Results are in but what is next after GCSE grades?

Ian Fazackerley, assistant head of recruitment at Prestons College

After years of studying, the wait is finally over.

Thousands of young people across the county have collected their GCSE results and the grades will most likely have gone one of three ways:

You’ve got the results that you wanted and know what your next step is; you’ve done better than expected; you haven’t got the grades you hoped for.

For the latter, there’s no need to panic. There are still lots of great opportunities available to you, but don’t rush into a decision – and think carefully about your options.

Many may still be able to study the subject(s) they wanted or initially start-off on a lower-level course and work their way up. You may even want to re-evaluate your options and look at a different route altogether that may be better suited to your skill set.

Whatever your results, talk to your teachers, form tutor or head of year and ask for advice about all the options available to you. Speaking to a careers advisor can also provide accurate and up-to-date guidance.

There will also be lots of young people who fall into the second category and have done better than they expected. Firstly, congratulations! Achieving better grades than you predicted could potentially lead you to choose a different course or study at a higher level than you originally applied for. Again, all the above guidance still applies for you.

Here at Preston’s College, our expert careers advisors are on hand from 9.30am today and Tuesday 30th, offering advice to those who didn’t get the grades needed for their chosen course and who got better than expected.

Just because you haven’t yet applied for a college place doesn’t mean it’s too  late.

Bring your results with you to the college and we can discuss what vocational-technical courses or Apprenticeship opportunities will help you to achieve your future career goals.

At Preston’s College, we’ve overseen thousands of young people in the transition to post-16 education and into apprenticeships.

Whatever your results and current situation, we help students to progress on to a course or study route that suits their skills and future aspirations,

For more information, call the college’s advice centre on 01772 225522.