Jeremy Clarkson boasted that he “has a C and two Us” in his A levels and “is currently on this boat on vacation” in his annual tweet to students disappointed with their results today.
The total number of students admitted to degree programs in Britain fell by two percent last year at the same point – with 425,830 places to date, the first figures from the admissions service UCAS have announced today.
But the former Top Gear presenter, 62, took a swipe at the significance of the results by tweeting a photo of himself on a boat overlooking the sea to his 7.8 million followers.
He said this morning: ‘Don’t worry if your A results are disappointing. I have a C and 2 Us and am currently on holiday on this boat.’
It comes after he was pictured with girlfriend Lisa Hogan enjoying a luxury getaway to Saint Tropez last month
The couple were in good spirits when they headed to A-list hotspot Club 55 for a sun-filled day out.
Clarkson’s tweets on A-Levels results day have become a regular feature, last year boasting he has “a lot of friends” despite failing his exams.
The former Top Gear presenter, 62, took a swipe today at the importance of the results by tweeting a photo of herself on a boa
Clarkson (right) and his wife arrive at Club 55 on July 21 while on holiday in St-Tropez, France
The tweet comes today as thousands of students receive their A-level results. Pictured: Pupils with their A-Level results at Norwich School
While some welcomed Clarkson’s tweet this morning, others were less enthusiastic about its sentiments
And social media users welcomed Mr Clarkson’s annual tweet on their timeline this morning.
One said: ‘To everyone who comes in to make the same tired jokes as every year: who is this tweet hurting?
“Because I can tell you it’s probably very reassuring for a 17/18 year old who just finds out they didn’t get to their dream college.”
Another added: ‘Another year, another Clarkson tweet. What a time to be alive.’
A third said: ‘Jeremy Clarkson keeps it real! It’s so true! I don’t even have an A-level and I have a great job that I absolutely love.’
And a fourth wrote: ‘Death, taxes and Jeremy Clarkson’s A-Level results tweet.’
But some were quick to show that they were less enthusiastic about the sentiment of today’s tweet.
One said, ‘I wanted to be a fighter pilot when I was 17, but guess what? I didn’t work hard enough in school to get the qualifications.
‘My fault, nobody else’s. So I decided to be a chef, working long hours, poorly paid in bad conditions. So boo hoo. Study harder to get good grades.’
A second replied, “Remind us of the underprivileged neighborhood where you lived and the state school you went to?”
A third said: “Smug monster Jeremy Clarkson sends out his annual tweet about his A-levels.”
Clarkson pokes fun at A-level results by sharing photos and stories of his life failing some of his exams. Here are A-level tweets from previous years after he first made the point in 2014
When the students received their results last year, Clarkson wrote, “If the teachers didn’t give you the A results you were hoping for, don’t worry. I have a C and 2U’s and ended up being happy, with lots of friends and a Bentley.’
And as students took their grades amid the 2020 Covid pandemic, he said, ‘Quality results not great? Don’t worry, I have a C and 2 Us and I’m currently building a large house with far reaching views of the Cotswolds.”
He added: “And I didn’t even get a chance to insist that the government give me three A’s instead.”
The annual tweet went back to August 2014, when Clarkson said, “If your A results aren’t upbeat, take comfort in the fact that I have a C and two Ounces. And I have a Mercedes-Benz.’
His comments come as Ucas has already said that while it expects a record or near-record number of students in their first-choice courses this year, the process won’t be “pain-free” for everyone because some students will be left disappointed.
And A-students are facing devastation this morning as the highest numbers take the biggest plunge on record in the 70-year history of qualifying – with a record 80,000 fewer A or A* entries compared to last year.
Officials have curbed classroom inflation by introducing stricter markings for sixth-graders across the country, who will pick up their results after becoming the first year group to take exams since the start of the pandemic.
The number of students anxiously waiting to see if they have a college spot has risen 40 percent since 2019, with nearly 300,000 still clueless as to whether they will get the course of their choice — a record high.
The number of students without an offer of a place also increased by 74 percent in the same period to just under 28,000, according to new figures from dataHE.
The increase has been fueled by population growth and a reduction in unconditional offers, making this year’s battle for seats the most competitive ever.