A Levels 2025: When do exams start - and what date will students get their results this year?

• A Level exams are set to start in a little over one week’s time
• These will run until late June, but students will have to wait until August to find out how they did
• They’ll also be able to find out this year’s grade boundaries on results day
• After results day, university-bound candidates will know whether they have achieved the grades needed to accept any conditional offers

The summer exam season is now just days away, and the end of secondary school is in sight for this year’s sixth form leavers.

But first they have to make it through their A Levels. They have likely been studying towards these qualifications for years now - and many will have spent the last few months hard at work revising all that they have learned before their exams.

How they end up doing can have a big impact on their future. The grades students get in their A Levels can be crucial in securing university places, as well as unlocking other opportunities after secondary school.

But when exactly are A Levels this year, and what else do the coming months have in store for the students sitting them? Here’s what you need to know:

When do A Levels start this year?

The summer exam season for the 2024/25 school year begins the week of May 5 this year, with GCSEs. A Levels will start a little later, on the week of May 12. They will then run until late June.

After this, the completed exam papers will be sent off for marking. This may be done by one person or several, online or on paper, depending on the exam board. This marking will be quality checked every step of the way, before the final results are released.

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When will students find out their results - and the 2025 grade boundaries?

There’s then going to be a bit of a wait once the exam period concludes until candidates will be able to find out how they did . This year, A Levels results day will be on Thursday, August 14. From the morning, results will be available to pick up at their school or college.

These will come in a sealed envelope, which students can open then and there, or save to open with their family. For each A level exam you sat, you’ll receive a letter grade. There are six passing grades: A*, A, B, C, D and E - with A* being the highest.

Results day is also when the 2025 grade boundaries for each subject will be published by exam boards, usually on a dedicated page on their website. This can be a useful tool for candidates, and can help them figure out how close they were to achieving a higher grade.

What comes next after results day?

Once their A Level results are in, students will have to think about what will come next for them, in their lives after secondary school. For those intending on heading to university, they will need to accept or decline any conditional offers they might have had from universities.

Of course, some students may not be happy with their results, or might think that there has been a mistake in how they were marked. In this case, they might want to speak with their school or college about appealing their grade. The Joint Council for Qualifications says A Level candidates typically have about 30 days after getting their results to submit an appeal for the marking of their work to be checked.

A Levels candidates with university offers waiting may also want to apply for a priority review. These usually have to be submitted within a week or two of results day, to make sure they are done in time.

Even if they don’t end up with the grades they had hoped for and don’t meet the conditions for their first choice universities, this doesn’t mean they can’t go to university. UCAS will usually automatically admit them into Clearing - where thousands of students are matched up with universities with available places each year.

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