A-level results day 2017: When is it? What if I can't collect my grades in person? Everything you need to know

A level results day can be one of the most stressful but exciting times in a student's life. Make sure you are prepared for it with our step-by-step guide

Floating teenagers are a common phenomenon seen on results day (Getty)

When is A level results day?

You can collect those all-important results on Thursday August 17. Results day and the build-up to it can be stressful, so make sure you know what to expect.

When can I get my results?

You’ll be able to check your university application status on the Ucas website (via "Track") from 8am on August 17, so have your sign-in details ready and make sure your personal information is up to date.

Your individual grades won’t show up here, so you will need to pick up a hard copy of your results from school or college. Check to see what time they open – it’s most likely to be listed on the school or college website.

What if I can’t collect them in person?

Ucas advises not planning a holiday around results week, but if you can't help being away on the day, there are still ways to get your results on time.

Different schools and colleges will have different procedures for this. If you know in advance that you won’t make it, get in touch to find out what you can do – it may be that you can receive the results online, via post or on the phone. Alternatively, you might be able to nominate a family member to go in your absence.

I’ve got my results, what happens next?

Most of the time, UCAS will send your results on to the university or college of your choice, but if not you can tell them yourself.

Hopefully, you’ll get the grades you need to get onto the course you wanted – if so, celebrate! If not, don’t despair as you may well have been accepted onto your preferred course anyway.

What if I haven’t got in?

You might be offered an alternative by the university or college if you didn’t quite get the grades you hoped for. In this instance you will receive a notification of “changed course offer” - for instance an offer to start on a foundation level course, which you’ll need to accept or decline through Ucas.

It's possible you won't get the place if the conditional grades were not met, but you can search through Clearing to see which courses might have vacancies to suit you.

If your Track still shows offers as "conditional", you'll need to contact the universities rather than Ucas to find out why.

What if I did better than I expected?

You might want to see what other options are available to you from universities or courses with higher entry requirements. You can do this through the Ucas Adjustment service, which allows you to “trade-up” your original offer.

Can I change my mind?

If you decide you don’t want to accept the place you have been offered, you will need to call the institution to tell them. But be certain - it can take up to ten days to be “released” from a course offer and there’s no going back afterwards.

Alternatively, you might want to request to defer your offer until next year in favour of saving up some money or going travelling. You can do this by calling the institution to see if it is possible – courses differ in their response.

Try not to worry

There are plenty of other options available if you didn’t get the grades you wanted – or even if you did. Ucas offers support and advice online or over the phone.

You can also try taking a look at some of our other guides.

Good luck!