Parent's
guide
to
exam
results
Get advice to support a young person with their exam results.
As a parent or carer, you might be wondering what you can do to help on results day. Whether your child is feeling happy or disappointed, here's some advice to help you support them.
Disappointing results
If your child has not done as well as they’d hoped, there are still lots of options available.
They might not show it but they probably still care about their results and your attitude towards them and their grades.
It might help to:
- give yourself some time to reflect
- encourage your child to talk
- reassure your child there are always other options available
- focus on their next steps
Education and training options
There are lots of education and training options available.
You do not need to rush into anything. Encourage your child to take time making their decision.
Make sure you understand the post 16 options or post 18 options so your child can make an informed next step.
Planning a career
If your child has some ideas about what they would like to do, encourage them to do some research.
They'll need to consider the pros and cons based on their research and then put their plan into action.
To help your child plan their career, it's important you:
- listen and try not to judge
- stay open to their ideas
- encourage them to explore all their options
- help them make choices based on their goals and abilities, not what you think they should do
You can explore careers to find out how to get into a certain career.
Ideas for careers
If your child has no idea what kind of career they might like to do in the future, it can make it difficult to know what to do next.
Talk to your child about jobs that interest them. You can be a positive influence on their choices.
You can encourage them to:
- answer questions to help them work out what careers they could enjoy doing
- explore careers to find out more about careers they are interested in
- speak to a careers adviser
Clearing
If your child did not get the grades they needed for their university offer, they can use clearing through UCAS to find other universities that have places available.
They can also use clearing if their grades were better than expected to apply for universities with higher entry requirements.
Remember there are also plenty of post 18 options other than university.
Useful information
You might need some resources to support your child with their next step.
Here are some guides and factsheets that may help you:
- GCSE grades 9 to 1
- get advice about how to talk to your child about mental health
- clearing guide for parents
- explore career resources for parents from the Careers and Enterprise Company
- get advice about how to help a young person make education and training choices
Special educational needs (SEND) advice
You can get education advice if you're disabled or have special educational needs.
It may help you choose what you'd like to do next.