Pass English GCSE

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GCSE & IGCSE Results Day is nearly here. 📚

Results Day can feel enormous when you are 16, but whatever is inside that envelope, the most important thing is to know what to do next.

I’ve put together a FREE one-page Results Day guide for students and their families covering:

➡️What to do when you collect your results
➡️What to check before leaving school
➡️Who to speak to if a grade is lower than expected
➡️Grade boundaries and accessing your marked script
➡️Reviews of marking and important deadlines
➡️Resit options
➡️What to do if a grade affects your sixth form or college place
➡️How parents can help without adding extra pressure
➡️How to speak sensitively to friends about their results

One of my biggest pieces of advice is this:

If something doesn’t look right, don’t simply take the results home and decide to deal with it later.

Results Day is one of the best opportunities to speak to Heads of Department, subject teachers and exams staff while they are actually there.

Ask questions. Find out your options. Check your next destination.

And, if the results aren’t what you hoped for, remember:

A lower grade may change the route, not the destination.

You might need a resit, a different course or simply a little longer to get where you want to go.

📄 You can access my free GCSE & IGCSE Results Day guide here:

https://passenglishgcse.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-GCSE-IGCSE-RESULTS-DAY-ADVICE.pdf

Please feel free to save it, share it with a student or parent who might find it useful, or send it to somebody awaiting their results this week.

💫 SHOUT OUT TO RUBY! 💫

Huge congratulations to Ruby on her great A Level results! 🎉❤️

Ruby has been part of my Pass English journey for five years. I first started working with her in Year 9 for her GCSEs, and she then came back to me for her A Levels. It honestly feels quite emotional to now be writing this and saying that she has finished her A Levels and is heading off to university!

Ruby achieved CCC in English Literature, Psychology and Biology, alongside her IB Mathematics studies, and she is really happy with her results. ❤️

She has also secured her place at her first-choice university: the University of Brighton, where she will study Primary Education (5–11 years) BA (Hons) with QTS. 🎓🍎

This is such a perfect next step for Ruby because she has wanted to become a teacher for many years.

Ruby’s A Level choices have also given her a really interesting foundation for the career she is about to begin. English Literature developed her love of language, reading and children's literature. Psychology enhanced her understanding of how children think, learn and develop, including the importance of creating a safe and supportive environment. Biology strengthened her knowledge of health, wellbeing and development, whilst IB Mathematics has supported her understanding of a subject that will be an important part of primary education.

I was particularly proud of Ruby's English Literature NEA, which she completed with me and achieved 22/25, Band 5. That was a huge part of her A Level already banked, and she worked incredibly hard to get there. 🙌📚

I also had the privilege of helping Ruby to identify her strengths and experiences and use these to write her UCAS application and personal statement. She received several university offers, so seeing her secure her place on the course and at the university she really wanted is incredibly rewarding.

Ruby has also gained lots of experience working with children. She coached a younger netball team, completed work experience at her former primary school, returned to volunteer there after her GCSEs, supported children across Years 3-6, helped with after-school activities and even led an Art lesson. She returned again in Year 12 for further work experience.

It has been wonderful to watch her confidence grow through all of those experiences and to see her realise that teaching really is the career she wants.
Ruby, you have come such a long way since Year 9. I have watched you grow in confidence, resilience and independence, and I am incredibly proud of everything you have achieved.

Well done, Ruby! 🎊

Your Pass English journey may have reached the end of one chapter, but your teaching journey is only just beginning. I cannot wait to see what you do next. ❤️🍎📚

You are officially a Pass English GCSE alumna and A Level success story! 🙌

💫 SHOUT OUT TO ABIGAIL! 💫

Huge congratulations to Abigail on her fantastic A Level results! 🎉❤️

Abigail has been part of my Pass English journey since Year 10, when I first started working with her for her GCSEs. She then came back to me for her A Levels, so it is incredibly rewarding to now be writing this as she finishes school and prepares to begin the next stage of her academic journey.

Abigail achieved an excellent AAB in Psychology, Sociology and English Literature, including a B in English Literature, and has secured her place at the University of Sheffield to study Law (European and International) LLB. ⚖️🎓

This feels like such a fitting next step for Abigail because so much of the work she has undertaken over the last few years has already developed the research, analysis, argument and independent thinking that she will now take into studying Law.

Alongside supporting Abigail with her A Level English Literature, I also worked with her on her English Literature NEA, where she undertook an extended comparative study of two novels. Her NEA achieved 73/80, placing it at A* standard against the previous year's grade boundaries. 🙌📚

I also had the privilege of supporting Abigail with her EPQ on capital punishment in the USA and China. This was an ambitious topic which required her to engage with law, ethics, different political and legal systems, human rights and international perspectives - all areas which provide such an interesting foundation for the European and international dimension of the degree she is now going on to study.

Her A Level subjects have also given her an excellent academic foundation for Law. English Literature developed her ability to analyse complex texts, construct arguments and write critically; Psychology strengthened her understanding of human behaviour and evidence; and Sociology encouraged her to examine institutions, social structures, inequality and the relationship between individuals and society.

Abigail's achievement goes beyond her examination results too.

I helped her identify her strengths and experiences and use these within her university application, and she received offers from several universities, including Sheffield, Southampton, Lancaster and Surrey, alongside writing an application for the University of Sheffield scholarship - where Abigail was also successful! 🎉🏆

Law (European and International) LLB at Sheffield will allow Abigail to develop her understanding of English law alongside European and international legal systems, before spending her third year studying abroad. Given the international and comparative issues she has already chosen to explore independently, it seems a particularly appropriate course for her. ⚖️🌍

Abigail, you have achieved so much since I first taught you in Year 10. I have watched you become an increasingly independent, thoughtful and determined student, and I am enormously proud of everything you have achieved.
Well done, Abigail! 🎊

Your Pass English journey may be reaching the end of one chapter, but an extremely exciting new one is beginning at Sheffield.
I cannot wait to see where Law takes you. ❤️⚖️📚

You are officially a Pass English GCSE alumna and A Level success story! 🙌

A LEVEL RESULTS DAY 2026 🎓

Results Day is later this week on Thursday, 13 August 🤯😵‍💫😬😊😁

For some students, it will be a straightforward celebration.

For others, there may suddenly be decisions to make about university offers, Clearing, unexpected grades, reviews of marking, alternative courses or completely different routes.

I’ve created a FREE A Level Results Day Guide for students and their families to help make those decisions a little more structured.

It covers:
✅ What to check first on Results Day

✅ What to do if you miss your university offer

✅ When to contact university admissions

✅ What to do if an A Level grade looks wrong

✅ Priority Reviews of Marking and important deadlines

✅ How Clearing works

✅ What to ask universities when contacting them through Clearing

✅ Why you should not panic-accept the first alternative you find

✅ Other routes, including foundation years, resits, reapplying, apprenticeships and gap years

✅ How parents and carers can help without taking over

✅ How to speak sensitively to friends about their results

One of the most important things I tell students is:

Do not panic. Do not assume. Check.

Missing an offer does not necessarily mean the university has rejected you.

An unexpected grade does not necessarily mean you have no options.

And entering Clearing does not mean you have failed.

Get the facts first.

Check UCAS.

Speak to your school or college.

Contact the university where necessary.

💫Investigate your options properly.💫

Then make a plan.

And remember:
Sometimes the route changes. That does not necessarily mean the destination has disappeared.

📄 FREE A Level Results Day Guide:

Link 👇 (and in my stories too)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k8jx65mTcAHHWCyWAUoLfUax_8AxqrlwAGRSijWCHJU/edit?usp=sharing

Please feel free to save or share this with any A Level student or parent/ guardian who may find it useful.

It’s been a little quiet on Pass English recently… but I haven’t disappeared! 👋📚

Life behind the scenes has been rather busy. We have been in the middle of a house move and, after a very lengthy conveyancing process, we finally exchanged contracts two days ago. 🎉🏡

At the same time, I’ve still been working on new English resources and preparing for the next academic year, so there is plenty more to come from Pass English very soon.

Before that, though, we have Results Days.

My A Level students receive their results next Thursday, 13 August, followed by my GCSE students on Thursday 20 August.

I know this can be a strange period for students after months of lessons, revision and exams, followed by a long wait for results.

As always, I’ll be contacting all of my students individually before Results Day to check in, make sure they’re doing okay and remind them that I’m here if they have any questions about their results, next steps or what happens afterwards.

I’m genuinely looking forward to finding out where everybody is heading next. For some, it will be sixth form or college; for others, university, apprenticeships or something entirely different.

Whatever the numbers on the piece of paper eventually say, getting through an entire GCSE or A Level course and sitting those exams is an achievement in itself.

So, Pass English is very much here, and I’m looking forward to sharing more again over the coming weeks. ❤️

Good luck to everyone awaiting results this month. I hope all that hard work pays off.

✨️ NEW GCSE English Literature revision resources now available in my Etsy shop! ✨️

I've added two new A Christmas Carol bundles designed to help students write stronger grade 7-9 essays covering:
📚 Scrooge 📚 Redemption & Transformation 📚 The Cratchits 📚 Poverty & Social Change

Ideal for students preparing for GCSE English Literature or for parents looking for structured revision materials.

Shop link below 👇
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PassEnglish