Five celebrities who didn't need A-levels

It's A-levels results day, and across the country thousands of students are finding out whether or not they've got the grades they need.

According to results service UCAS, a record number of people will be embarking on a degree course this autumn, with over 400,000 having taken up their university place by 8.00 this morning.

But what if your results aren't up to par? It doesn't mean your life is doomed: there are plenty of people who have done just fine without a string of As...

Jeremy Clarkson
He might not make the greatest role model, but former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has a few words of comfort for this years students.

"A Level people. My fingers are crossed for you all this morning," he tweeted earlier today. "If your A level results aren't great, be cheered by the fact that I got a C and two Us. And I'm currently sitting in a villa in St Tropez."
%VIRTUAL-ArticleSidebar-jobs-guide%
Simon Cowell
X Factor boss Simon Cowell dropped out of school after his O-levels - he only passed English Language, English Literature and Sociology - this last a year late.

Instead of taking A-levels, he found himself a job in the mail room of EMI - courtesy of his father, who was a senior executive there - and started working his way up. He worked as a record producer, talent scout and consultant to the music industry before producing the hit British TV show Pop Idol and its US clone, American Idol.

Alan Johnson
Of all the people you'd expect to have a string of good qualifications, a former government education secretary would surely be top of the list. But Alan Johnson, who entered politics in 1993, left school without any O-levels, let alone A-levels. He even walked out of his first job, stacking shelves at Tescos, because the company wouldn't give him a lunch break.

Nevertheless, he's hardly been a failure, having headed up the government departments for Work and Pensions, then Trade and Industry, Education and Skills, Health and the Home Office.

Alan Sugar
Lord Sugar grew up in a poor Jewish family in London's East End, and left school at 16 to sell car aerials and electrical goods out of a van. At 19 years old, he founded Amstrad, selling home computers and electrical devices built from cheap components. At one point, his business empire was worth £770 million.

Richard Branson
As a sufferer from dyslexia, Sir Richard Branson struggled with academia, and quit school at 15. He once wrote: "Forget exam results (everybody else does sooner or later!)"

But his Virgin empire has gone from strength to strength, and now has over 400 operations including Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Money, Virgin Media and Virgin Trains. Branson himself is worth £3.6 billion.

Read more on AOL Money:

Ten well-paid jobs that are open to all

Which degree is most likely to make you a billionaire?

Which university's graduates earn the most?