When is A-Level results day? Key dates and timings

If you just want the date and time, here it is: A-Level results day 2026 is Thursday 13 August, and results are available from 8am. Everything else on this page (Confirmation, Clearing, how to actually see your grades) sits around those two facts.

This is the lean date-and-timing guide. If you want the full walkthrough of what to do once you've got your grades, we've got a separate piece on the A-Level results day process.

A-Level results day 2026 is Thursday 13 August. The exact date is set each year by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), and for 2026 that's Thursday 13 August. GCSE results follow a week later, on Thursday 20 August.

The date is set centrally by JCQ, which coordinates results across AQA, OCR, Edexcel, WJEC and CCEA. So whichever exam board your school uses, the date is the same.

Results are available from 8am on results day morning. There are really two clocks running, and it helps to keep them separate.

First, your grades. These come from your school or sixth form college. Most centres open from 8am, with staff set up in the hall or main reception to hand out a printed slip. Some centres use an online portal that unlocks at the same time. You can't get grades direct from the exam board: they always go through your school.

Second, your UCAS Hub. Per UCAS, your Confirmation status updates from 8am. So before you've physically picked up your slip, the Hub usually already shows whether your firm or insurance offer has been confirmed. Some students see it update bang on 8am, others see it tick over a few minutes later. If nothing's moved by 8.30am, refresh, then ring your school.

JCQ sets the date each year, and it's usually a Thursday in mid-August. There's no fixed rule about which Thursday (some years it's the second, others the third), so future years are projections rather than confirmed. Here's the rough calendar if you're planning ahead (sibling's results, gap year, anything else).

There are three places to look on results morning, and you'll probably end up using all three.

Your school or college. This is where the actual grade slip comes from. Most centres open from 8am and stay open through the morning. Bring photo ID if your school's asked for it.

Your UCAS Hub. Log in from 8am to see your Confirmation status. The Hub tells you whether your firm choice has confirmed, your insurance has kicked in, or you've been released into Clearing. It does not show your actual grades line by line: for that you need your school slip.

Your phone. Save your firm and insurance university phone numbers the night before. If your Hub is still showing 'conditional' at 8.15am, or you've been released, the fastest answer comes from ringing the admissions office directly.

If you can't be at school in person, sort it out before results day. You can nominate someone (usually a parent) to collect your slip with written permission, or ask the school to email or post it. The UCAS Hub works from anywhere, so Confirmation status is accessible wherever you are.

Per UCAS, Clearing 2026 opens earlier in the summer (2 July) and runs through to 19 October. But the big day for most students is 13 August itself, because that's when results land and most Clearing places get filled.

A few timings worth knowing.

From 8am, the UCAS Hub shows your Confirmation status. If you've been released into Clearing, you'll see a Clearing number and the option to add a choice.

From 8am onwards, universities run Clearing phone lines. Lines are busiest in the first two hours, especially for popular courses.

From 1pm, you can add a Clearing choice to your UCAS Hub. Universities still need to confirm it on their side, but the technical button to submit is live from 1pm.

If you've got your firm offer but want to change your mind, you can release yourself into Clearing through the Hub. There's a button for it, but be certain before you press it: once you self-release, your original firm offer is gone.