How to navigate results day and make the most of moving to sixth form

Moving from studying at GCSE level to A-Level is a major change, both in terms of the different subjects available and the more independent style of learning. Lyndsey has given some general tips for students starting sixth form this year, whether or not they got the results they were hoping for.

Explore your options

Sixth form courses are very different to GCSE courses. There are a much wider range of subjects and courses available to you, including A-Level psychology! Think about which career ideas that you might have, which subjects you would be happiest studying, and where you would be happiest studying them. If you are happy to continue studying at your previous school, great! However, you may prefer to be in either a quieter setting with fewer students or in a larger setting with students from different schools. 

Prepare for your course

Find out what you need to bring with you at the time of enrolment, such as your GCSE results transcripts and most recent school reports. If you are interviewed at enrolment, focus on explaining why you wish to study a subject (e.g. A-Level psychology), any career ideas that you may have (e.g. becoming a practitioner psychologist) and why you are suitable for a place on your chosen course. 

After enrolment, it is also a good idea to buy the equipment that you will need for your course, such as a year one A-Level psychology textbook. Finally, many students find that the most difficult transition is from GCSE to A-Level, because the work becomes more complex and you are expected to work more independently in class and at home, especially in the second year. It is therefore never too early to find out more about how you can develop good study habits and to get used to reading around your chosen subjects. I highly recommend the chartered psychologist Lucinda Powel's 'Changing states of mind' podcast interview 'Study Smart with Felicity Biwer' on 4 October 2023.

The BPS Psychology Teachers' toolkit also contains resources about how to evaluate and how to obtain top grades in psychology. 

If you did not get the results that you hoped for, here are my top tips for what to do next:

View your results as an opportunity rather than a failure

Although you may not have got the results that you hoped for, you have still completed your education and developed experience and skills that will help you in the future, such as literacy and mathematical skills, communication skills, team-working skills, the ability to work under pressure, problem solving skills, and organisational and planning skills. These are key transferable skills which give you access to opportunities that were unavailable to you when you first started school. 

Consider other subjects/courses

Sixth form courses are very different to GCSE courses. There are a much wider range of subjects and courses available to you, including A-Level psychology. Think about which other subjects or courses would suit you and help you with any long-term career goals that you might have. For example, some students choose sociology as an alternative to psychology as the two subjects are similar in some ways. Another possibility is a T-Level in health and science, or education and childcare. 

Explore other options

Another alternative is to stay at school or college for three years instead of two and resit your GCSEs during your first year at sixth form.  There is also the option of a traineeship or school leaver programme.

Lyndsey is a chartered psychologist, chair of the BPS's Standing Committee on Psychology Education in Schools and Colleges, a member of the Association for the Teaching of Psychology committee, and the Association for the Teaching of Psychology Representative on the BPS London and Home Counties Branch and the Division of Academics, Researchers and Teachers in Psychology (DART-P) committees.

She has broad experience of teaching accredited and non-accredited psychology courses from OCN level one to degree level to students from diverse backgrounds in a variety of sixth form and further education settings since 2002. She is also a former A-Level psychology examiner for AQA, and a former GCSE psychology examiner for OCR.