By Vanessa ClarkeEducation reporter

Hundreds of thousands of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have received their A-level results.

The proportion of pupils receiving A or A* grades was 27.2% - down from a peak of 44.8% during the pandemic.

These were the first formal exams many students had taken, because GCSEs did not go ahead as normal during the pandemic.

When did students get their A-level results? When about other exam results?

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, AS, A-level and T-level results were released on Thursday, 17 August.

Vocational and technical qualification students sitting BTec Level 3s and Cambridge Technicals got their results on or before 17 August.

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

Vocational and technical qualification students sitting BTec Level 2s will receive results on, or before, 24 August.

In Scotland, SQA results (Highers and Advanced Highers) were published on 8 August, with pass rates down from last year, but higher than they were pre-Covid.

How did A-level results differ across parts of the UK?

The drop in the proportion of pupils getting A or A* grades was steepest in England - where 26.5% of students got the top grade, down from 35.9% in 2022.

In Wales, the figure was was 34%, down from 40.9%.

In Northern Ireland it was 37.5%, down from 44%.

What were T-level results?

The overall pass rate for the 3,448 students taking the qualification was 90.5% (3,119):

• 69.2% (2,387) achieved a merit or above
• 98.7% of learners achieved an 'E' or above in their core component
• 94.9% of learners achieved a pass or above in the occupational specialism

What are T-levels and what are the grades worth?

What if I don't get the grades I need?

The charity YoungMinds points out that exam 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.

If you only just miss out on the grades you need to get on to a university or college course, the admissions office might accept you anyway, or offer you a place on a different course.

It may also be possible to resit some or all of your exams. Talk to your school or college if you want to explore this route.

Alternatively, you can consider an apprenticeship or a traineeship. There are also entry-level jobs for those who want to go straight into work.

You could also consider taking a gap year to give you more time to decide on your future path.

How can I appeal against A-level results, and other results?

If you are unhappy with your result, you should 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.

If you are still not satisfied, you can request a review from the exams regulator, 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.

How does Ucas clearing work?

Another option is applying to Ucas's clearing process.

It matches students with university and college courses that still have spaces, across the UK.

Students can use it if they:

• fail to achieve the grades for their conditional offer
• fail to receive any offers they want to accept
• decide after 30 June to apply for university
• achieve better grades than expected and want to change universities

Last year, almost 67,000 students found university places through clearing, including 34,875 18-year-olds.

Clearing is open now and closes in October.

How were A-level grade boundaries calculated? What about T-levels?

England

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

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

As expected, results have fallen back in line with pre-pandemic levels this year, after three years of higher grades.

Exam papers in the same subject were more spaced out than they were before the pandemic, to give students more time to revise between papers.

T-levels are graded generously, as they are relatively new qualifications.

Wales

In Wales, grades were again awarded more generously than before the pandemic, midway between the 2019 and 2022 results.

The Welsh Joint Education Committee 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, says there were no changes to the content of courses.

Northern Ireland

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

The proportion of top grades was higher than pre-pandemic.

Scotland

The Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) said its grading was "sensitive" due to 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. It plans for exams to go fully back to normal next year.

What questions do you have about results day? Whether you have queries about A-levels, GCSEs, Highers or vocational courses, you can get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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