Endless pages of scrawled notes, caffeine infused late nights and ink stained fingertips. Yes, exam season is soon approaching us this year. But what makes it different than a couple of years ago? The new exam reforms. For A-Levels, this meant that some courses were made linear (all exams are to be done at the end of the two year course), or coursework was scrapped. New content was added too. The reform was a result of the number of students getting good grades increasing so the reforms goal is to make A-Levels tougher for students. AS-Levels too are now seen as stand-alone grades if they do not have an A2 (or a second year) attached to them.
I wanted to see the effects of the new A-Levels on actual students who are taking them so I interviewed students from City and Islington Sixth Form College. I asked for their opinion on the new A-Level structure and if they were more stressed and how they were coping. Hopefully I can come to a conclusion about whether they are truly a problem or just a hurdle for students to face.
First I spoke to Tiffany Amoah who is 17 years old. She is studying English Literature, Sociology and Politics. She thought it would be better to “have the old A-Levels because the information taught in the first year is still in our heads” so exams concerning everything you learnt in the first year wouldn’t be as hard or difficult. Tiffany also stated that regardless of the A-Level set up, she would have most likely “felt stress either way” seeing as no matter how you look at it, A-Levels are a big thing to accomplish and they definitely are a step up from GCSE’s either way. However, she feels she is coping “just fine for now” as she “only has one AS this year” (which is politics, and she is handling her time well).
Next, I spoke to Quincy Harmsen who is also 17 years old. He is studying English Literature and Language, Music and Media. He thinks the new A-Levels “are better because there will be less stress for pupils in the first year of their A-Levels due to most of their exams taking place in year 13. Also, it’s better as students are given a chance to improve from their first year” if they were to not do so well in an AS exam. But if they were to retake, obviously they will have more stress on their shoulders but most of the time that is avoidable. Quincy feels that he is coping “well so far as there isn’t too much pressure” on him the first year. Although, it should be taken note off that many schools do hold mocks for students regardless if they have an official AS exam in their first year. This is beneficial as it does keep students on their toes and won’t let them slack off. On the whole, Quincy does want to go to use his A-Levels to go to University but he’s not yet certain about what he wants to do there.
Lastly I spoke to Daisie Spiteri who like the others is 17. The subjects she studies are English Literature, Economics and Film Studies. She feels the new A-Levels “gives students a chance to develop themselves over 2 years rather than rushing in on the first year and failing stupendously.” Daisie feels “highly stressed and isn’t coping well as she is juggling a job too.” She also is taking an AS exam too (in Film Studies) which she is revising for. For the future, she states she is “exploring her options between University and full time apprenticeships maybe in the entertainment or business sectors.”
Overall, it can be deemed that regardless if students have an exam at the end of their first year or not, it will be inevitable that the stress of exams and revision will soon hit them. Some students may cope better than others but it cannot be said that all will be completely stress free seeing as A-Levels are a key a factor of many which contribute to deciding your future. Never the less, best of luck to all those taking actual exams or just mocks as exam season slowly trickles inwards.
Aishah Islam, City and Islington College
