This is probably the best option to take if you received no offers for medicine this time round, or you miss the grades for your offer. It is beneficial if you're set on medicine, as most people who sit the UCAT will achieve a higher score the second time round, and perform at interview better as well. Many view taking a gap year as falling behind and so cancel this option off their list however, it can be an amazing chance to grow as a person and applicant and reflect on your mistakes. It is an opportunity to volunteer, make some money, build new skills, gain more insight into medicine and take a much deserved break from education to have some fun. A gap year can be a combination of exploration, fun and personal development. To tailor your year off to medicine, it is a good idea to gain some more medical work experience, do a research project, or volunteer for the NHS. Aside from this, many gap year students travel abroad to volunteer or take up jobs teaching English, which is a fun way to make money and explore at the same time. What activity you do is less important than the skills you achieve from doing it; the most successful applicants focus on reflecting. 12 months can go by so fast so consider planning your time and money wisely, factoring in any possible expenses, application and entrance exam deadlines and time for yourself.

Even if you do not achieve the required A Level grades for admission to medicine, the best route to take would probably be to resit one or more A Levels, if you believe you can achieve those grades with another year of study. It is a myth that medical schools don't accept resits, many do. Here is a comprehensive, detailed list of them: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6649138

Taking a foundation course can be an excellent way to get into medicine if you didn’t achieve the grades/haven't got the required predicted grades for a standard medicine course and you meet widening access criteria. There are two main types of course: the Extended course and Medicine with a Foundation (sometimes referred to as gateway) year. The Extended Course, e.g. KCL EMDP, spreads out teaching over six years, giving you an opportunity to learn the basics. Medicine with a Foundation Year starts off with a year of scientific teaching, followed by the standard undergraduate course. Some universities that offer this are University of Leeds, University of Dundee, Hull York Medical School and many more. Please note that many of these courses have differing entry requirements, so check specific universities’ websites. The University of Manchester offer A104, which is a foundation year if you did not take the correct A Levels for medicine. However, foundation/gateway courses are a lot more competitive than standard A100 medicine as there are so few places available, so these will tend to have poor post interview offer rates.

The graduate entry programme is made for applicants who have already obtained an undergraduate degree. The course usually spans over 4 years and so is shorter than the traditional medicine degree. It is important to acknowledge, however, that the GEM course is highly competitive with many medical schools offering around 35 places. This often results in higher UCAT cutoffs and poorer post interview rates. Some universities require the candidate to have a Science Degree whereas others accept any prior degree. An important thing to note is that while some universities will use the UCAT; there are a few that require candidates to sit the GAMSAT (Cambdridge does not require any entrance exam for GEM).

With the number of domestic applicants to medicine growing at a faster rate than the number of available places every year, the course is becoming increasingly competitive. In the event that you are unsuccessful with a UK application, considering abroad study could be a viable option for you to continue your medicine journey. Many applicants choose to apply for study in Ireland, due to its geographical proximity to the UK. Where you can apply to only 4 medical schools in the UK, Ireland has 6 medical schools (one for GEM) and you can apply to all of them in the same cycle. Another popular option is studying in Europe where there are many GMC-recognised medical schools. A few examples of where these are found is Cyprus, Latvia and Bulgaria. Another pro is that A-level (or equivalent) requirements tend to be lower than in the UK and tuition fees are quite comparable to at home; often the cost of living can be lower as well. However there are quite a few disadvantages - although the course itself is taught in English, you will need to become highly proficient in the language spoken there to be able to cope on a day to day basis, and once you reach the clinical years you will be speaking to patients who often don't speak English. Some other common options are Australia (bear in mind the higher UCAT cutoffs), the USA (requires you to study an undergraduate degree beforehand) and Hong Kong.