If you’ve just ripped open your envelope and pulled out your T-level results, you'll be one of about only 7,000 people doing so - and others of you out there might be left wondering what a T-level actually is.

T-levels are vocational qualifications with a focus more on practical subjects than academic ones and in a similar way to A-levels they add up to Ucas points.

The qualification is still quite new, having started up in 2020. Here’s how the grading for them compares with A-levels:

If you'd like to find out more, you can read our full T-levels explainer here.

Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent

Let’s now take look in a bit more detail on the differences in those attaining top grades in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This year the proportion of A-levels marked at A* and A was:

• 27.6% in England, up from 26.5% in 2023
• 29.9% in Wales, down from 34%
• 30.3% in Northern Ireland, down from 37.5%

Overall, the proportion of top grades is just over two percentage points higher than it was in 2019.

Jo Black
Reporting from Luton

Dhillon Lalji, 18, opened his results at Luton Sixth Form College this morning and found out he was awarded an A in Maths, A in French and B in Politics.

He tells us he was hoping for A in Politics and the result were a bit of a shock but he has still been accepted at Oxford University where he will be studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

The dream would be a career in politics, the 18-year-old says.

Like a handful of people, Dhillon says he has some superstitions when it comes to exams and results. He eats an apple right before every exam, and every stressful event - like results day today.

He chomped an apple this morning and it looks like it's paid off.

Unsure on your next steps now that results are out? Fear not, we'll have a panel of experts on hand to answer all your questions from 11:30 BST.

To get in touch, you can:

• Email: yourquestions@bbc.co.uk
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• Via X: @BBC_HaveYourSay, external
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In some cases a selection of your comments and questions will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published.

You can also listen back to our Reliable Sauce podcast, which ran an exam results day Q&A special last night.

Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent

Top A-level results across England, Wales and Northern Ireland have risen for the first time since 2021 – with 27.8% of all grades marked at A* or A.

That’s up from 27.2% last year.

When looking at individual nations' results, the percentage of top grades increased in England, but fell in Wales and Northern Ireland.

There has been an effort to bring top grades back down in line with pre-pandemic levels over recent years, ever since sharp rises in 2020 and 2021 when exams were cancelled and results were based on teachers’ assessments.

In England, the exams regulator aimed for that return to 2019 levels to happen last year (although they remained slightly higher).

But in Wales and Northern Ireland, it was always the plan that this year would be the moment grades fell back in line with pre-Covid levels.

Across all three nations, the percentage of top grades this year remains higher than in 2019, when it was 25.4%.

Relief is the overwhelming emotion we're getting from students in Burnley this morning.

Speaking live on BBC Breakfast, many students spoke about the long wait for results, not getting a wink of sleep last night, and the feeling of a weight being lifted now they know how their exams and assessments turned out.

Image source, PA Media

We're now hearing from the education secretary and prime minister, who are both been offering their congratulations to those of you opening your exam results this morning.

"Nothing should hold you back from achieving your ambition," says Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

As one of the first results days for the newly elected Labour government - Scottish students received the Highers results last week - Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says she is committed to "break down barriers to opportunity".

Speaking on BBC Breakfast a little earlier, Phillipson said she was concerned that the difference in grades achieved by students from different backgrounds - the attainment gap - is still getting wider.

Phillipson says her government is "absolutely determined to make a difference there" going forward.

Sharing her own results from her time sitting the exams, the education secretary says she got four As at A-level.

But if things aren't as straightforward for you this morning, remember that there's lots of support available and a panel of experts will be answering your questions from 11:30 BST on this page.

Lots of different terms will be thrown around today, so here are some key definitions to keep in mind:

• ​​Clearing: This is the name of a process, run by Ucas, external, that you can use to get a last-minute place on a university course. You can use it if you missed out on your offer, but also if you did better than expected and want to change universities, if you applied for uni late, or if you didn’t get any offers.

• ​​Defer: Some universities will let you move your start date with them to next year - for example, if you’ve decided you want to take a gap year.

• ​​Resit: This is when you do an exam again in the next academic year, in the hope of getting a better grade than the first time around.

• ​​Grade boundaries: This is the minimum number of marks you need from your exams and/or coursework to achieve a grade. For example, a grade C may require a total of 100 marks from your exams. Grade boundaries are decided by examiners and should be made public today.

It's not a requirement to be happy and smiling on results day.

Plenty of people will be feeling disappointed, and that can be especially tough if your friends are all having the time of their lives.

The key thing is not to panic. Take a breath, a step back, and assess the options - and opportunities - that your results give you.

For one thing, the university or college you've applied to might want to take you anyway, if you've only just missed out on the grades.

You also have the option of resitting, or having your marks reviewed. And there's also a host of helpful people waiting to talk you through clearing, if that's the route you want to take. Your school or college will be on hand to offer up advice on all of this, too.

Nicky Schiller
Reporting from Burnley

I'm here at Burnley College where the confetti is on the floor after a couple of cannons went off at 8am, as the hundreds of students gathered here were finally able to open the envelopes containing their results.

Friends are hugging and congratulating each other. I also saw one very emotional mother hugging her son, telling him: "I am so proud of you".

"Congratulations to all our amazing students," a banner reads.

These are scenes that will no doubt be replicated up and down England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Image source, Larissa Tairo / BBC

Image source, Larissa Tairo / BBC

Image source, Larissa Tairo / BBC

We've some more results statistics to bring you now - these are on the record number of disadvantaged students who've gained a place at a university or college this year.

Ucas says 27,600 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds across the UK have accepted a place - up 7% from last year.

The latest figure marks a 4% increase from the previous record of 26,650 in 2021.

Jo Saxton, Ucas chief executive, says the figures show the "tenacity and effort" from students who have aimed high: "I’m particularly thrilled to see free school meals students securing a place at university or college in record numbers."

We're beginning to see some statistics based on this year's exam results - starting with university places.

Some 82% of students have successfully got into their first choice - an increase of 3% from last year.

When applying for university through Ucas, students mark one institution as their first (or "firm") choice and one as their second (or "insurance").

These results this morning mean around 376,470 students got into their first, or firm, choice. That's quite the feat.

Image source, Larissa Tairo / BBC

Every year, senior examiners decide the minimum marks needed for each grade. This is normally made public on results day.

In England, exam boards should be publishing the grade boundaries any minute now. Here are the links:

• AQA A-level grade boundaries 2024, external
• Pearson A-level grade boundaries 2024, external
• Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) A-level grade boundaries 2024, external

In Wales, the main exam board WJEC, will publish grade boundaries on its website at 09:30 BST. You can find the link here, external.

And in Northern Ireland, broad subject grade boundaries are already available on the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations (CCEA) website, external. Grade boundaries for specific papers will be available after 09:00 BST here, external.

Individual results are now being released to students by schools and colleges.

We’ll bring you some immediate reaction, as well as the overall picture of results across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, throughout the rest of this morning.

Hollie Cole
Live reporter

With less than five minutes to go until results are out, I'm thinking back to my results day. I distinctly remember barely sleeping the night before, waking up with a feeling of dread in my stomach.

What if I don’t do well? What if I let everyone down? What if I don’t know what to do next?

In a few moments, thousands of you will be opening your results, and many of you will be pleased, but some of you may be disappointed.

No matter what your results are, there are lots of options to choose from on what to do next, whether that be heading straight into the workforce, starting an apprenticeship, resitting certain courses, or getting ready to study at university.

We'll be taking you through all your options, and answering your questions later (you can submit them by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk). Good luck...

Our colleagues at BBC Bitesize have been asking teachers from across the country for advice on how you can keep on top of your stress levels today.

PE teacher Martyn Shields, from Larbert High School in Falkirk, says it’s good to "be open" with friends and family about any worries or concerns you have.

Miriam Gannon, who teaches geography at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School in Birmingham, says you shouldn’t compare your results to anyone else, while English teacher Billy Haigh from Honley High School in Holmfirth says it’s probably best to avoid social media - even if it’s just for a few hours.

"It’s healthy to take a break and disconnect," he says.

And whatever happens today, Youlande Biosah, from The Urswick School in London, says you should be proud of what you’ve achieved. "Exams results are important, but they do not define you."

Image source, BBC Bitesize

Around 200,000 of you are getting your BTec Nationals results today. BTecs are aimed at people interested in working in a particular industry, like engineering, hospitality, or childcare. Results are set out differently toA-levels, and are graded on a scale:

• Starred Distinction/Distinction Star (D*)
• Distinction (D)
• Merit (M)
• Pass (P)

Some BTecs are worth two or three A-levels and can be used as a route into apprenticeships, jobs and university. Other vocational qualifications you can do in the UK include National Vocational Qualifications , external(NVQs), TechBacs, external, Cambridge Technicals, external and Scottish Vocational Qualifications, external (SVQs).

Speaking of T-levels (see our last post), a former minister of higher education and apprenticeships has been on the airwaves this morning, urging the government to support the relatively new types of technical qualification.

Speaking to Radio 4’s Today programme, Robert Halfon says T-levels are "prestigious" and "world-class" qualifications, designed to give student lots of work experience.

"For the first time we should ensure that vocational and technical qualifications are on par with A-levels," Halfon says, adding that it's time for the UK to move away from "old, alternative" qualifications such as BTec.

"You've got to make sure we carry on rolling out T-levels, and support them with the proper funding."

Kate McGough
Reporting from Burnley College

Image source, BBC / Dan Nelson

Katy is waiting to see how she’s done in her T-level in healthcare science. She’s hoping to go on to study occupational therapy at the University of Northumbria.

She says she knew doing a T-level was the right choice for her, because it was tailored to a career in healthcare.

"The only thing that put me off T-levels was how new they were, but I think if I had gone down the A-level pathway, I wouldn’t have got the experience to then carry me forward into the future," she says.

Some of Katy's friends found it "difficult and challenging" to get offers from universities when applying with a T-level.

"Personally I’ve managed to get all of my offers back at the universities I’ve applied for, but I know other people who have done the T-level, they’ve struggled to get into certain universities," she adds.

• For context: T-levels are a relatively new type of technical qualification, roughly equivalent to three A-levels. The 'T' stands for Technical. More than 100 universities and other higher education institutes accept T-levels at the moment.

The emotional rollercoaster of results day can be daunting for parents, or guardians, as well as students - so how do you support someone through it?

We spoke to Les Sutton, a dad from Chorley, Lancashire, as well as his daughters and an expert, who between them gave us some top tips. Here are the main takeaways:

• Be positive: Whatever the grades, Les says he was always going to say "well done".
• Make a plan, then rip it up: Have something to do afterwards, but make sure you can be flexible if plans change.
• Manage communication: Having family members all call at once can be overwhelming, so maybe tell them, "Don't call us, we'll call you."
• Educate yourself: It can be tricky to make good choices in times of stress, so make sure you have as much information as possible about the options available to you.
• Expect stress to spill over: No one is perfect, so don't worry if things get a little heated. Just take a breath, and come back to it later.

Image source, Les Sutton