Disappointment on results day is par for the course. Grades awarded this year were higher than last year across the board, so it can't be argued that the system

Disappointment on results day is par for the course. Grades awarded this year were higher than last year across the board, so it can't be argued that the system was unreasonably harsh. The centre-assessed grades provided by schools and colleges were unrealistically ambitious, so if they were taken at face value we would have seen an unprecedented level of grade inflation. As always, students who are unhappy with their results have the option of (re)-sitting their exams and re-applying for university; given the substantial uncertainty over whether universities will be able to offer anything like a normal level of teaching in the next academic year, deferring might be a sensible option regardless of results.