When are this years GCSE and A-Level results out in Northern Ireland?

Tens of thousands of pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to find out how they did in the first exams held since the coronavirus pandemic.

It is expected grades will go down overall compared with last year, when students were assessed by teachers, but should still be higher than in 2019.

This year’s race for university places is expected to be one of the most competitive yet, with almost 40% of students thought likely to make use of the clearing system to find a place on a course.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) has acknowledged that offer-making has been “more conservative” this year, with the chief executive Clare Marchant warning results day will not be a “pain-free” experience for students.S

When are the results out?

Northern Ireland students will be able to find out their AS and A-Level results on Thursday, August 18.

GCSE students receive their official results on Thursday, August 25.

Grades are usually available from 8am.

Pupils will be able to pick up their results in person from their school once again this year, after the tradition was scrapped in 2020 due to the pandemic.

But, some schools may also choose to send results digitally or by post.

How have the grades been marked?

This summer saw the first GCSE and A-level summer examinations since 2019.

In 2020 and 2021, exams were cancelled due to the ongoing disruption caused by the pandemic and replaced by grades calculated by individual schools.

Last year, it was announced there would be a return to in-person exams in 2022 and that pupils taking those qualifications through Northern Ireland's exam board - the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA).

The CCEA exams board said papers would be graded more generously than in pre-pandemic years to make up for the disruption the pandemic had on teaching.

What happens next?

Students will be able to appeal their grades if they don’t agree with the verdict of their schools and teachers.

Universities get an advance sight of whether applicants have achieved their required grades, and will be going through their admission decisions ahead of the official release of results.

Anyone who does not get the results they wanted will go through the 'clearing process'.

Find out more about it hereBut students who miss out on their first choices for university when A-level results are published have been urged not to panic and instead turn to teachers for advice and support.

Students can use the clearing process to see what courses or universities might be available to them if they need a plan B.

Ucas has created a series of podcasts to help students prepare for exam results day and said it will have more than 250 people supporting students on its different channels on Thursday.

Students can visit www.ucas.com/contactus to find out more.