Awarding Body Linkage

What is Awarding Body Linkage?

Awarding organisations have an agreement to let UCAS have exam results before the publication date. This allows providers that have signed the results embargo agreement to make Confirmation decisions for applicants with pending exam results in time for publication day.

What is UCAS’ role?

The Results and Application Service is responsible for processing results from awarding organisations and matching them with application records. Results are sent to providers allowing them to make decisions or offers for applicants.

View the list of results we receive and forward to providers.

What are the Results and Application Service responsibilities?

Managing the ABL process.
Working with key stakeholders (awarding organisations).
Managing qualifications.
Managing applications.

How do providers access results?

The information is made available to providers via:

odbc-link and xml-link – the date and timestamp for results will be communicated to you when relevant.
web-link – from the ‘Exam Results’ screen for each applicant – view our step-by-step guide to accessing results in web-link.

Key dates for 2023

You can view the summer results schedule here.

There will be a date for the Other Vocational & Technical AOs. They have been sent the summer timetable and we are awaiting confirmation from them on submission dates.

Latest updates

IB and BTEC results – released to providers on 6 July

BTEC results

A small number of BTEC results will be made available to providers on 6 July. These results will include:

QCF BTECs (also known as ‘unreformed BTECs’), which are delivered by a small number of colleges
RQF BTECs (also known as ‘reformed BTECs’), where students have completed these qualifications during the winter or spring, and been certificated early

The vast majority of RQF BTECs will be shared with providers under embargo on 11 August. However, any BTEC results received on 6 July are not under embargo and are already available to students.

IB results

IB results are received by UCAS and IB centres on 5 July, and will be made available to providers overnight on 6 July. These are not under embargo and can be processed upon receipt.

Some IB centres will disclose results to candidates on 5 July, while others will request that IB candidates log in to the IBO portal for their results, which is available from 12:00 on 6 July.

JCQ results embargo

The following qualifications are made available during the JCQ embargo period and are subject to the embargo from 14:00 on 11 August to 08:00 on 17 August.

Vocational Technical Qualifications (VTQs)

BTEC
OCR Cambridge Technical
City & Guilds
IFS / LIBF
AIM
T-Levels
UAL
RSL Awards
NCFE
VTCT

Following guidance from Ofqual, VTQ results must be made available to schools by 14 August, (under embargo between awarding organisations and schools) to allow data reconciliation exercises to take place. During this period you must not discuss the results of any embargoed qualifications with schools.

A levels and other General Qualifications (GQs)

AQA
WJEC
Welsh Baccalaureate
Cambridge International A levels and Pre-U*

*Cambridge International A level results are released to students and centres by the awarding organisation on 10 August. These results will be shared by UCAS under embargo with providers on 11 August. Although students may legitimately have access to their Cambridge International results during this period, they must be treated like other qualifications under embargo.

Update on VTQ processing

In summer 2022, a number of students’ VTQ results from several awarding organisations were delayed. We worked closely with the impacted awarding organisations to process additional results files to support affected applicants.

In response to this, Ofqual launched a regulatory action plan for the successful delivery of results this year. The focus of the action plan has been to ensure exams officers in centres are correctly entering students for certification, with awarding organisations working with centres on a new series of compliance checkpoints to ensure progress. We have been working closely with awarding organisations following these checkpoints, processing entries files, and matching exam entries to applicant records ahead of the results data transfer.

Awarding organisations will also be publishing embargoed results to centres, up to ten days ahead of students receiving them, to enable the reconciliation of any discrepancies. We will continue to process amendment files for any additional/amended results throughout the summer.

Appeals process

If students are unhappy with their grade(s), they should talk to their centre. They can advise what the options are and will submit a request to the exam board on their behalf.

If a student has applied independently, they should talk to the centre that submitted the grades about making an appeal.

Providers should endeavour to be flexible in keeping places open until an outcome is received. Student should keep providers informed of any appeals.

There are variations in the appeals process depending on where in the UK they are.

Location	Appeals process
England	Appeals should initially be dealt with by the centre to ensure processes have been followed correctly and there are no errors – any errors can be submitted to the awarding body for correction. If a student still wishes to appeal, they should submit a formal appeal to the awarding body. More information can be found on the awarding body's web page.
Scotland	If the final grade is lower than the estimate the centre submitted to SQA before the exam, students may be able to make an appeal through their centre or directly to SQA. Estimates structure a significant part of the eligibility criteria to appeal to SQA. More information on SQA appeals.
Wales	Appeals should initially be dealt with by the centre to ensure processes have been followed correctly and there are no errors. If an error persists after the centre review has been completed, the centre must submit the student's appeal to WJEC. Full details about the appeals process will be on the Qualifications Wales website. Information for 2022 appeals has not yet been updated.
Northern Ireland	Appeals against results obtained by a student must be made by the candidate’s examination centre. Full details about the Post-Results Service in Northern Ireland can be found on the CCEA website.