Helpline set up for exam students

A helpline offering advice to students receiving GCSE and A Level results will be available from this morning.

The first grades are due to be issued on Thursday and the helpline is to offer advice on where to turn if things don't go to plan.

It has been set up by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.

The helpline will be available from 0900 BST and will run until Friday 4 September.

The CCEA's Anne Marie Duffy said it was an anxious time for students, parents and teachers.

"The results helpline at CCEA provides easy access to dedicated and experienced staff who can support students and give details of the services that we offer," she said.

"It is important that students understand and have access to information and services that are available. This will help them make important decisions about their future.

"For example, CCEA offers an enquiry about results service where schools, on behalf of their students, can request that an examination is re-marked."

The helpline number is 028 9026 1260. It runs from 9am - 5pm on weekdays.

Applications

Meanwhile the Employment and Learning Minister Sir Reg Empey said the recession has caused a sharp rise in the number of Northern Ireland school-leavers seeking a place in university.

He said that with much of the world's economy in reverse and jobs ever harder to come by, applications to universities are provisionally up seven per cent this year.

It was "a significant increase" given that half of school leavers in Northern Ireland already go to university - more than in the rest of the UK - the minister said.

"The reason could be that some people who might have gone into the labour market have decided that maybe the time isn't right, and if they go into higher education in three or four years they might be in a better position," he added.

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