IT'S results day for hundreds of local pupils today, as they receive their A-level grades.

Results of any kind are always typically daunting affair, marking the next chapter for many young people's lives.

While some will gain the required grades to get into their first-choice universities, many will just miss out and be seemingly faced with a dead end.

Careers Wales have compiled a list of tips for those who who feel daunted after a mixed results day and show that there are still plenty of avenues to explore should things veer off-plan:

• Make sure you are around on results day to deal with any problems that may arise.

• Still contact your first choice of university - you may still able to get onto the course.

• Don't focus on the setback, think instead what you may be able to learn from it or what other opportunities there might be.

• Think about accepting any back-up offer if you still qualify for entry.

• Consider an alternative route to your chosen career, such as an apprenticeship.

• If you don’t get the grades you and your teacher were expecting, you can ask for an emergency remark.

• Think about doing something different. Each course has different entry requirements, so if you have your heart set on a particular university see if they have space on a different course which has a lower entry requirement.

• Think about resitting your exams

• Traditional exam qualifications are not the only route into work, think about on the job experience.

• Talk to a careers adviser to find out all of the options available

• Think about setting up your own business. If you have a great idea then there are lots of opportunities for young people to get funding to start their own business

Hayley Parsons OBE, founder of insurance giant Go Compare, believes the personal makeup of a person is seen by employers as more valuable than results.

“Exam results are important, but they don’t define you, your work ethic or your future," said Ms Parsons.

"If you haven’t achieved what you expected don’t let it crush your ambition, decide what you want to do and go for it.

"Some people are academically smart and others are business smart – we’re all different. Don’t let your exam results hold you back, I didn’t and look where it got me.”

If you are unable to get the results you require, then clearing will still give you the chance to go to university.

Clearing gives students the option to pursue further education at institutions outside of their firm or insurance choices if they receive undesirable grades.

The often misunderstood process has proven to be the most-explored options by Welsh students, according to a study by Northumbria University.

More than half (56 per cent) of A-level and BTEC students in Wales would use clearing if they got worse grades than they expected, compared to the national average of 31 per cent.

The findings also suggest students in Wales feel the pressure before picking up their results, with around six in 10 worried they might not get the grades they need and 63 per cent concerned they won’t get into their chosen university.

However, if they scored better grades than predicted, Welsh students were more likely to use the new adjustment process to ‘trade up’ to a different university or course.

Helen Bower, assistant marketing director for undergraduates at the university, said: “The clearing process has changed significantly in recent years and the option to ‘trade up’ now gives students the opportunity to reconsider their original choice if they have done better than expected in their exams.

“Our survey highlights the importance of students in Wales having all the options in front of them and being made aware of all the opportunities available to them.”

Richard Spear, chief executive for Careers Wales, said: “It’s a tense time of year for many young people and their parents.

"For some, it will be a time of celebration, for others, it might be a time of disappointment or uncertainty. Our message as the national careers advice service for Wales is not to panic.

"There are more options than ever for young people and our advisors are on-hand to offer bespoke advice to anyone seeking support."

Upon receiving their results many students opt to take a year out to assess their options and explore other opportunities.

A popular option for students deciding their future direction is to undertake a period of paid workplace experience, designed to equip them for the future.

Perhaps the most well-known of these programmes is 'The Year in Industry', run by education charity EDT with some of the leading industrial employers in the UK.

The programme's national director Chris Ward said: "Students who have got their A-levels but do not want to go straight to university will normally benefit from paid, structured and fully supported work placements from which they will gain career and personal development, inform their career choice and prepare for their degree.

"It could also lead to employment with the placement company or sponsorship through university, and at the very least it is a chance to gain skills and employment experience relevant to their degree and their future career."

Careers Wales will be offering a live web chat through their social media platforms and webinars to offer students advice.

The Careers Wales helpline will be available Monday to Friday from 9am-6pm on 0800 028 4844 to for those receiving their A-level and GCSE results.

Webinars in both English and Welsh will take place on August 19 at 11am and August 22 at 11am.

We will bring you a round up of results from across the area today.