Teenagers are being given lessons on how to speak to people over the phone to ease their "anxiety".

With A-level results looming, Britain's teens are said to be nervous about talking with university admissions officers if they have to go through clearing.

But due to a rise in texting and "voice notes", many teenagers have very little experience speaking to others on a phone-line.

Ucas, which handles university applications for UK students, is pushing for teenagers to receive automatic offers if they have only narrowly missed their university place, rather than having to negotiate over the phone.

But this system is likely to take several years to implement.

In the meantime, Jo Saxton, chief executive of Ucas, said she knows of multiple schools which have been forced to teach sixth-formers how to use the phone for professional conversations.

One of those is Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School in Lancashire, which runs an "enrichment scheme" on Wednesday afternoons in order to help teenagers learn life skills.

The school developed the programme, which runs weekly for six months, after students were left feeling "dread" and "anxious" about having to ring up university admissions teams.

PICTURED: Students sit together after receiving their A-level results at Ark Globe Academy in southeast London on Thursday August 15, 2024

As well as phoning and emailing university teams, the scheme also covers mock interviews.

Head teacher James Johnstone said: "They have phenomenal digital literacy... but their interpersonal skills are less developed.

"We see a reluctance to engage readily in dialogue.

"With phones they don't necessarily have the confidence to have professional conversations."

Multiple schools are teaching sixth-formers how to use the phone for professional conversations (file image)

He added: "It might sound basic to adults but, for them, skills were lacking."

Johnstone said: "We work on how to manage [their] anxiety, in terms of breathing, jotting down scripts in advance, what types of questions they want to ask.

"Then how to wrap up a professional conversation, such as phrases like 'thank you for your help today', and clarifying next steps."

When pupils initially tries role playing these conversations in pairs, some froze.

Eventually, the pupils built up the confidence to call the school, and then customer service lines for places like banks.

Since 2019, phone calls to Ucas have fallen by a third.

Saxton said: "Because they don't usually make phone calls, they're not used to the same sort of etiquette and protocols of greeting and signing off, and making sure they've got the right research and information in front of them."

She described the workshops as helping students "get their ducks in a row".

Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School is one of the schools running these schemes

Saxton said that one workshop which she witnessed included explaining to students the concept of being put on hold - and that it does not mean something has gone wrong.

At a conference earlier this year, Saxton said: "Clearing works on phones and schools are now running little clinics to increase the confidence that students have in how to make a phone call.

"That is how difficult teenagers these days can find how to make a phone call. So clearing needs to become increasingly digital.

"Of course we'll make sure that we keep humans and human experts in the room.

"We are beginning a conversation with the sector about ways we can reform clearing so that it actually better meets everybody's needs."

It all comes as A-level results loom, with their release scheduled for 6am Thursday.