A-level Results Day

Thursday is A-level results day and this can bring a lot of anxiety and worry to students and parents alike. No doubt you have spent the last two months worrying whether you have got the grades to progress to whatever you are doing next.

The first thing to remember is that the results don't define you for the rest of your life. Whatever comes out of that envelope, you still have a future and that future can be very bright. True, it may not look exactly like you planned it, but you can go on to make a success of your life all the same.

If you get the grades you need, congratulations. You can start preparing for the next chapter in your life, be that career or university. You have worked hard and that hard work has been rewarded.

If you have missed out, you will have a little bit more to do. The temptation may be to retreat into yourself and feel a bit deflated, but your best option is to be proactive. If you have just missed out, your initial options may still be open to you. Check your UCAS Hub to see if one of your choices has accepted you. If not, but it's not showing as rejected either, make that phone call. You may be able to go onto a foundation degree or move to a related course.

If that fails, you will have to make a decision about what you want to do next. If you want to go to university, you will have to go through clearing. Phone lines open at 8 am and the more desirable places fill up quickly. For any student, it is worth considering some of the options in advance. Which universities would you be happy to go to? Which courses would you be interested in? Most universities publish their available options in advance so you can check them out. That way, as soon as you have your results you can make that phone call. If you wait until the afternoon, or later in the week, you will have considerably fewer options to choose from.

Having nailed down the next chapter in your life: a job, your chosen university or a place through clearing, it is time for a little reflection. You have achieved a fantastic accomplishment. You have been rewarded for at least two years' hard work. Now is a time to relax and to celebrate. Spend some time with friends and family and doing the things you have put on hold for the past few months.

Because things are just about to get started again.