A-level results day 2015 live: Students collect marks as teachers slam

“The days following A-level results day can be stressful and anxious time for those students who have not yet finalised their plans”, she said.

Mr Holdcroft says that students hunting for a place through Clearing should see the system as an opportunity.

Just over a quarter of A-level results announced today will be at least an A grade, according to experts.

Pupils across Bath are getting their A-level results this Thursday.

Be prepared to explain to universities why you did not do as well as you hoped in your exams – and be honest. Keep your letter safe, it’s what you’re going to need to get your student bank account.

“For me to come into a job that’s for a lifetime means I’ll be able to progress my career a lot better than I would have done if I had gone to uni, never mind all the debt I’d have been in and I’ll be earning money at the same time”.

The idea is you identify courses (with vacancies) that interest you and contact the course providers directly to see if they will offer you a place.

If you already have your exam results, but you have no offers, you can use Clearing from July.

This may also give you a chance to sell yourself and mention the subjects you have done well in, your extra AS grades and any other information which could help your application progress.

David Baldwin, headteacher of Churchill College in Wallsend, North Tyneside, said “Once again our Sixth Form students have achieved phenomenal final results and will now take up well deserved places in highly selective universities and apprenticeship schemes”.

It is still however an important decision and you need to be confident that it is the right decision for you, regardless of the amount of pressure you may feel under to accept an offer of a place.

Additionally, Queen’s University Belfast will also be operating a service for those needing advice. Ucas use a system called Adjustment in order for those students to find, and apply to universities. After today, you will have to contact any university direct to discuss availability.

At Coventry University the clearing hot line was starting at 7am.

He said: “You have simply yet to find the course that’s best for you and this is an appropriate and exciting time to do it”.

You will then search for a course against the subject you are interested in or the university that you want to study at.

If you originally only applied for one course (for the reduced fee of £12) you’ll have to pay an additional £11 to enable you to apply for multiple courses.

Wolverhampton University staff man the phones in preparation for clearing.

We spoke to the University of Lincoln, Bishop Grosseteste University and Lincoln College to find out some top tips for getting through Clearing.

Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE and Imperial College have all announced they will abstain from Clearing, as in previous years.

A full list of course vacancies is published between mid-August and late-September on both the UCAS website and in the Independent newspaper.

Check the UCAS Track site and if you’re eligible for Clearing, you’ll get a Clearing number.