There are many of us currently patiently waiting for our A-Level results, the majority of us are stressing both about whether we have received acceptable grades and whether we have got into our chosen university. Personally, I have received an unconditional offer for university but I am still panicking over my grades as I have always been one to yearn to do well and please both myself and family.
Being a teenager, I’m constantly on my phone and like most groups of friends, I have a group chat that we all speak in daily. Just one glance at that highlights how stressed and anxious we’re all feeling. Having asked their opinions and feelings on both exams and results day, one friend stated: “I feel like I’m being judged on my performance during an extremely rough time in my life and not in the work I’ve produced throughout my years at school. I feel a tremendous pressure to do well and have never been this stressed out.”
I have already shared my opinions on exams in a previous article titled: How Exams Damage Teenagers’ Mental Health, however as results day is approaching, I thought I could talk about this side of things. I would argue that the key is to stay calm however I understand that is a difficult task as our minds will be in turmoil until we do eventually pick up that dreaded envelope with those horrible letters inside.
One thing my mother has always said to me is “If it doesn’t work out, don’t panic, it’s not a life or death situation.” This statement is applicable to the situation of results day. As well as a glance in the group chat, students opinions on results day are also shared on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Many people have been voicing how stressed and worried they are online, everything they share is relatable to me.
I definitely feel as though the current UK school system, regarding exams and results day, is unfair. Between my first exam and results day, there has been a time period of three months. This is ridiculous, especially since the exams have already been marked, the results just haven’t been taken to the schools. The exams stress teenagers out, then over their summer break, they are fretting about how well we have done. It isn’t right that one letter, one grade, decides our future.
However, if all goes well, which I hope it does for everyone after the initial panic results day could turn into a celebration. I seek for everyone to feel OK, whatever the future holds because it will all work out in the end.
Good luck!
