Results day 2025: Students wait for A-level, T-level and BTec grades
The pass rate for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher exams in Scotland rose across the board last week.BTec National and Cambridge Technical results are also due to be released on Thursday along with AS-levels - which, in Wales and Northern Ireland, will count towards students' final A-level results next summer.This is also the fourth year of results for vocational T-level qualifications in England.To achieve the technical qualification, time is split between classroom learning and industry placements - with students awarded a pass, merit, distinction or distinction* after two years of work and study.More teens to get their choice of uni even if they miss their grades, says UcasYour full guide to A-level results dayWhat are T-levels and what are the grades worth?What are BTecs and how are they graded?
Freya, a student at Middlesbrough College, will be getting her grade for a T-level in health."It gives you a hands-on experience in what sort of things you're going to do in a real-world scenario, rather than just learning from a book," she said.She is about to start a full-time job in an NHS maternity department, and hopes to ultimately become a midwife."I thought coming here [and] doing this course would give me the theoretical and physical knowledge to be able to achieve what I want to do," she added.
Dr Jo Saxton, the chief executive of Ucas, said last week that it was a "really, really good year" for UK students applying to university.She said universities were keen to enroll UK undergraduates because there was more "uncertainty" around international student numbers and domestic students offered universities "stability" for "financial planning".They could "quite possibly" accept students who did not meet the conditions of their offer, she added.How much does university cost, and is it worth it?How do student loans work and when are they written off?What is an apprenticeship and how much are apprentices paid?'I didn't go to uni - now I work as a celebrity photographer'
Dr Saxton also said Year 13 students would need universities to "respect and understand" the specific circumstances they have gone through.They were in Year 8 and Year 9 during national lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.Both years saw spikes in pass rates at GCSE and top grades at A-level, after exams were cancelled and results were based on teachers' assessments.What followed was a phased effort to bring grades back in line with pre-pandemic levels.The year that these students sat their GCSEs, 2023, was the final stage of that process in England. Grading returned to pre-pandemic standards in Wales and Northern Ireland last year.It meant GCSE passes fell, with the steepest drop in England.
Dr Saxton said the "significant national programme to deflate their grades" at GCSE represented an "important backdrop" for those getting the grades for their Level 3 qualifications this week.She also pointed out that, with GCSE grades down in 2023, fewer achieved the results they needed to start A-levels.A-level entries fell from 825,355 last summer to 821,875 this summer, according to provisional data for England. Dr Saxton said that students' previous grades would therefore "probably" be "fractionally higher" across the cohort.Last year, with grading back to pre-pandemic standards across all three nations, 27.8% of all A-level grades were marked at A* or A - up from 27.2% in 2023 and 25.4% in 2019.There is likely to be less emphasis this year on how grades compare to 2019 and more on how they compare to last year, since it is the second year that grading has returned to pre-pandemic levels across the board.Students heading to university will pay higher fees in England and Wales this year. They have risen to £9,535 for undergraduate courses.Maintenance loans have also gone up, meaning that students can borrow more to help with their living costs.
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The Sun
29 minutes ago
- The Sun
I lost a life-changing 11st on Mounjaro after secret bingeing habit but I didn't expect painful outcome
SELF-confessed "secret eater" Emilly Murray weighed 22st 2lbs and was struggling to squeeze into size 30 clothes. Now a svelte 10st 10lbs and wearing a size eight, the 35-year-old barely recognises herself in the mirror. 10 Mostly, her incredible slimming success has been positive - she is fitter, her "food noise" has disappeared, and can finally shop in Zara. But there have been several negatives to shedding half her body weight. People often comment on Emilly's weight, and she finds shaving her "hollow" armpits almost impossible. The stay-at-home mum-of-three can also barely take a bath without screaming in agony, and even rolling over in bed causes her pain. Emilly, from Liverpool, says: "It feels amazing but it's very surreal. "I look in the mirror and I still don't see what other people see. "It's really hard to not feel like the old me. Your brain just doesn't catch up. "Lying in the bath is not comfy. Obviously I'm not used to feeling all these bones. "When I was on holiday I was so uncomfortable on the chairs and the sunbed. My coccyx hurt the most. "I was obviously that fat before that my bones didn't touch much. I lost 6st on Mounjaro but hate my body even more - I feel disgusting "I didn't roll over in bed and feel hip bones and now I do and I'm like, 'Oh'. It really is uncomfortable." She adds: "I've never had a gap on my armpits before - it's always been flat - and now there's a big gaping hole. "I've constantly got cuts because I'm not used to being able to shave my armpits now they are hollow. "It's strange, I think I might have to get laser hair removal." Emilly began her weight loss journey in 2023 when she decided to eat in a calorie deficit (consuming fewer calories than she was burning) and start exercising. She lost more than 6st in a year then hit the dreaded plateau, struggling to slim down any more. "I've got disordered eating; I'm a bit of a binge eater," Emilly says. "I was binge eating over the weekend and restricting my calories during the week. "I wasn't addressing the issues I had with food." 10 10 Usually only eating one 2,000-calorie meal a day, she would go to the shop in the evening to buy Doritos, a sharing-sized bar of chocolate and a bag of sweets and "eat them all". But everything changed when she bought her first Mounjaro weight loss jab for £105 from a private pharmacy in December 2024. "I've never looked back; it's the best thing I've ever done," Emilly says. "I've never not struggled so much because I've not got that constant obsession of thinking about food every minute of every day. "People talk about 'food noise'. And when you take Mounjaro and that stops, it's like mental clarity. "I've got friends who are like, 'Oh I forgot to eat today'. "You literally just eat for fuel and I hate to say 'normal people', but that's what normal people do." I was able to go to Zara and buy clothes. I actually stood in the changing room and cried Emilly Murray With her goal weight of 9st 7lbs fast approaching, Emilly's next step will be loose skin removal. "Because my brain has not caught up, it's hard to be like, 'This is enough now' because I've got loose skin," she says. "I've got it everywhere and it's quite bad." Elaborating on the negative side effects of the injections, she Emilly adds: "The top one, I would say, is other people's opinions. "I must get hundreds of comments throughout the week saying, 'Just eat less and move more'. People don't see obesity as a disease. "I haven't lived my life, I've always hid away and been miserable. "When you've got people who don't struggle with their weight giving their opinions, saying you're 'cheating' using medication, is one of the most negative things. "The risks of obesity are far worse to me than the risk of Mounjaro but when you start Mounjaro everyone wants to say how dangerous it is. "Now as I've lost weight people are telling me I need to stop, or I've gone too far. "Where were these people when I was 22st?" 'SECRET EATER' As well as having to "acclimatise" to being able to feel her bones now she has lost weight, Emilly still finds buying new clothes "weird" and will often pick out a bigger size. "I was able to go to Zara and buy clothes," she says. "I always remember every winter trying to find a coat that fit me and it was so difficult, there were no options. "It's always been such a negative experience, and it's so nice now that it can be a nice experience. "I actually stood in the changing room and cried." 10 10 10 Putting her previous diet down to emotional eating, Emilly says "things got worse" when her daughter was in hospital after being born prematurely and with a rare birth defect. "It would trigger me to binge; I'd secretly eat," she says. "I own my own house but I'd still hide wrappers in the bin. "I wouldn't have breakfast and sometimes skip dinner. "At around 3pm I'd just grab a chocolate bar and a coffee on the way to do the school run. "When the kids had gone to bed I'd go to the Tesco at the end of my road and buy a big massive packet of Doritos, a big bar of chocolate and a bag of sweets and eat them all. I was a secret eater. "The one meal I had would be 2,000 calories - even though I was full, I had to have something afterwards. "Now I'll have a clear whey protein drink, yoghurt and fruit for breakfast, and chicken thighs for dinner. "I'll make, for example, a chicken tikka for dinner and have that but it's all calorie counted and portion controlled." Emilly plans to cut back on her Mounjaro doses and eventually stop taking the jab in the next six to twelve months. "It's literally changed my life," she adds. "I wish I'd started it earlier. "It's not even about losing weight; the most important thing about it is rebuilding your relationship with food." The rising cost of Mounjaro By Vanessa Chalmers, Assistant Head of Health THE price of Mounjaro is set to soar - leaving slimmers desperate and worried at how they will afford the 'life-changing' drug. The NHS has been giving Mounjaro prescriptions within GP practices since June. Private pharmacies boast 'no GP referral needed', with tantalising prices drawing in an estimated one million paying customers. Costs vary depending on the provider, jab and dosage, but are currently between around £120 to £220 per month. But that's all set to change, as the US-based maker of Mounjaro, Eli Lilly, told The Sun it will be increasing charges in Britain to 'address inconsistencies' with prices it commands from other western countries. The price the pharma giant charges pharmacies for a mid-range 5mg dose will nearly double from £92 to £180 from September 1. The maximum available dose, 15mg, will rise from £122 to £330. Eli Lilly claimed to have negotiated with big private suppliers to ensure the whole price increase is not passed on to patients - but with pharmacies already marking up jab prices, the public can expect to see the cost increase. It marks a huge blow for those for whom the jab offers a life-saving way out of obesity. The hefty price would affect those currently on the jabs, as well as those who had hoped to pay for them long-term to avoid weight regain. Toby Nicol, CEO at CheqUp, which has around 50,000 customers on weight loss jabs, said: 'This news will be disappointing for those who have achieved life-changing results with Mounjaro. 'This is particularly the case for those on higher doses who will likely see substantial rises in price." Mounjaro has been dubbed the 'King Kong' of fat jabs because its success tops other brands, including Wegovy (also called Ozempic for type 2 diabetes), and Saxenda. Now, with people considering switching to Wegvoy, some providers appear to have hiked prices of the alternative jab that's similar to Ozempic, in response to the update. Mr Nicol, who says they have reduced the price of Wegovy on CheqUp, says: "Wegovy is a brilliant drug and that's why we don't want anyone to be priced out and think they have to take something which is unsafe. "Do not buy from the cowboys. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is." Dr Ralph Abraham, a diabetes and endocrinology specialist verified on Doctify, a healthcare review platform, says: 'There is no problem in switching from one drug to another. 'But in a world where the drugs are often not prescribed by experienced doctors, it then becomes difficult to know where side effects might lie.' Danish firm Novo Nordisk confirmed it will not increase the price of Wegovy when its rival Mounjaro doubles next month.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
NHS to hand out more fat jabs after private clinics raise prices
The NHS will prescribe the weight-loss jab Mounjaro to more people in response to a dramatic price increase for private patients, The Telegraph can reveal. GPs are being braced for a surge in demand for the 'King Kong' of weight-loss jabs after Eli Lilly, the US pharmaceutical firm, said it would be more than doubling its prices from Sept 1. Health officials have written to family doctors about an expected increase in demand from patients who had been accessing the drug privately, but will now turn to the NHS. The Government is also looking to intervene in the dramatic price rise, it is understood, amid fears that hundreds of thousands of patients currently benefiting from losing weight on the jabs could be forced to stop taking them. Eli Lilly said it was increasing the cost of Mounjaro – also known as tirzepatide – in the UK to bring it in line with 'other developed nations'. In July, Donald Trump demanded that drug manufacturers lower their prices for American patients and stop other countries 'freeloading' off US firms. The US president previously complained that a friend had the 'fat drug' in London for a fraction of its US price despite being 'the same box made in the same plant by the same company'. Eli Lilly is increasing the wholesale price UK retailers will pay for a middle-sized 5mg dose from £92 to £180, and for the maximum dose, 15mg, from £122 to £330. These costs are likely to be passed on to private patients, of which there are almost one million taking Mounjaro, most of whom will now face the choice of paying the increased rates or stopping the drug. But the NHS has said it will continue prescriptions for patients who had been accessing the drugs privately if they meet certain criteria. The health service has a commercial deal in place to roll out the jab at a cheaper price. The cost of a prescription to patients is £9.90. A letter from NHS officials to GPs seen by The Telegraph said the NHS could continue treatment 'for people that have previously accessed tirzepatide through a private provider' if they meet eligibility criteria when assessed by a weight management service. Under current guidance, patients must have a body mass index of 40 or more 'in addition to four or more qualifying comorbidities', such as diabetes and high blood pressure, as part of a phased rollout. From next April, people with a BMI of 35 or more will also be able to get the jab on the NHS, with plans to eventually roll it out to more than three million. People accessing the anti-obesity injections privately are supposed to have a BMI of more than 30, but some people have been 'cheating the system' in order to access it, according to Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary. It is not known how many people will be eligible to move over to an NHS prescription from a private one. There were 32,000 patients waiting for an appointment at a weight management service in the community as of the end of June. While the majority of patients are being seen within 18 weeks, more than 2,000 have been waiting for more than a year. NHS officials also said GPs should tell patients asking for weight-loss jabs if they are not currently eligible. This includes those who may have started treatment with a BMI of more than 40 but is now less. 'We recognise this may be disappointing for people,' the update said, adding that doctors 'could provide reassurance to the person that stopping tirzepatide, that is being taken for its licensed weight loss indication, is not known to cause withdrawal symptoms, but that they should continue, where appropriate, a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity if they want to reduce the risk of weight regain'. It said anyone with questions about stopping the drugs should be directed back to their private provider. More people could also turn to the other weight-loss jab available in the UK, rival brand Wegovy, made by Danish firm Novo Nordisk. A spokesman for the company, which also makes Ozempic, said they had 'no plans of changing our offering in the UK'. 'Our focus is on supporting patients, and we are committed to ensuring that our medicines are not only innovative but also accessible and affordable for those who need them most,' they said. 'Our mission is to help create a healthier world by addressing some of the most pressing threats to public health – including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.' A Department of Health spokesman said: 'This government is committed to ensuring that more people have access to these revolutionary drugs when needed, and crucially that they are able to so do in a safe and controlled way. 'Pricing in the private market is a matter for Eli Lilly and for private providers of weight loss and diabetes services. Eli Lilly are working with providers to maintain patient access. 'NHS commissioning of tirzepatide, based on clinical priority, is unaffected by the change in list price.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
‘Hi-tech' hearing aids are also available on the NHS
The closing paragraphs of Lucy Knight's article ('I'm carrying survivor's guilt': Raymond Antrobus on growing up deaf, 9 August) may have left readers with a misleading impression of the services and quality of hearing aids provided by the NHS. 'Hi-tech' hearing aids that connect to a smartphone are standard issue with the NHS. True, the very latest models of hearing aids may only be available privately (though, like smartphones, I suspect that the upgrades are often minimal). Like the private sector, the NHS provision of hearing aids is also regularly upgraded. The replacement hearing aids I got this January provide excellent sound, and are a conduit for all the radio and podcast listening I need. Not a bad VoakesBradford Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
