Wiltshire Council has praised students for their determination and perseverance against all odds as they pick up their A-level results across the county today (13 August).

The students had their education turned on its head when lockdown began in March, with home learning and then assessment-only grades for their chosen subjects having to be applied.

Cllr Laura Mayes, Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Skills, said: “I wish all our young people the very best as they receive their important results today. This has been an extraordinary year which has deeply impacted our schools and students. I’d like to thank all our school staff who have worked hard with our students and also the students themselves, who have had to come to terms with a very difficult few months and a very different results day. The very best to all of you today.

“I know for some this will be a more difficult day as results are not as expected. There is a range of opportunities for you to consider and there is a wide range of help available to you, and I wish you all the best as you consider these.”

The government has produced a leaflet which explains how assessments are made this summer, autumn exams and making an appeal. It details the next steps if students are not happy with the results and has key numbers to call.

Young people can contact the Exam Results Helpline from the National Careers Service to speak to a professionally qualified careers adviser for advice on next steps on 0800 100 900 nationalcareers.service.gov.uk

Young people can also speak to Ofqual 0300 303 3344 to find out more about how they were graded, plus the autumn exams series, and how to make an appeal or raise a concern about bias or discrimination.

Support from dedicated advisors and a wide range of information is also available at schools, Wiltshire College and University Centre and the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS) helpline.

The National Careers Service is holding a virtual careers fair titled “Options at 18” on Monday 24 August. The event will have its own Eventbrite page, which will act as the main space for what would be the arena or conference hall at a physical event. On the event page, attendees will be able to see content from organisations, watch videos and follow links to external sites, including live broadcasts, webinars and online Q&As. The Eventbrite registration page can be found here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-careers-fair-2020-options-at-18-registration   

There are also a series of webinars by the National Careers Service to provide advice:

• Tuesday 18th August 2-3pm – Securing an Apprenticeship 
• Thursday 20th August 10-11am – Improving Interview Skills 
• Tuesday 25th August 2-3pm – How to get the most out of LinkedIn 
• Thursday 27th August 10-11am – Creating a Winning CV 

In addition Careermap has published the following advice What to do on A Level results day

Take a look around the rest of our website for advice in planning the next steps in education, training or apprenticeships. There is also a dedicated parents page, to help you to support young people in your care.