Thousands of calls expected at exam results helpline
Team of experts on hand to give advice on university entry, apprenticeships, student finance and job opportunities.
Exam results helpline: 0808 100 8000
(0808 is a freephone service)
The exam results helpline is expected to get more than 3,000 calls today (Thursday 13th) as young people find out if they have secured a place in higher education.
A team of expert careers advisers are ready to help young people getting their A level results make informed choices so they can succeed in adult life.
The government-funded helpline, based at UCAS headquarters in Cheltenham, opens from 8am today and will be offering support until 24th August. You can find the service’s opening hours on the UCAS website.
Over the last 26 years, the helpline has supported an estimated 150,000 students and offered expert advice. The team can offer advice on university entry, apprenticeships, student finance and job opportunities.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:
Today can be a stressful time for young people, so it is vital that they can have high-quality advice on the end of a phone line to help them make informed choices.
Whether young people are going to university, starting an apprenticeship or starting a job we want to help them take that next step into adult life.
The exam results helpline received 3,024 calls on A level results day last year - and 6,129 calls in total.
It has been given around £150,000 of government funding this year, and over £1 million in the last decade. UCAS figures at the June deadline show that 549,000 UK students had applied for higher education courses starting this autumn - up 1% on the same point last year.
Jenny Chung, 19, secured a place at Oxford Brookes university to study international business management via the helpline after achieving grades of B, B, C in her A levels. She said:
Just knowing that the helpline exists is very reassuring. Having another perspective was an extremely vital lifeline, particularly for someone like myself who didn’t want to face having to go back to my teachers, and felt too confused listening to the advice from my parents.
Mary Curnock Cook, Chief Executive at UCAS said:
The DfE exams results helpline is a really important complement to UCAS services - it’s expert, personalised and targeted advice for students who need professional support.
Made in Chelsea stars Tiffany Watson and Nicola Hughes and YouTube star Luke Cutforth are all backing the helpline in a bid to raise awareness.
Luke Cutforth said:
The exam results helpline is a really great service that I wish I’d known about 3 years ago.
Maybe it would have sent me down a different path, one more streamlined towards my eventual goals.
The helpline can be reached on 0808 100 8000. It will be open for an extended 12 days this year - up from 10 last year - to cover both A Level and GCSE results day.
Notes to editors
The exam results helpline offers free, expert and independent information and advice to students who receive higher or lower exam results than expected and need to explore alternative options for their futures.
Supporting existing education and careers advice channels, the helpline opens once a year across the A level, GCSE, Scottish Standard, Higher, Advanced Higher and Intermediate exam results period - offering a lifeline to students who don’t get the grades they expect and want to continue into further/higher education or pursue different routes such as re-training, careers, finding employment or taking gap years.
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