A BASINGSTOKE student is one of thousands up and down the country still waiting for her BTEC results, some five days after they were due.

Ellie Clarke was due to pick up her results from her Level 3 BTEC in Health and Social Care on Thursday, the same day as the now infamous A-Level results, but is still waiting for her final grade.

And now the Kempshott teenager, who attends a Hampshire college, says that waiting to find out whether she can study at University next month is causing her anxiety.

"On Thursday I woke up at 8am, expecting to receive my results along with the A-Level students," she told The Gazette.

"I logged on and nothing was there. I instantly thought I had failed, but no-one else had the grades either.

"To be honest I expected to get it by the end of the day. Friday came and there was no apology from Pearson [Edexcel, Ellie's exam board].

"It has affected my mental health. I am so anxious. I have worked so hard for two years to get this, you wait so long to get your results."

The 19-year-old had accepted a conditional offer from Oxford Brookes to study Adult Nursing next year, and whilst the University have been understanding thus far, if she doesn't get her results to them next week, she will lose her accommodation and is at risk of losing her place to boot.

"My college has got in contact with them. I have spoke to them today and they have not said that they are taking [the offer] away."

And the aspiring nurse's stress over the situation was not helped when her exam board, Pearson Edexcel, told her that it was her college's fault, for not submitting the grades in time.

But the college were shocked by this, and according to Ellie, said the delays were caused by an admin issue at Pearson.

"We are committed to completing the assignments in time and if we said to them that we can't hand in our assignments, there is an error, we would not be able to.

"It is unfair. If Pearson had come forward and held their hands up and a proper apology, it would not be so bad."

However, Ellie was still upbeat about her University prospects and future career.

"If I don't get in this year, I think I would just have to take it as a pinch of salt," she explained.

"It is not going to stop me. I want to become a nurse and I want to get there."

A Pearson spokesman told the BBC that they "understand the frustration" caused by the delay and it was working to "provide the remaining results as soon as we can".

It comes as the Government announced earlier today that the controversial algorithm that saw many students have their A-Level results downgraded will be scrapped, and students, as well as GCSE pupils due to get their results this week, will receive their teacher assessed grades instead.