Pressure…pushing down on me!

 

Look alert year 11! GCSE examinations are almost ready to get underway for this academic year, as the winter months turn to spring. Across the UK, many students are anxiously preparing to face the start of these exams, as the clock counts closer to May. However, many students facing this summer are feeling the pressure. Exams are test of knowledge and memory and require lots of preparation beforehand to level out the vast spectrum of content tested through them. Students at GCSE will study their chosen subjects for two academic years, and the breadth of their course will be tested through the exam. But, despite this, most knowledge that they pick up will come from across their entire educational career – which calls for lots of revision!

Revision, whilst crucial for both confidence and ultimately success, can put an extreme amount of pressure on students. It requires lots of dedication and perseverance, which can be difficult to balance, on top of school and college days. For some students, revising regularly helps to calm nerves and build confidence, but despite this, intensive study processes can result in anxiety and fear- which could impact everyday life and make dealing with these exams harder. As a GCSE student, I know the impacts that this is causing. Mock examinations and regular revision sessions can be extremely beneficial, but for some it can exacerbate the countdown to the real thing.

 Furthermore, social media platforms allow students to share their revision with others around them. This can result in stress and doubt in pressured students, simply because unrealistic standards relating to revision can cause heightened anxiety and comparative and harmful thoughts – all of this affects performance and confidence. A fellow Year 11 student Megan Holmes said: “I’m feeling ok, revising regularly helps, and while exams re looming over us at the moment It will be a huge relief when they are finished.”

 

Coping with exam pressure is complicated, because it can some days be more intense than others. As schools across the country begin to crack down for the start of these assessments, we must remember to take some time to have breaks with friends and family, and to use the things we love to do to, to help calm the pressure ahead of May!