New year, new start? I don’t think so. The omicron variant has led to a constant increase in the covid cases (in the UK). Almost 200,000 new cases have been reported in one day, leading to a question for the students. Are their exams going to carry on as normal?

With the new measures made by the prime minister, Boris Johnson, we now know that he is not planning to close down schools at any time as schools are the last resort however as soon as the schools have opened for the new term, there have been some new measures made for the pupils. Secondary school students in the UK are now required to wear masks in classes as well whereas previously masks were only required in communal areas. Does this mean that the covid cases are getting worse or is this just an ‘early’ safety measure?

As a secondary GCSE student myself, I definitely prefer schools to be closed. With the constant rising of the cases, us students are bound to get covid and therefore leading us to be behind in our schoolwork and/or revision.

With the rough pandemic, many students have missed out on their learning, meaning that continuing on with their normal exams may be a lot difficult than expected. As the Omicron variant is spreading almost instantly, the 2022 exams are at stake for all the students across the UK.

The government has not officially decided whether the exams in 2022 will be cancelled or not, however with the recent outgrow of the virus, it may seem like teacher assessed grades may be used in one way or another.

If the exams are cancelled yet again for 2022, this would mean that the current A-level students may have to proceed to university by missing both their GCSE’S and A-levels. This would be extremely difficult to deal with and therefore may be the reason as to why the government has sworn to not close schools and cancel the exams unless it is absolutely necessary.

Plans are changing, Mocks are beginning. The students are being put under the continuous pressure that their mock grades may be utilised for their 2022 exams in some way, perhaps allowing them to push themselves further for a better grade or putting them down with the stress of achieving an acceptable grade.

Overall, many students are scared with the upcoming events and are hoping to achieve their preferred or needed grades in their mocks just in case they are used for teacher assessed grades.

We have all been struggling with this pandemic for many years and hope that the government continue to support us no matter what, even if it means by closing schools down and cancelling the 2022 exams or changing them as needed.