AS students across Belfast receive their AS and A Level results there will be many causes for celebration.

However, exam time can be extremely stressful for students and parents alike, especially when students feel disappointed with the grades that they have been awarded.

Mairead Monds, Childline Service Manager, said: "At Childline we know that results day and the period running up to it can be a really challenging time.

“The impact of the pandemic has made this even more difficult and young people have told our Childline counsellors they are understandably feeling anxious and stressed. 

“If any young person is feeling apprehensive and worried about their results, I’d urge them to talk to someone about it.

“And if they don’t get the results they need, there are options they can take and there are trusted adults that they can turn to for help and support. This could be a teacher, careers advisor, parent, carer or Childline.

“Our counsellors are always here to talk to young people whether that be on the phone or online.

“The conversation will be completely confidential and no worry is ever too small. If it matters to a young person, it’s important to Childline.”

Childline have also issued a number of points of advice for young people and their parents. 

For young people who may not have achieved the results they wanted:

  • Ask a teacher, careers advisor or any adult you trust what they think and discuss your options and how you are feeling.
  • Remind yourself of what you did well in whether that be specific pieces of coursework, or other parts of your life.
  • Don’t compare yourself to your friends.
  • If you do not feel your grade reflects your ability speak to your school about making an appeal. This doesn’t always mean you’ll get a better grade but it can help if you think things would have been different had you sat the exam.
  • Look at other courses or training programmes and apprenticeships that you can do.
  • If you haven’t got a place at your chosen university, try not to worry as there is a chance you could get a place at another university through the clearing process.
  • Take a gap year and do something different like volunteering.
  • Look at different courses that you can do with the grades you have achieved. 

For parents and carers:

  • Your child may find it hard to talk to you about their results so be patient and supportive until they feel ready to talk about how they feel.
  • Encourage your child to take their time to think about what they want to do next. There’s no need to rush into a decision straightaway.
  • Help them think about their choices by writing down a list of pros and cons for each of their options.
  • If they are finding it hard to talk to you, let them know they can contact Childline for free, confidential support and advice on.

If students did not receive the grades they had hoped for, all is not lost as there will be many university places available through the clearing process.

Discussing the benefits of the clearing process, a spokesperson for Ulster University said: “Clearing is a great option for those who do not secure a place at their chosen universities and it is also open to those who perhaps achieved better results than expected or have decided another course would be better suited for them.

“Increasingly more and more students are applying to university for the first time through Clearing as they want to have their grades in hand when they apply

“Indeed, Clearing can offer up a world of opportunities for students with places often available on many highly ranked courses. This year at Ulster University places are available for Pharmacy, Biomedical Science, Architecture and within Engineering.

The spokesperson added that at Ulster there will be places available through clearing on nine new courses.

“New courses on the Magee campus include Mechanical Engineering with Enterprise Development; International Business; and Music with Education, while Coleraine is welcoming applications for its new Marine Science course,” the spokesperson continued.

“If you miss out on your first choice there are lots of options available via Clearing. This is especially true for those keen to pursue a career in healthcare, with a range of courses offering similar and transferable skills.”

Ulster University will be holding a series of webinars to help students who are considering their options.

The webinars will run from 1pm to 3pm on Tuesday 10 August and there will be two sessions on Wednesday 11 August from 10am to 12pm and from 1pm to 3pm.

The webinars will be available through the university’s clearing website.