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Thousands of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have received their A-Level and vocational qualifications today.

You may have an older brother or sister who have been to get theirs. However, this year's results will look quite different, as pupils weren't able to sit their final exams because of the coronavirus.

In England, there have been lots of concerns about students' final grades and whether they've been calculated fairly.

Teachers had to give estimated grades for students depending on what they believe they would have achieved in their exams.

Grades were determined based on the work pupils have done throughout the year and mock exams. Students were also ranked by their teachers.

These grades were then moderated by exam boards, which looks at factors like a students' previous exam results and schools' past performances to work out what grades should be awarded to pupils.

Without the moderation system, A-Level results for 2020 would be much higher compared to previous years.

A similar system was used in Scotland which left lots of students unhappy with their final grades.

Many had their results downgraded and they felt they had been penalised for growing up in disadvantaged areas.

Some students protested and the Scottish government changed it's mind and decided to use teachers' estimated grades only.

The government in England has adopted a different approach to Scotland in the hopes of giving pupils more security.

They've introduced something called a triple lock system, which mean that if students aren't happy with an estimated grade, they can either appeal and receive the grade they got in their mock exam instead, or they can sit an exam in Autumn.

Students will then be awarded the highest grade out of the their estimated grade, mock exam grade and Autumn exam grade.

"By ensuring students have the safety net of their mock results, as well as the chance of sitting autumn exams, we are creating a triple lock process to ensure confidence and fairness in the system," said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.

This approach was only announced on Tuesday and it's received quite a bit of criticism.

Many head teachers and school leaders feel all schools run mock exams differently and using them wouldn't be fair for students.

However, the Education Secretary has said teachers' original estimated grades won't be used as it would see results "shoot up" which would "devalue" them.

Like Scotland and England, teachers in Wales also provided estimated grades for all their students. These were based on a number of factors including mock exam results, coursework, national tests and teacher assessments.

Teacher's grades were then moderated by the WJEC, which runs exams in Wales, and Qualifications Wales which oversees how qualifications are awarded in the country.

Past performances of both pupils and schools were used in the moderation process, but once again, some were worried this could have a negative impact on disadvantaged students.

On Wednesday, the Welsh Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, announced A-level grades in Wales won't be any lower than results pupils achieved at AS-level the previous year.

She said that if a student gets a final grade below their AS grade, a revised one will be issued automatically.

Teachers provided estimated grades for students in Northern Ireland too.

These have been moderated by the country's exam board, CCEA to ensure final grades are in line with previous years.

Again, some worry that students who are less well off may be at a disadvantage, however, pupils will be able to appeal if they aren't happy with their grades.

Do you have a sibling, cousin, or friend receiving results today? Let us know in the comments!