Evening Standard: GCSEs are over. So what comes next?

A dip in the number of pupils gaining top grades and an increase in the numbers failing to pass make this a very difficult year for many students collecting their GCSE results day. However, while some of the students who sat the first exams since Covid may be disappointed, there has never been more choice available to students post GCSEs, from the new T-levels which offer a more hands-on education to apprenticeships.

Staying on at school for A-levels is seen as the default for students aiming for university. However, much depends on your grades and whether your school has a sixth form or offers the subjects and/or vocational pathways you want to study.

Increasingly, students want a more career-focused qualification – one that could offer a different route to a degree or an apprenticeship or the world of work.

If academic study does not appeal to you, and you prefer a more hands-on way of learning, there is plenty of choice. Also, with concerns around student debts, these can be a fast-track way to well-paid carers.

Remember, even if you’ve got the grades to go onto A-levels, if you’re having second thoughts, it’s not too late to change your mind. So what are your choices?

To read the full article, please click here.