2023 exam results: GCSEs, BTec Level 2s and National 5s

Exam season has finished for GCSE and other students across the UK.

It was the second year of formal exams since the pandemic and there were still some changes to how things worked, depending on where you lived.

In Scotland, SQA results (based on National 5s and National 4s) will be published on 8 August.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, GCSE results will come out on 24 August.

Vocational technical qualification (VTQ) students, which includes BTec (Business and Technology Education Council) Level 2s, will receive results on or before 24 August.

If you are unhappy with your GCSE or BTec grade, you should first talk to your school or college.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, your school will contact the exam board on your behalf and ask for your marks to be reviewed.

If you still think you have been unfairly graded after a review, you can ask your school or college to appeal.

The exam board will consider correcting your mark.

BTec students can also appeal directly to their exam board.

If you are still not satisfied, you can request a review from Ofqual.

In Scotland, the process is slightly different.

If you have concerns about your final grade, you can appeal directly to the SQA for free. Speak to your school or college first.

If your appeal is accepted, the exam board will look at the marks you received.

The charity YoungMinds points out results are not the only measure of success - and if things do not turn out how you had hoped, there are lots of ways to get you to where you want to go.

Yes, you can resit any GCSE or National 5 exam the following year. GCSE maths and English exams take place in November.

If you want to explore this option, you should speak to your school about the best course of action.

As usual, senior examiners will decide the minimum marks needed for each grade.

However, because of the disruption caused by Covid, exam boards in Englandwill be "slightly" more lenient than before the pandemic when deciding grade boundaries.

This will protect students who performed slightly less well than expected in these exams.

Results are predicted to fall back in line with pre-pandemic levels this year, after three years of higher grades.

Ofqual, England's exam regulator, said the following support was available for GSCE exams this year:

In Wales, grades will continue to be awarded more generously than before the pandemic, midway between the 2019 and 2022 results.

The Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) exam board provided advance information for its papers across a range of subjects, revealing the focus of some of the questions, to help pupils revise.

There was no advance information for any other papers taken in Wales.

And unlike last year, Qualification Wales, which oversees Welsh exams, said, there had been no changes to the content of courses.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) said its grading would be "sensitive" because of the continuing impact of the pandemic.

It took similar steps to last year to help students, such as removing or reducing exams or elements of coursework, but plans for exams to go fully back to normal next year.

The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA) exam board, which covers most pupils in Northern Ireland, provided advance information for most subjects and says examiners will take Covid disruption into account.

Many pupils go on to study A-levels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland or Advanced Highers in Scotland.

International Baccalaureate (IB) is also an option, as are vocational courses such as National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), BTec Level 3s, TechBacs, Cambridge Technicals and (in England only) T-levels.

You could also consider an apprenticeship. Apprentices get paid a salary as they spend 80% of their time in the workplace, while being trained.

Other options include going straight into full-time work or an internship.

The National Careers Service has more information.