Hi everyone! I’ m Jennifer and I’ m a member of BelEve’s leadership board. As a current (and rather lost) Year 13 student, I just wanted to share a few of my thoughts on the cancellation of 2020 public exams because I’ m sure I’ m not the only one that feels a bit confused right now. Considering everything, I am quite disappointed that we don ‘t have the opportunity to prove ourselves in exams this summer, particularly since we’ve worked so hard in our GCSE/A-level courses. And even with the opportunity to take exams early on in the next academic year or next summer, its still frustrating that things will be delayed since I was so ready to move onto my next step – uni. Personally, I am not overly concerned about my grades being determined by my teachers as I trust their judgement, but I still have the worry that grades I am awarded will not be taken as seriously as I would not have sat my A-levels.
Despite this, I still realise that I am not alone in this situation, there are Year 11s and Year 13s all over the country who are impacted by this too, and other year groups that are seeing disruptions in their learning. We really are in this together! This quarantine has also made me reflect and become grateful for everything I have – including access to education. I recently read a quote that said: ‘You are not trapped at home. You are safe. ‘ I feel like this is such an important thing to remember when we are struggling/complaining about quarantine. Despite everything, we can be grateful for our health and the safety of our loved ones. Also, we can take advantage of this free time to reconnect with people and pursue our passions in things that we otherwise would otherwise not have time for.
