A Level Results Day UAE: Advice on University Clearing, Grade Appeals and What to do if you don’t get the marks you hoped for

If you’re deflated by the grades you’ve received on A Level Results Day, don’t panic, say UAE teachers.

The first thing to remember is: exam results do not define you. The marks you receive are just one part of your many achievements, and there are still plenty of options open to you.

Bypass the traditional channels

Matthew James, Head of Post-16 and Assistant Principal, GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis, says:

“If you’re disappointed with your grades, try not to worry.”

As a first step, Matthew James recommends bypassing the traditional channels such as UCAS or CommonApp and trying to have a one-on-one conversation with the Admissions department at the University that you were hoping to get into:

“Speak to the university and see what your options are. Universities often want to reward students who have committed to them by offering substitute programmes and courses.”

“Going directly to universities in invaluable for that personal touch and the ability to sound out a few ideas, alternatives and suggestions with their admissions offices is so useful.”

Mr James explains that the Class of 2022 has had a particularly tough year in terms of University entry:

“At GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis, we noticed a small number of cases where students were not being made offers – conditional or unconditional – for places that their predicted grades would ordinarily qualify them for. When talking directly to the universities, we have been told that, in the majority of cases, this is because of a backlog of offers made to students in 2020 and 2021 that were not taken due to the pandemic.”

While this is an unfortunate and unfair by-product of the pandemic, do not be discouraged, says James:

“In the few instances where this has happened to one of our students, we have reached out to the university to find alternative pathways and discuss other access routes to that same university.”

If you aren’t able to speak to someone straight away, you could start making your own contingency plans, by looking at courses similar to the ones you’ve applied for at other universities and checking their entry requirements:

“These routes are different but, in many cases, still very similar to the original course. For example, instead of a course in Business Management, the student may be offered a place to study Business Management and Finance.”

If the phone lines are jammed and you can’t get any response straight away, stay strong, says James:

“Do understand that most universities usually need around 24 hours from the publication of results to be able to process everything, so don’t be upset if they ask you to give them a bit of time. Ultimately, whatever your concern, the personal touch of speaking to the admissions team at the university you wish to attend is a powerful tool and can often reap rewards.”

Should you appeal your A-Level grade?

What if you think your A-level result isn’t right – can you appeal against it?

Malin Halladay Aladlouni, University Guidance and Career Counsellor, CAS Coordinator and Designated Safeguarding Lead, GEMS International School – Al Khail says:

 “Students should generally receive marks well in line with their predicted scores, unless of course grades or exam predictions have been inflated or there are extenuating, unplanned circumstances that affect exam performance on the day of the exam, such as sudden illness.”

“Students can review where they sit in terms of grade boundaries once they receive their exam results, and they can launch an appeal for a re-mark if they can see a possible improved result (i.e., if they are sitting on the upper end of a grade boundary). That said, it’s important to note that there may be a cost involved, re-marks rarely result in a changed outcome, and a re-mark could potentially lower the score, not raise it.”

How to appeal your A-Level exam grade

First contact your school. They can request that the exam board reviews the marking of your exam entry.

If you’re a private candidate you can contact the exam board directly, or contact the school or college that submitted your exam entry.

You might be charged a fee if you ask for a review and your grade is not changed as a result.

The exam board will check your work for marking mistakes. Your mark may change if they find any.

If your mark changes your overall grade may also change. Your new grade could be higher or lower than the original.

If you still think there’s a mistake, you can ask your school or college to appeal the result. The exam board will then look at your work again and decide if your mark or grade needs correcting.

If you think the exam board did not handle your appeal properly, you can request a review from Ofqual.

The deadline for any exam-grade appeal is 17 September 2022.

If you just want to ask a question about grade awarding, appeals or policy, visit the Ofqual exam helpline, email [email protected] or telephone 0300 303 3344.

Can you retake your A-Levels?

If you feel that your grades don’t give a fair reflection of your performance, you can choose to sit A-Level exams in the autumn of 2022 or next year in 2023 – but you will need to take all the papers in any particular subject; you cannot just re-take one single paper.  If your results are better in these re-sits, you will be able to use the higher of the two grades to apply to University and jobs in the future. Exam dates for AS and A Levels run from 5 October to 23 October.

Launching your University back-up plan

If you don’t want to appeal or re-take your exams, there are still plenty of possibilities.

Malin Halladay Aladlouni is University Guidance and Career Counsellor, CAS Coordinator and Designated Safeguarding Lead at GEMS International School – Al Khail. Although her expertise is within the IB system, her advice may be applied to A-Level results too. She says:

“Over the course of the Grade 12 year, each student should have applied to a variety of ‘best fit’ schools with varying levels of accessibility – sometimes referred to as high reach, reach, match and safety schools. Students should be pleased to attend all of these schools based on them clearly meeting each student’s list of wants and needs.”

“Clearly, students whose results do not meet the entry requirements of their preferred university will be very disappointed; however, they should still have good backup options in place – sometimes including a Plan B, Plan C and even a Plan D. Application procedures and admission requirements differ by university and country, and from the beginning of the process students should be looking to find their ‘best fit’, which will help them make choices that will have the highest likelihood of a successful outcome.”

“For UK admissions, students should be applying to a variety of schools, including at least a few whose entry requirements they exceed. It would be a mistake for a student to select only ‘aspirational’ schools as both their firm and insurance choices. Having said that, sometimes, if a student has achieved just below the entry requirements, a university may still be willing to accept them. If a student hasn’t met their entry requirements following the release of their exam results, the student should immediately contact their firm and insurance choices to see if they are still admissible and under what conditions (for example, a built-in foundation year). If they are no longer admissible, UK-bound students can enter the Clearing process on UCAS or apply directly to foundation providers.

“For US admissions, most offers are firm (barring significant drops in academic performance or suspension from school), so most students are able to attend the university to which they committed. If the final school transcript and/or results differ significantly from the predicted grades submitted during the application process, it is likely that an offer will be rescinded, particularly for the most competitive universities. Any changes in performance will need to be justified by a student and their school, although it would be rare for a university to revoke admission based on slight changes in grades.”

For many schools, due to the high number of exceptional candidates, entry requirements will be non-negotiable. This is often true, for example, in Europe and the UK. Students in the northern hemisphere typically apply to Australian universities with their scores in hand, rather than predictions, so they should apply to universities whose entry requirements they meet. Canada offers some flexibility, although if original offer conditions are not met, an alternative programme choice may be offered to the student.”

Finding the bright side of an obstacle

Gwawr Tagg, Senior Manager, GEMS For Life, GEMS Education, says:

“There are many reasons why a first-choice university placement might not be within reach – including limited capacity at the university (as may be the case this year), a shortfall in academic results, or even financial constraints. In all cases, the key message is not to panic.

“Most students will already have backup plans, guided by their expert school counsellors. For those that don’t, it’s important to remember that, although there are preferred paths to a given career, there are always alternative routes.

“For those considering clearing, note that there are a number of factors to consider over and above the overall ranking of a university, such as the subject ranking, the cost of living within reach, the size of the student community, student satisfaction and the eventual graduate outcomes. You may even be pleasantly surprised!

“Exploring a gap year is also an option and provides some additional time to rediscover your calling. Supercharging your profile with meaningful industry experience or volunteer work is increasingly highly regarded. The important thing is to ensure you research thoroughly and consider the option that’s best for you.”

What if you haven’t got into any university? 

Malin Halladay Aladlouni, University Guidance and Career Counsellor, CAS Coordinator and Designated Safeguarding Lead, GEMS International School – Al Khail says:

“This would be a highly unusual situation for students who have built balanced university lists with their counsellors, as our goal is to help guarantee that a student has at least one offer. However, if students find themselves without any viable offers following the release of their exam results, they could consider applying to:

• Clearing options at more accessible universities in the UK
• Foundation programmes in any number of countries or a bridging programme in Australia
• A community college in the US
• Schools with rolling admissions (e.g., local UAE universities, many US universities, some American universities abroad)
• Schools with mid-year entry or southern hemisphere start dates (e.g., Australia)

“In this instance, a student might also wish to take a planned gap year to work on personal growth and development, gain professional experience and strengthen academic skills, while reapplying to schools whose entry requirements they meet based on their exam results.”

“To find their ‘best fit’ options, it may be necessary for students to consider changing the university criteria they’re willing to consider.”

Don’t be discouraged

Although it might feel like the end of everything, you are only at the beginning of your life journey, and there are so many wonderful things ahead of you, says Malin Halladay Aladlouni, University Guidance and Career Counsellor, CAS Coordinator and Designated Safeguarding Lead, GEMS International School – Al Khail:

“High school doesn’t define what students are capable of achieving throughout their lives, and although some students may take a slightly longer or more circuitous path to reach their end goals, most students can reach them eventually.”

“However, it is important that students identify a direction that helps them arrive at the intersection of their interests, strengths and values. Some students may wish to consider retakes for certain subjects, while others might be more satisfied taking a gap year to have the time to explore and develop interests and strengths.”

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