5 Things to Do the Week You Get Your Results
A-Level results come out Thursday 13 August 2026 and GCSE results day is on Thursday 20 August 2026. Most people see their results, celebrate with friends, then take a long break. Don't. The week you get your results is the most important week of the year for your next move - whether that's university, an apprenticeship, or straight into work. Here's what to actually do.
1. Check your offers and UCAS immediately - don't assume anything
UCAS updates on the morning of results day to show whether your university place is confirmed. Don't wait until later in the day. Log in as soon as schools open (usually around 8am) and find out your exact status.
Check your UCAS Hub before drawing conclusions from your grades alone. A university can still confirm your place if you narrowly miss the conditions, so the Hub is the place that tells you for certain. If you've met your firm choice conditions, that's done. If not, check whether you've met your insurance offer. If you've missed both, you go into Clearing - but know that before panic sets in.
2. Start applying for roles that week, not the following week
This is the biggest advantage most people waste. Apply within the first 24–48 hours of a posting appearing to maximise your chances. By waiting until August bank holidays or September, you're competing with thousands of others applying to the same roles.
If you're looking for entry-level jobs, graduate schemes, or apprenticeships, search job boards immediately after your results. Check Step Into Jobs for entry-level vacancies, and also use major boards like Indeed, Reed, and LinkedIn. Many employers review applications on a rolling basis - first in, first interviewed.
3. Double-check your grades and ask about appeals if anything looks wrong
If a grade looks lower than you expected, ask your school about a priority review of marking immediately. The process is quick if done straight away, but it gets slower if you wait.
If a grade looks wrong and a place depends on it, ask your school about a priority review of marking immediately. You won't know if there's been a marking error unless you ask, and a correction can change everything - your university place, an apprenticeship eligibility, or whether you qualify for certain roles.
4. If you're doing Clearing, be organised and ready to call the same day
If you can't collect your grades yourself, let your school know in advance and arrange for someone to collect them for you. But it's best never to be away on results day in case you go through Clearing. If you do, you must be able to phone universities yourself, which will be much easier if you are at home.
If you are going into Clearing, have your UCAS ID and a shortlist ready before 8am, then add your grades once they are released. Write down course codes, universities, and phone numbers before results day so you're not scrambling to search for information when you're on the phone.
5. Know your apprenticeship timeline if that's your route
If you're applying for an apprenticeship, you need to understand when applications open. Large employers with annual apprenticeship intakes (such as the Civil Service, NHS, and major engineering firms) typically advertise between November and March for September starts. Unlike universities, most employers offering apprenticeships do not hold places open for a year. Apprenticeship vacancies are filled as they come up, so you cannot apply in Year 13 and ask to start a year later. Instead, you would take your gap year and then apply for apprenticeships towards the end of it.
This matters because if you're hoping to start an apprenticeship in September 2026, you should already be looking at vacancies now. If not, you're planning for September 2027, which means you have time to gain experience or work in the next few months. Either way, use results week to map out the timeline for your specific path.
The week you get your results isn't the time to relax - it's the time to move fast. Employers, universities, and training providers are all making decisions and filling spaces that week. The people who act immediately get the best options. Everyone else gets what's left.
Start here: Browse entry-level jobs on Step Into Jobs and update your LinkedIn profile to "Open to Work" the same day you get your results.