GCSE Results

Today is GCSE results day, and last night I was lucky enough to be able to help out with a MyStudentEvents livestream for students who would be opening the dreaded envelope today. It gave me the opportunity to relive a little of my own pre-results anticipation, but also to be able to survey the school examination landscape from a distance further afar than I’d previously been able.

The stream itself was an incredibly wholesome experience, and I was heartened to see how supportive people were of one another, with numerous examples of kindness and empathy suggesting years far more advanced than 16. With that being said, the overwhelming feeling I got from everybody participating was anxiety. Anybody getting their results today was clearly exceptionally nervous about it, with many of them worrying about their parents' expectations, and a huge amount of pressure was evident across the board. Now I have some distance between myself and the events of results day, it feels difficult not to view the feeling that our exam system generates as ridiculous - these people are 16, they are still children. Is it fair to make them feel like this at such a young age, that they should all have to deal with so much so young?

On the other hand, perhaps it is good practice for growing up, a character-building experience and one that is inevitable at some point in life anyway. Either way, the academic chip on my shoulder feels more sore than ever.