on that. So what if you did better than you expected?
Nadine Payne: So again, congratulations. And I think that really is a personal choice then, isn't it? I think if you've done better than you expected and you're happy with where you're going, then again, that's all going to happen automatically for you. If you sit there and you think, well, actually, I want to reevaluate my options, then there are again lots of different pathways that you can take and the staff within your 6th form and college will be there to help you with that. take some guidance, you've got time to consider what you want to do. So again, it might be looking at clearing as an option because there will be places where you can kind of obviously take those grades to and move on to if you wish. So yeah, lots of options.
Emily Slade: Yeah, fantastic. And if you're not sure what you want to do, what's what are the options for you?
Nadine Payne: So again, it's talking to the professionals in the school, teachers and the career staff, booking for a meeting. They'll be there on results day there to help you and have that discussion. you've got time to consider and it could be that you haven't made an application for university but now you've got your grades and you can obviously go into the clearing system for that. You might be thinking that you want to take a gap year and that's completely natural and it gives you that time and space to really think about it. If you are thinking of a gap year I would really recommend making the most of that year though. So it could be that you want to travel or you want to earn money for next year and if you're not sure about which step to take, get some really valuable work experience. That's really key in today's job market and when you're making applications, whether it's for an apprenticeship or university, those skills are really in demand.
Emily Slade: Yeah, absolutely. So quick tips for the day as a whole What time should you arrive?
Nadine Payne: So you will have been told by your 6th form or your college as to what time the college is open. Lots of 6th forms and colleges have now taken the approach of emailing your results to you in advance. I think that takes some of the fun out of there.
Emily Slade: The glamour.
Nadine Payne: Yeah, absolutely. So I would really recommend going in, even if you have had your results emailed to you. and exactly what's happening in terms of your university choices and things like that, your staff will want to be there to celebrate with you and to support you. It's a really good opportunity to see your friends and celebrate with them as well. So whichever way your school or 6th form college communicate with you, I think go in. They'll normally be open from half 8, 9:00. and they'll be there all day to support you with any particular choices that you have.
Emily Slade: Yeah, that sounds like a solid resource to tap into. If you're nervous, so I suppose emailing ahead of time dampens those nerves in a way because you're not unveiling an envelope live on the radio like we did back in our day. But if you are feeling nervous, what advice do you have?
Nadine Payne: I think there's two stages to it. It's what you can do before results day that I think can help to sort of help with those nerves. So regardless of whether or how you think your exams have gone, I always suggest to our students to have a look at what is open there in clearing so that you know you've got options. Because on the day you'll have a range of emotions taking hold, panic sets in if you haven't got the results that you were looking for, example. and you feel like there's this mad dash. So actually have a look in the sort of weeks proceeding. So clearing opens from the 2nd of July. So have a look at what's on offer at a range of different universities, a range of different subjects that may be a link to the thing that you're originally interested in and have those ready so that when you open your envelope, no matter what the situation is, you've already got a plan in place.
Emily Slade: Yeah, amazing. And do you need to bring anything with you? Be prepared in any way.
Nadine Payne: Be ready with the UCAS log in. As long as you've got that, you're absolutely good to go. Yeah.
Emily Slade: Amazing.
Nadine Payne: Bring some friends and family for support. Yeah.
Emily Slade: Definitely. So then, yeah, I suppose we would just move into this reassurance section where it probably feels like if you've gone from your primary education, your secondary education, you've completed your A-levels, there's still potential further education to go to, but it must feel very overwhelming in that moment that this is your whole life. But is your whole life based on you opening that envelope or that e-mail?
Nadine Payne: Absolutely not. So you are so much more than the grades that are on that piece of paper. And no matter what those results are, you're going to move on to an amazing pathway that isn't linear. I don't think anybody that you speak to in industry or in whatever job that they're doing has probably thought that they would be doing that job when they were younger. Today, in today's job world, people will move from one sector to another seamlessly because it's all about the skills that you build up. So I would say I totally understand how overwhelming that day is, but it is just a stepping stone to a really exciting future.
Emily Slade: Yeah, absolutely. That's a really nice way of putting it. Yay. Yeah, that was very succinct and very good. Yeah. Was there anything else to say around that? I suppose like I really want to just drum home how it feels so important in the moment, but Two years after you've opened that envelope, you forget the envelope even existed.
Nadine Payne: Yeah, absolutely. It's like your GCSEs. Once you've done your GCSEs, it's about what your A-levels were. So therefore, when you move on to do your degree or you've got your first job, for example, nobody's actually going to look at your A-level suffer again. You know, dare I say it? I know you put like hours and hours into it, but most people won't even ask you about those A-levels because it's just that stepping stone to that next thing that you're going to do. And if your results weren't as you expected, there are so many different routes into the career that you want to go into. So it might mean taking a foundation year, for example, and taking a sort of slower pathway. But if you really want to go into that career in that sector, there will be options for you to do that.
Emily Slade: Amazing. Any other final bits of advice?
Nadine Payne: No, try and get a good night's sleep the night before, but you know, might be asking too much. I know you'll be nervous. So go out with friends and family the night before. Often people will celebrate on the day. I actually think it's really nice to go out the night before because you put all of that hard work in and that's what really matters. So if you tried your best, it really doesn't matter what's on that page.
Emily Slade: Yeah, brilliant. Amazing. Well, thank you so much for your time today.
Nadine Payne: No worries. Thank you.
Notes on transcript
This transcript was produced using a combination of automated software and human transcribers and may contain errors. The audio version is definitive and should be checked before quoting.
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