Results day: How do you celebrate one so strange?

This was no ordinary results day.

But for a lot of students on Thursday, whether they were happy or unhappy with their grades, it was the end of an era and deserving of celebration.

So just how do you celebrate the weirdest exam results day of all time?

Lucy Kinsey: A* B, B, C

Donating blood after finding out you're going to university may not be the first choice for a lot of people, but it was for Lucy.

After her good deed for the day, Lucy met up with her friends for cocktails.

Lucy will be heading to Cardiff University for Pharmacy

"I didn't drink because I'd just given blood!" she tells Newsbeat - whilst on the way to a well-deserved holiday.

There were "mixed emotions and anxiety" because not everyone was happy with the results they received.

But the mood relaxed, Lucy says, because people realised they were going to university.

"It was so nice seeing people let go and realise next year is sorted and we can just enjoy tonight.

"We're finally free to do what we want."

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Jayan Virk: A, A, C

You can't often go wrong with a bottomless brunch but after Jayan and his friends picked up their results he says the mood "wasn't fantastic".

"I was the only one out of my friends who was moderately happy with what we'd gotten for results. So people were a bit upset and waiting to hear from unis," the 18-year-old says.

After brunch they headed into Leeds city centre and the mood eventually got better - but Jayan admits things were still a bit odd.

Jayan will be heading down to Queen Mary in London to study English

"It's hard to celebrate properly because you can't have a dance or anything - you have to be sat in your seats, people watching if you're standing up or go and talk to someone else.

"It's still weird. You forget what's going on and how you need to be careful."

It was still a good night in town - but overall? The vibe was a bit strange "because a lot of people did feel robbed of the grades they wanted".

Ellie Peaks: A* A* A

It was a great day for 18-year-old Ellie so it was only fair she celebrate in style.

After the standard lunch with her parents it was time for Ellie and her friends to unwind.

"We had a two-hour slot at each bar," Ellie tells Newsbeat, "several hours" after she'd normally wake up.

Ellie will study Business Management at the University of Manchester

The night didn't end there. Four bars later there was time to squeeze in a trip to a friend's garden for drinks around a fire.

Ellie says it was slightly odd because "half were happy with results and half weren't".

A common feeling among the group was they would have done better had they sat exams.

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But it was ultimately a celebration.

"We've finished college, it's not just about results. A lot of us will still be going to university and are excited."

Ellie and her friends are quite nervous thinking about university, "because we're not going to have the same experience that every year has had".

"So it's hard to get advice from people on what do as it's so different."

Sam Winstanley: A* A* A*

Sam feels "very lucky" to have received the perfect set of results to get into his first-choice university to study chemical engineering.

It was the more traditional path of celebration for Sam and his friends as they went for pizza.

Is there a better way to celebrate anything?

"We had a couple of drinks too and went shopping around."

After waking up at 3am on results day, Sam still had the energy to head on down to the pub to watch Champions League football.

"It was a nice end to the day, a happy time to just relax, celebrate and reflect that we've gotten into uni."

The biggest topic of conversation was university.

"Trying to prepare how we'll see each other as the accommodation have said no external guests."

Sam is also wondering what the new university experience will be like.

"I'm excited to meet new people but that will be so restricted. Can I join clubs and societies and how will that work?"

Lucy Moir: A* A* A

For Lucy, after a tough few years of studying, it was "nice to catch up and see how everyone had done".

She played host at first - and had friends around for drinks in her garden.

"Then we went to a local bar and got some cocktails there."

"Some hadn't done as well as they wanted. But it was great to see each other, congratulate each other or comfort each other."

Lucy (right) will be going to the University of Sussex

The night featured a lot of talk about the appeals process for results.

Lucy says lots of her friends are hoping mock results could play a big part in appealing grades and getting "a better outcome".

And hope was a common theme among everyone.

"Even if they were sad, the possibility the results they have now won't be the results they end up with meant they weren't as negative as they could have been."

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