A-level results 2020 - all you need to know
A-level students across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire will get their results on Thursday (Aug 13) despite exams being cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Government officials say keeping the mid-August results day will help with continuity for further education.
However this results day is likely to be different for students across the Calendar region for many different reasons.
Here is all you need to know:
When is A-level results day 2020?
A-level results day in England is on Thursday 13 August. Results for A-level equivalent technical qualifications like BTECs and Cambridge Technicals will also be released on the same day.
How do I get my A-level results?
The results will be available from 0800 BST on Thursday morning. Every school or college has its own method of delivery. Some have invited pupils in from 8am, others will e-mail students to ask them to login to an online portal.
At John Leggott College in Scunthorpe, students who are being e-mailed their results have also been invited to a Zoom video call, should they wish to celebrate or commiserate with fellow students.
Sheffield City Council is urging students going in to school to remember to follow the following guidelines:
Walk or cycle to school
Keep a safe 2 metre distance whenever you can
Wash your hands regularly or use 70%+ hand gel
Use face coverings (if able to do so)
They add that anyone with even the mildest of Covid-19 symptoms should not go to school to collect results.
Tom Wardell, Head of Sixth Form at Skegness Grammar School, part the David Ross Education Trust (DRET)
How are my A-level results calculated?
All exams in 2020 were called off as the coronavirus lockdown forced schools to close. As a result, this year's A-level grades have been calculated based on a student's previous performance.
The central assessment grade is a prediction of how the student would have done in each subject, had exams taken place.
Classwork, homework, assignments and coursework are also taken into consideration when working out this grade.
The predictions were sent to the exam boards alongside a rank order of which students the teachers believed would do best within each grade for each subject.
Exam boards have moderated these school-assessed grades to ensure this year's results are not significantly higher than previous years and the value of students' grades are not undermined.
As part of the standardisation process, exam boards have also taken into account historical performance data to determine the proportion of students who achieved each grade in previous years.
Individual grades may have been adjusted upwards or downwards after moderation. This means that the final grade awarded to a student could be different from the one their school or college submitted.
What can I do if I'm not happy with my results?
If you feel your grades don't accurately reflect your performance, you have three options.
Firstly, you can appeal on the basis that "the correct process has not been followed" in calculating your grades. The appeal against the exam board is carried out by schools and colleges, on students’ behalf, and it is not an appeal against teachers’ use of their professional judgement.
Secondly, in a change announced a day before results day, you can appeal to use your grades in mock exams if they are higher than the calculated grade. Here you will have to go through an appeals process, with the school required to submit evidence to the exam board as to why you should be allowed to go forward with your mock exam results.
Thirdly, if you are not happy with your calculated grades or mock exam grades, then you have the option to sit your exams in the autumn. AS and A-level exams will take place from October 5-23.
If you get a better result in these exams you can carry that forward instead of the other two grades. All three grades will hold the same value with universities, colleges and employers, the Department for Education (DfE) has said.
However, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) has warned that many universities will struggle to admit students for the 2020/2021 academic year if they want to sit an A-level exam to improve their grades.
The government advice is to speak to your school or college in the first instance if you want to appeal or sit the exams.