A BTec exam board has said it is “very sorry” that some students are still waiting for their results two days after they were due, leaving them unable to confirm university places.

Hundreds of thousands of students received A-level, BTec and T-level exam results on Thursday, but some in England and Wales who have taken BTec qualifications with exam board Pearson have had no news of their grades.

Pearson said there was no “systemic issue” to blame for the delay as what they described as “a tiny percentage” of students are still waiting to hear about their BTec (Business and Technology Education Council qualification) results, adding that the reasons are individual to each affected school or college.

The exact number of students still waiting on Saturday is unknown, Pearson said, but “it’s falling all the time” as results are released hourly.

Francesca, 19, from Lancashire, told the PA news agency the delay had caused her even more stress during what was already a difficult time.

She did an applied science course with Pearson and requires two merits and a pass to be accepted on the human physiology course at Manchester Metropolitan University.

She said: “It definitely is stressful, I’m autistic so was already struggling with waiting for results and preparing to get ready for university – so it definitely has made the pressure worse.”

When asked if she has received much support, she said: “My college has and there’s tons of people there that have been trying their best and keeping me updated, so I’ve definitely had good support from my school.

“It was half of my whole class who didn’t receive the results. Some have managed to get their results now but me and a couple of others still haven’t.

“It was definitely frustrating that other people got theirs, especially because we all sat the same exams.”

She added she had been in contact with the university and “they were great and assured me they would hold my place”.

A spokesperson for Pearson said: “We are very sorry that some students are still waiting for their results. BTecs are a modular qualification and in order for us to award an overall result, we require grades to be provided for each unit and a claim made to receive the qualification.

Universities are used to managing this in their processes, and we are working with awarding bodies to ensure all students can receive a decision on their application

“We are grateful to the schools and colleges that are working with us around the clock to resolve any remaining issues. Our team delivered hundreds of results yesterday and today and we are here all weekend working to deliver more results as soon as we can.

“We urge any student waiting for their results to please call us on 0345 618 0440.

“Ucas has told us that the best thing a student can do is contact their university of choice directly, so that they know they want the offered place and can hold it. Or we are happy to call their university for them to explain the situation.”

A spokesperson for Ucas, the admissions service for higher education institutions in the UK, said: “Students may find they are awaiting their examination results for many reasons, and not all qualifications are awarded on JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications) results day.

“Universities are used to managing this in their processes, and we are working with awarding bodies to ensure all students can receive a decision on their application.

“Ucas advises that universities hold offers until September 7, so any student that has yet to receive their qualification results has time to meet this. Students are also free to start their Clearing research should they wish.

“If students have any questions about their application, Ucas is here to support you. Go to ucas.com or speak to a Ucas adviser on the phone or social media.”

Education secretary James Cleverly said on Twitter: “Teams from the DfE, UCAS, Ofqual and the awarding organisations are working through this weekend to make sure students awaiting BTec and Cambridge Technicals results get them as quickly as possible.

“Students should be reassured that UCAS has asked universities to hold places for students in this position. Any student holding an offer who is worried should contact their university for advice.”

Labour spokesman Toby Perkins accused the Government of being “in hiding” over the results’ issue, saying: “It is now almost three days after A-level and T-level results were published and students are still being let down.

“This zombie Government simply does not take either our young people or the skills we need seriously. They need to get a grip of this fast and the exam boards need to be honest and open about what is going on.

“Young people are being failed and the Government is in hiding.”