What to do if you don’t get your desired A levels - as Jeremy Clarkson shares annual message

The presenter reminds his followers every summer that he went on to have a lucrative career as a motoring journalist despite getting less than ideal marks while at school.

A level students are picking up their results on Thursday with 255,130 set to be accepted into university. Latest results show 28.3 per cent of pupils received an A or A*, marking the highest percentage of students receiving top grades outside of the so-called "Covid years”.

“If your A level results are disappointing, don’t worry,” Clarkson wrote on Thursday. “I got a C and two Us and here I am today, installing lights for a helicopter landing pad in my garden.”

The presenter seems to be in a better mood after warning earlier this week that the 2025 harvest would be “catastrophic”, blaming JD Vance for the disruption.

Clarkson went into local journalism before landing a job as a motoring reporter and, ultimately, his breakthrough gig on Top Gear.

But while you might be able to follow his footsteps, there are plenty of steps you can take on A level results day.

Going through clearing

If you did not get the grades required for your first choice university, you can look to get a place through clearing; a system that matches applicants with courses that have unfilled places.

It may mean you end up going somewhere you did not consider, but that could be a blessing in disguise.

Rashidah, 19, told the BBC: "The Clearing process was really simple: I went through the Clearing courses that were available on UCAS and I called the universities I liked to find out whether the course was still available.”

Resits

If you’re unhappy with your results you can enter for all A level subjects again next year and, if needed, you can also resit GCSE English and mathematics in the autumn.

Higher Technical Qualifications

An alternative to a traditional degree, HTQs are job focused qualifications which provide you with the skills employers are looking for, the government states.

They are level four or five qualifications:

• Higher National Certificates (HNCs),
• Higher National Diplomas (HNDs),
• Certificates of Higher Education (CertHes)
• Foundation Degrees.

“HTQs provide a great opportunity for young people looking to move to the next stage – these flexible higher technical qualifications can provide a direct route into employment, as well as further study,” the government states.

Apprenticeships

An alternative to studying in an institution is to learn on the job with an apprenticeship scheme.

Anyone not in education can begin an apprenticeship and there are more than 600 across the UK if you are considering it.

Some companies also offer a “school leavers’ scheme” to those who have just finished and are looking for a workplace opportunity.

Taking a gap year

Taking a year out can be an appealing option to assess options before going back into further study.

Anyone taking a gap year should consider how it contributes to a CV, especially if the time can be used to pick up a skill or learn a language.

Christopher Partidge, who lives in east London, told LBC he took a year out to work within a Christian organisation before deciding to study an MA in a different field abroad.

"I'd recommend it if it's something you are interested in," he said. "It helped me grow in character. I found it useful and it was enjoyable."