While trying to relax into their summer holidays the countdown for hundreds of young people in Moray has begun towards their crucial examination results.
The days and weeks between now and when results start to fall through letter boxes on Tuesday, August 5 will be tense – but help is at hand with Moray Council highlighting options open to anxious pupils.
Students who might be concerned over their results are being reminded that the first point of contact is their school itself, where senior staff or guidance teachers are on hand to deal with inquiries.
There is also a website operated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) who are responsible for examinations in Scotland. The site – at http://www.sqa.org.uk – has detailed information on courses, qualifications and their own award certificate.
There is also an advice line which will give general information to candidates about how the certificate is laid out. However, operators will not have access to candidates’ results. The line is open from Tuesday, August 5 to Friday, August 8 either by phone on 0345 279 1000 or by e-mail at results@sqa.org.uk.
A spokesman for the local authority said: “For those young people with conditional offers to go on to study at university or college, this is a particularly anxious time as they wait to see if their grades will allow them into their chosen course of study.
“All applications for places at UK universities and colleges are processed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). They have additional staff available to deal with the expected flood of inquiries.”
UCAS can be contacted on 0871 468 0468, by e-mail at enquiries@ucas.ac.uk or via their website at http://www.ucas.com
For those youngsters looking for careers and employment advice, Skills Development Scotland staff will be on hand at the local office in Elgin where face-to-face advice is available. A helpline will also be open on 0808 100 8000 from 8am on August 5 until August 13.