A Level students have flooded social media this morning with hilarious memes as they woke up to collect their exam results.
The long-awaited decision day at the end of the summer holidays has arrived — and with it many emotions, from jubilation to disappointment to grudging acceptance.
Students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are bracing for outcomes which could determine whether they go on to university, apprenticeships or enter the job world.
Grades were released to students from 8am when many will discover whether they have secured a place at their chosen university.
Last year saw a drop on the number of top grades awarded to students with 27.2% of learners achieving A* and A grades, compared to 36.4% in 2022.
But it was higher than in 2019 – the last year that summer exams were taken before Covid-19 – when 25.4 per cent of UK A-level entries were given top grades.
Top grades are tipped to drop in a return to pre-pandemic marking standards as exam regulators have now ditched the Covid-19 pandemic approach which put more weight on teachers’ own assessment of their pupils.
And many students are facing the nerve-wracking day in the best possible way, with a hint of humour.
Memes involving Gemma Collins and Breaking Bad’s Walter White have surfaced on social media, as students share this momentous moment with each other.
Using a picture of Walter White in the hit TV show Breaking Bad, one student posted on ‘X’ formerly known as Twitter: ‘Me opening my results tomorrow morning knowing I p****d about about on all my frees and the only thing I got correct in my exams was my name.’
Another person wrote: ‘Me when a level results day 2024 is this week’, featuring a picture of Gemma Collins on Loose Women.
Another person published a clip of Katniss in the Hunger Games, writing ‘Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favour’.
Many people reacted to Jeremy Clarkson’s annual A Level results day tweet. The Top Gear presenter has been wading in for years by sharing his own A Level results in a humble brag about how his grades have not prevented him from getting where he is now.
This year Clarkson’s post was a subtle plug for the opening of his new pub The Windmill in Asthall.
He posted on ‘X’: ‘Don’t worry if your A level results aren’t what you were hoping for. I got a C and two Us, and here I am, 46 years later, with my own pub. It opens next weekend if you fancy dropping in.’
UCAS confirmed there had been an increase in the number of students accepted on degree courses this year.
The total number of students accepted on to UK degree courses has risen by 3% on the same point last year, with 425,680 taking up places so far, initial figures show.
It shows some 82% of students have successfully got into their first choice university.
It is understood more university places will be available amid a decline of international students applying for courses to UK universities this year.
The Daily Telegraph is reporting almost 27,000 courses were available through clearing on Wednesday, with the figure expected to rise today as leading universities save space for high-achieving pupils.
That includes 3,500 courses at 17 of the 24 Russell Group universities – a 61 per cent jump compared to last year.