Exam results are an important measure of a student’s academic success but they aren’t the end-all, be-all. For students who receive disappointing grades or haven’t got into the university they wanted to go to, it can be difficult to know what to do next.

It’s helpful to keep in mind that there are lots of ways to improve your performance beyond just studying harder. Using revision methods, practicing past papers, attempting questions that you’re unsure of and putting in extra effort for the exam day itself will all help boost your results. It’s also important not to put pressure on yourself and try to be perfect during the exam period, as this can cause stress, which will affect your overall performance.

If your child is feeling stressed or anxious about their exam results, it’s a good idea to send them a message before results day to show that you care. A simple personalised card to say ‘good luck,’ can really go a long way in helping them settle their nerves.

The official ARE score report will include a pass/fail indication and topic-level feedback. It will be available in their online profile for 365 days from the date of email notification. Note that the ARE is a criterion-referenced exam that measures what a candidate knows and can do, rather than how they perform compared to other candidates. Providing additional information about a candidate’s performance beyond the minimum passing score would be inappropriate and likely to misrepresent the true nature of the ARE scoring system.