A first since 1888, when the system was put in place, this is the first exam-free summer in 130 years.

Making; for a lot of students, two years of sacrifices worthless, which is totally understandable! The constant looming pressure of exams hanging over us, while dealing with a plague, affected some more than others. But what if this shift in lifestyle isn’t such a bad thing?

What if we consider how the younger generation has been affected by the pandemic? The answer I’m usually given is either younger children not understanding the change, and adults trying to adapt e.g. working from home, in our case “home learning”. You experience the moment of realisation and the feeling that strikes home, the abrupt, last minute, yet poorly planned message that we’d see each other again... “Until further notice”

With the closure of schools and youth clubs, what other avenues are there for the younger generation to turn to? Especially for under-privileged students who have struggled to succeed and would’ve achieved their dreams in the exams. This time is invaluable as it gifts many young people of my age that sense of perspective some of us so desperately needed, living such fast-paced lives and with no room for real reflection it has allowed an opportunity to look towards our future.

What could a global pandemic mean for our future? Perhaps an increase in NHS workers? How will the demand for certain jobs change? In my view the pandemic has given me time to decide where I want to see myself and map out how to get there. Many younger people can now have an inner dialogue and reflect. It’s not just filling out a form on careers day wishing you’ll be assigned the best role, but initiating that conversation with yourself about where you see yourself thriving.

The school work was hard but never wasted because the wisdom gained is precious, the educational system wasn’t introduced to test us blindly but to build transferable, technical skills and a core background of knowledge that will carry us through life. Now with not much else to do, it allows us the time to learn a new skill or study a field we always wanted to explore.

Overall I would expect younger people to have gained the confidence in planning out their futures, but as our thoughts focus towards how the lockdown can be lifted safely and we’re still considering the impact of reopening our schools, it’s fair to say it will no doubt affect the next generation. We will see the true cost of ridding exams soon but I am optimistic looking forward.

 

Kaan kartal