Students wait for A-level, T-level and BTec results

Students successful England, Wales and Northern Ireland volition person A-level, T-level and BTec results connected Thursday morning.

A-level results successful England are acceptable to driblet for a 2nd twelvemonth running, bringing grades backmost successful enactment with 2019 levels.

It follows a spike successful apical grades successful 2020 and 2021, erstwhile exams were cancelled due to the fact that of Covid.

In Wales and Northern Ireland, results are acceptable to beryllium higher than they were successful 2019 but little than 2022.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) has warned that spaces connected immoderate courses astatine apical universities will "go rather quickly" connected results day.

Most assemblage applicants are acceptable to get their archetypal prime of course, but students person been advised to travel up with a "plan B" successful lawsuit they miss their offer.

Thursday besides sees results for AS-levels released. In Wales and Northern Ireland, these volition number towards a student's last A-level effect adjacent summer.

To execute the method qualification, clip is divided betwixt schoolroom learning and manufacture placements - with students awarded a pass, merit, favoritism oregon distinction* aft 2 years of enactment and study.

By Christina McSorley, acquisition producer

Lara, 18, is readying to determination retired of her household location successful London and caput to assemblage successful the adjacent fewer weeks. She is waiting to get her A-level grades successful English literature, maths and machine science.

"There were decidedly immoderate challenges and immoderate exams were harder than the others, but it was bully to perceive the invigilator accidental 'pens down'," she says.

Lara is simply a registered young carer for her younger sister, and says the imaginable determination does "bring up immoderate anxieties".

"I'll inactive beryllium disposable to telephone and popular down to visit, but determination is that anxiousness that I volition beryllium leaving and I'm not definite however either of america volition respond to that situation," she said.

With the enactment of her parents and household and the Carers Trust charity, Lara says she is acceptable to instrumentality the adjacent measurement and would promote different young carers to scope retired and get immoderate help.

"Hollie, my sister, would similar to crook my country into a Lego country erstwhile I leave," she says. "She is precise excited."

Exams were cancelled successful 2020 and 2021 due to the fact that of Covid. Pupils' grades were based connected teachers' predictions instead, starring to a spike successful apical results.

England's exams watchdog, Ofqual, acceptable retired a two-year program to bring A-level and GCSE results backmost down to pre-pandemic levels.

Last twelvemonth was the archetypal clip students sat exams since the commencement of the pandemic. Ofqual called it a "transition year", with grades acceptable to bespeak a midway constituent betwixt 2019 and 2021. About 36.4% of A-levels successful England, Wales and Northern Ireland were marked astatine A* and A.

Now, successful the 2nd signifier of the plan, grades are owed to beryllium overmuch much akin to those successful 2019, erstwhile 25.4% of A-levels were fixed the apical grades.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said bringing them backmost down would guarantee results carried "weight and credibility" with employers, universities and colleges, truthful they cognize what the antithetic grades mean.

However, this year's A-level students besides suffered from disruption due to the fact that of Covid. Most of them were successful Year 10 erstwhile the pandemic deed and their GCSEs were cancelled, truthful this is the archetypal clip they person sat ceremonial exams.

The interaction connected pupils was not equal, and MPs person warned it could instrumentality a decennary for the spread betwixt disadvantaged pupils and others to constrictive to what it was earlier Covid.

These students person besides faced disruption from teacher strikes this year, though unions said they tried to minimise the interaction connected exam twelvemonth groups.

The Covid disruption means things are not rather backmost to normal.

Ofqual says determination is "protection built into the grading process" truthful that students should execute the grades they would person done if the pandemic had not happened - adjacent if they did not execute arsenic good successful their exams.

Some Covid measures besides remained successful spot for this year's exams. A-levels were spaced isolated much than they were earlier the pandemic, allowing for remainder and revision.

But, dissimilar successful the remainder of the UK, A-level students successful England were not fixed beforehand accusation astir the topics connected which they would beryllium tested.

In Wales and Northern Ireland, grades are inactive expected to beryllium higher than they were successful 2019.

The Association of School and College Leaders has said the authorities indispensable marque employers alert that antithetic twelvemonth groups person been graded differently.

Universities person taken the changes successful grading into relationship erstwhile making offers this year, according to the Department for Education.

The fig of 18-year-olds successful the colonisation is growing, truthful it could beryllium much competitory to get a spot astatine universities asking for the highest grades, similar the elite Russell Group ones.

Applications to undergraduate courses from planetary students are besides up somewhat connected past year.

Last week, Ucas main enforcement Clare Marchant said students would person to beryllium "quick disconnected the mark" to get a spot astatine a apical assemblage done clearing.

But she besides assured students that the "vast majority" would get their archetypal prime of university, and determination would beryllium a "wide scope of opportunities" elsewhere if they did not.

There are much than 28,000 courses disposable successful the online system, she said - astir 5,000 of which are astatine highly selective institutions.

Students person been advised to look astatine what is disposable successful clearing up of results day, successful lawsuit they bash not get the results they needed for their steadfast oregon security choices.

What questions bash you person astir results day? Whether you person queries astir A-levels, GCSEs, Highers oregon vocational courses, you tin get successful interaction by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please see a interaction fig if you are consenting to talk to a BBC journalist. You tin besides get successful interaction successful the pursuing ways:

If you are speechmaking this leafage and can't spot the signifier you volition request to sojourn the mobile mentation of the BBC website to taxable your question oregon remark oregon you tin email america astatine HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please see your name, property and determination with immoderate submission.