Starting out · Shelf
After GCSEs and into university
Every option at 16, what to do if results went wrong, whether university pays, UCAS points and the new personal statement, Clearing, placement years, spring weeks and the law on unpaid internships.
10 guides50 minutes of reading
On this shelf
- What can I do after GCSEs?The five post-16 routes in England, what the law requires until 18 and how to choose between them.
- I failed my GCSEs. What now?Level 2 courses, apprenticeships and the English and maths resit rules after low GCSE grades.
- Is university worth it?DfE and IFS data on the graduate premium, the 2026 fees and how to judge a specific course against a real alternative.
- I don't want to go to university. What are my options?The routes at 18 besides a degree, and how to make the case at home with a plan and dates.
- What are UCAS points and how do they work?Tariff values for A levels, T levels and BTECs, how to add them and which universities use them.
- How do I answer the three UCAS personal statement questions?What each of the three UCAS questions asks, a weekend method and what to cut.
- What is Clearing and how does it work?The Clearing window, results day step by step and how to choose a course without rushing.
- Is a placement year worth it?What a sandwich year costs and pays, when it's worth a year and how to find one.
- What is a spring week and how do I get one?Insight weeks for first-years, the autumn deadlines and how to use one to test an industry.
- Are unpaid internships legal in the UK?When an intern is a worker owed the minimum wage, the real exceptions and how to claim back pay.
469 guides on 55 shelves. Each one starts with the short answer and ends with one thing to try.
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