Missing the grades in your offer doesn’t automatically mean you’ve lost the place. Here’s what actually happens on results day, and the options in front of you.
If you don’t meet your offer, the university still decides what to do - it can confirm you anyway, offer an alternative course, or release you. If your status still shows pending, it’s still deciding. If your firm choice doesn’t confirm, your insurance choice is considered next. If neither comes through, you go into Clearing. A near miss is common and often fine - don’t panic.
tutor2u isn’t a university or a UCAS service, and we can’t place you on a course. This is a plain-English guide to the official process - always use UCAS and speak to the universities and your school or college for anything specific to you.
If you narrowly missed your offer and genuinely think there may have been a marking error, speak to your school or college immediately about whether a priority review of marking is appropriate (for A-levels the priority deadline is 20 August 2026). Tell your university too: it may be willing to keep your place open while the review takes place, although it doesn’t have to. Remember a review can move a grade down as well as up. How reviews of marking work.
Being ‘in Clearing’ isn’t a failure - it’s a normal route that tens of thousands of students use every year, including for excellent courses. And universities can and do confirm places for near misses, so a dropped grade doesn’t automatically cost you the offer.
Often, yes. The university decides on results day - if you’re close and they have room, they may confirm you, or offer an alternative course. It isn’t automatic either way. Source: UCAS ↗
No. A still-conditional status means the university is still deciding; it may be waiting for information such as your results. Check for messages and contact them if you need clarity. Source: UCAS ↗
Your insurance is your backup offer. If your firm choice doesn’t confirm your place, your results are then considered against your insurance choice. Source: UCAS ↗
You become eligible for Clearing. Your Hub shows a Clearing number; you search for vacancies and contact universities directly to secure a new place. Source: UCAS ↗
You can ask your school to request a review of marking - consider a priority review if a place depends on it, and tell your university. A review can lower a grade as well as raise it and takes time. Source: Ofqual ↗
Check this year’s grade boundaries and results for the subjects in question, and the key results-day dates.
Results day & key dates →Grade boundary pages →Last checked August 2026. This is a plain-English summary of the UCAS admissions and Clearing process; always check your UCAS application and contact the relevant university or college for the details that apply to you, which can change.
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