With less than 24 hours till A Level results day, Covid’s generation of students will be preparing themselves to find out whether the last 18 months of hard work have paid off, as their future depends on the outcome of tomorrow. This is one of the most stressful periods for A Level students, especially for this generation who have contended with the unequivocal impact that Covid-19 has had on their academic careers. Having already experienced monumental uncertainty and disruption to their education, today will be the peak of their anxiety.

Leading EdTech platform MyTutor has asked the nation about the extent of their worries and concerns for their futures and found that over a quarter of parents feel that since the pandemic they have noticed a visible decline in their child’s academic progression and they’re now scoring lower. In fact, 26% have gone as far to agree that their child feels their long-term university and career prospects have been damaged because of the pandemic. Perhaps in part due to this, 62% of parents report they now recommend other paths, other than university, to their child. The data also touched upon the emotional side of academic progression and found that 43% of parents feel that their child’s self-esteem is linked to the grades they achieved at school and university. Therefore, it may come as no surprise that sadly 42% also agree their child has the highest levels of stress they’ve ever observed.

No matter the results students receive on Tuesday, MyTutor finds it important to stress that there are a multitude of career paths to take which do not necessarily start with university. In a bid to help alleviate some of these worries, MyTutor has put together some tips for what to do if your child doesn’t get their first choice.

Clearing
Clearing offers the opportunity to attend university right after A levels, even if your child missed their first and second choice offers. Numerous top universities offer places through Clearing, from Leeds to Liverpool, Edinburgh to Exeter, and Newcastle to Nottingham. Clearing can also be used to change course at the last minute. Maybe they’ve decided you want to be closer to home, or that you want to study Law instead of Biology. All courses available through Clearing can be found on the official UCAS vacancy list.

Reapply next year
With their final results, they can go through next year’s UCAS process. Then they’ll get the chance to visit new universities and be in with a better chance of a place at their top choice.

See the world
Missing a uni offer can be a great opportunity for them to reconsider what they really want to do. If they take a gap year, they’ll have the chance to explore other options and even try some internships to help them choose the best path. Almost no-one who takes a year out regrets it!

Do a 180
If they don’t go straight to university, they’ll get more time to read into their subjects and maybe find a new subject they hadn’t thought of applying for before. There are loads more university subjects available than at A Level, and more time to choose is only a good thing.

The student becomes the apprentice
School exams aren’t only to set kids up for university. Internships and apprenticeships offer young people the ability to learn skills that will make them highly employable, and do not require straight A’s to complete. Going straight into the workplace with an apprenticeship or another training scheme might be where their true passions lie.

Bertie Hubbard, CEO of MyTutor comments on the difficulties faced by school children during the pandemic:
“The last 18 months have been unbelievably tough year on teens and parents alike with months out of school, exam cancellations, not seeing friends and worrying about Covid-19. With schools open again, catching up on lost learning and prepping for exams this term has undoubtedly brought another set of challenges for teens.

“They’re in more need than ever for some support and reassurance with their studies, and that’s exactly what our tutors offer. Our tutors are all from UK universities, and because they’re just a few years older they can easily relate to what teens are going through. With their dedicated one-to-one support, teens get some much-needed reassurance and come out with a stronger self-belief – 88% say that lessons made them feel more confident.”