Exam season is looming over students across the country, whether it be SATS, GCSEs or A Levels, there is an sense of panic slowly beginning to creep up on young people in Britain.
While being nervous or worried about impending exams is a completely natural feeling to have, for some young people the pressure to do well goes above and beyond 'just stress'. Children's charities such as ChildLine and the NSPCC have revealed that they see a spike in the number of children contacting them regarding stress during exam season, with the anxiety leading to trouble sleeping, panic attacks and in some extreme cases; depression, eating disorders and even suicidal thoughts.
The question raised is, what is it that causes young people to feel this way about their upcoming exams? Reasons can vary from student to student yet the common themes tend to be regarding students being afraid of disappointing their family, the fear of failure and the feeling of being somewhat pressured by their school to achieve high grades.
Last year saw a plunge in GCSE results as grades fell dramatically across the board. The number of students achieving an A*- C grade dropped by 2.1%, the lowest drop seen since the exams were first introduced 25 years ago.
Sophie Bartram, 16, from Trinity Catholic High School took her GCSEs last year. "I think that there is a big amount of pressure put on students taking exams these days," she said. "The schools seem to care more about the grades you're achieving than how the stress and pressure of exams are affecting you and your health."
Sophie is now in Year 12 and, like other sixth form students across Britain, she is preparing to sit her AS exams later this month.
"I am quite stressed about it," she said. "But the thought of having summer afterwards and being able to spend time with my friends and family is what is helping me stay motivated and positive through this time."
Everyone will deal with preparing for their exams differently however it is important to remember that if you are feeling excessively stressed to make sure you have someone you can talk to about how you're feeling. This could be your parents or a trusted teacher or friend, as the saying goes; 'A problem shared is a problem halved.'
You can also take steps to try and minimise the effects of stress on you during the exam period. The NSPCC released a number of points providing advice as to what steps students can take to work towards a healthier mindset towards exams.
These steps included: Taking regular revision breaks, perhaps doing some exercise in between, this could be as simple as taking your dog for a walk; Going to bed at a reasonable time, it's not unusual to have difficulty trying to get to sleep the night before an exam however you can help this by switching off any electronic devices you may be tempted to use as they can keep you awake for much longer; Trying to think positively was another point, it may feel somewhat difficult to do this at some points however if you manage to keep and upbeat attitude whilst revising, it will help you to not get so worn out and fed up with it all; The final point is to remember to stay hydrated and try to bring a bottle of water into the exam with you, by doing this you will help to improve your concentration which is vital during both revision and actually sitting your exams.
As daunting as it all may seem and the pressure to do well, whether it's coming from your school, your parents or your peers, it's important to remind yourself that if you know you have tried your best with revision and in your exams that is the most that you can do. Grades do not define your self-worth or who you are as a person and that even if you don't manage you get the grades you needed or were hoping for, there are plenty of other ways to achieve the goals you have set for yourself, nothing is ever as bad as it may seem.
