While exam results day is often a time for celebration, excitement and relief, it can also bring disappointment for some students across Salford who may not have received the grades they had hoped for.
The pressure of exams can feel overwhelming, particularly after a tense wait for the results of papers sat in May and June.
Some pupils may have received grades that affect their ability to progress onto certain study pathways. While this can feel like an upsetting setback, all is not lost.
There are still plenty of options available as you consider your next steps, even if they mean taking a different path from the one originally mapped out.
Here, The Conversation’s Peter Unwin runs through what to consider if you missed grade four in English, maths or both:
Here’s some advice if you haven’t achieved a grade four or above in maths, English or both on GCSE results day. While grades three and below aren’t fail grades, a grade four in these subjects is often seen as a target, and is required to progress into some study pathways.
First of all: you are not alone. Each year around 200,000 pupils in England find themselves in this situation.
Here is some idea of your options and things to think about as you plan your next steps, perhaps taking a different path to the one you had in mind.
You may be able to retake these exams in November 2026. Almost a quarter of pupils sitting Maths and English GCSE last year were re-taking. However, there is concern over lower pass rates for retakes.
Speak to the leaders of post-16 courses you had planned to take, such as A-levels or T-levels. They may allow you to do retakes while continuing your original plans.
On the other hand, this may be an opportunity to rethink your post-16 path. Here are some of the options that are available to you – and the maths and English qualifications that they require. If you haven’t got a grade four or above at GCSE, you will need to continue with maths and English, but not necessarily through retaking your GCSEs.
The academic path
Most sixth forms and colleges require grade four or above in maths and English to study A-levels. These are level three qualifications (GCSEs are level two) and will set you on an academic path, often to university – where these GCSE grades are also required for entry.
On average a university degree is still a good investment, but this average hides wide variation. The benefits of a degree vary substantially depending on the specific university you attend and the subject. This is starting to affect graduates’ views on the benefits of a degree. If you didn’t enjoy GCSE study and haven’t achieved good grades, you are less likely to get a good financial return from studying at university.
The technical path
I’m a fan of the new prime minister’s moves to “value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap”. I have long argued for greater recognition of the value of further education learning. Vocational and technical pathways (predominantly via further education) focus on hands-on practice and real-world skills, with less abstract classroom learning. Might they be a better option for you?
You have a range of options here. T-levels are level three technical qualifications introduced in 2020, with one T-level equivalent to three A-levels. Applied generals, such as Btecs, are the most widely taken level three vocational qualifications. T-levels and Btecs cover many of the same broad sectors, such as construction, education and early years and sport. Btecs can be taken in different “sizes” so can be equivalent to one, two or three A-levels, and therefore taken alongside A-levels. From 2027, Btecs may be replaced by V-levels, vocational qualifications each equivalent in size to an A-level.
You may also consider advanced (level three) apprenticeships, working for an employer alongside studying. Most providers will set similar requirements as those for A-levels for these level three qualifications, but as with A-levels they may allow you to enrol while retaking your GCSEs in maths, English or both.
What if you’re not ready for level three learning?
Again, you are not alone. Only around half of 16-year-olds taking GCSEs this year are likely to move straight to level three.
Your level two options include intermediate apprenticeships and a range of vocational qualifications, such as Btec certificates and NVQ diplomas. In some sectors such as construction or catering, hair, beauty and motor vehicles, students start post-16 learning at level two or even level one; and if you are not quite ready for level three you can sometimes join a level two programme and progress the following year.
You will need to continue with some form of learning in maths, English or both, depending on the post-16 course and your GCSE achievement. This may be a functional skills qualification rather than a GCSE. Visit your local further education college to discuss options and make sure you get a good idea of the continued maths or English learning.
Skills shortage occupations
Skills shortages are one of the key drivers behind Andy Burnham’s technical education push. For instance, there are simply not enough electricians, carpenters and bricklayers as well as engineers and technicians. Gaining skills in these trades and occupations may be a better route to employment and good earnings for you, through further education courses or an apprenticeship.
There are also shortages in adult social care sector and recent pronouncements are likely to improve wages in the sector.
Many of the specific “hard hat” measures recently announced, such as the introduction of technical education from the age of 14, will not be introduced until 2028 but there is already plenty for you to consider.
I hope this helps. Remember, lots of students in further education go on to university each year, so you can always change path later. Your GCSE grades contain valuable information that help decide where you go next, they are not failure. The world of work is changing rapidly and with a bit of thought and investigation, you can thrive.
By Peter Unwin, Director, Centre for Employment Research, University of Westminster, via The Conversation.
