BY KYLA MARTIN
The past two years have been extremely difficult for everyone but the impact on school students, especially those who (like myself) were due to take major exams such as GCSEs and A Levels, has been significant. After talking to my friends I realise that the experience has been different for everyone, so I can only give you my personal perspective.
During the first lockdown in March 2020, I was in Year 10 and preparing for GCSEs. I was set home school work first thing in the morning and told to submit when completed, so there were many days when my school day was over by 1pm, giving me plenty time to do what I wanted for the rest of the day. Since there were few online lessons and little set structure, this was quite a relaxing time!
By the start of Year 11 we were back at school and we had been told that our GCSE exams would go ahead as normal, but that some changes had been made to the syllabus due to the previous interruptions. We were subjected to regular small tests to allow the school to accumulate evidence of our progress, which meant we had an extra busy schedule. In December I had to sit a delayed set of 18 mock exams, which turned out to be the only testing I was subjected to under proper exam conditions.
As the January 2021 lockdown started, it was announced our exams were canceled but there was much uncertainty about how grades would be assessed, which was very stressful as we were unsure how we should be preparing ourselves. For the next three months we had online lessons every day and then had extra work to complete, meaning that our days were very long and tiring. We also had to revise for another set of tests in March, sat as soon as the schools reopened. We were tested yet again in April and May, this time using exams set by the national exam boards, although these papers were publicly accessible and I couldn’t see what purpose they served.
Now I am waiting for GCSE results based on my teachers’ assessments of my progress. I hope these will be okay, but I feel the whole experience has been rather messed up.
Personally, I would have much preferred to sit normal exams rather than evidence-based testing. I find it much easier to know how I will be assessed in advance and then to build up my knowledge in a planned way, peaking at exam time. Having to continuously sit tests and not know exactly how they will count towards your grades is, for me, much less satisfactory and more stressful. However, I accept that for others the opposite might be true.
Next year I begin my A Levels and I really hope for a more normal school experience. Who would ever have thought we might actually miss sitting exams!