'Grades do not define you': Readers share advice for pupils disappointed by GCSE or A level results

Some will be overjoyed at having surpassed their expectations, while others breathe a sigh of relief that their plans for further studies, apprenticeships or training can go ahead as hoped.

But what about those who did not get the grades they were counting on when they picked up their results this week?

Here's what readers on our Facebook page said when we asked them for their words of advice.

Kathryn Mclennan: "This is a tiny part of your life and your results, good or bad, will be irrelevant to you in a few years time. Take a breath and try to work out what your next step is going to be."

Mark Kelso: "Doesn’t matter what grades you get, still follow your dream. It might take a extra year but will be worth it in the end."

Julie Gelder: "I would also say that you don't need to go uni at all. The construction industry is very short on skilled people at present, there are many careers to take."

Chris Carr: "There’s a life after grades. Don’t feel pressured, grades aren’t everything.!

Phil Atko: "There are many paths people can take in life. Having good grades can make more paths easier to walk, but grades alone do not make the paths."

Gavin Parkins: "What you can't achieve or haven't achieved in younger life can always be done later in life."

Sara JPe: "Disappointments often turn out leading to the best results!"

Samantha Shuter: "Your grades do not define you or your future."

Fiona Bromiley: "Take a deep breath and chill for a little while. Then think what course you would like to do and have a look on clearing. You never know you might get what you wanted in the first place."

Wayne Perkins: "There are always college courses to help make up the grades that you need for whatever career path you choose."

Got something to say on this topic or another issue? Send your letters to [email protected] or write to The Editor, Readers' Letters, Yorkshire Evening Post, No 1 Leeds, 26 Whitehall Road, Leeds, LS12 1BE.

Please keep letters to a maximum of 300 words. Letters cannot be published without a name and postal address. We also ask letter writers to include a daytime phone number if possible. We reserve the right to edit any letter prior to publication.