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Good luck to all of our students waiting for their A Level results on Thursday. Here’s some advice for anyone waiting anxiously for what the day might bring.

• UCAS Hub will update at around about 8am on the morning of results day. Every year some students stay up all night just in case the update arrives early. Save your sleep; it really won't!

• When you do log in, you'll be able to find out whether your first choice has confirmed your place. If it has, the Hub will show your offer as unconditional

• A hotline phone number should be listed on the university's website, or it might have been sent to you in advance. If you haven't got a special number then just phone the university's normal phone number and make it clear that you are an existing offer holder, not a Clearing applicant

• Sometimes universities can take a long time to make a final decision, but they are not supposed to keep people in limbo. If you think a university is being unreasonable and causing you to miss out on a place that you could get through Clearing then contact UCAS for advice

• Even if your grades are lower than your offer, it is commonplace for universities to accept students who have missed their offer by one (maybe even two) grades

• Even if you have been confirmed by your firm choice, you don't have to go there. If you really want to go somewhere else, you can give up your place and go into Clearing to look for something different. To do this, you'll tap the 'Decline my place' button on Hub.

• Clearing doesn't even open until 1pm on results day - so even on the day itself you've still got time. Once you decline your place you can't undo it - so make certain that you're sure you want to go into Clearing

• Most universities will guarantee accommodation for all first year students, including those who come through Clearing or not. However, when you're speaking to universities in Clearing, one of your questions should always be whether they make a first-year accommodation guarantee - and what accommodation it covers. You can also check this before you even get on the phone. Take a look at the website of each university, and in particular its Clearing pages where you should find relevant information about accommodation options for Clearing applicants, including prices and which halls that still have rooms available.

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