Being a teenager on GCSE results day can be fairly overwhelming, the dread of learning whether all those valuable hours spent in education paid off or were just in vain can be enough to intimidate anyone. Some teenagers may face pressure from their parents to achieve big and this in itself can cause fear for those collecting their results on that defining date. Examinations take place during May/June after which teenagers have to endure an extended period of uncertainty before they can even access their results in mid to late August. During this time period, pressure mounts up heavily and the fear of the unknown eats away at students as each day goes by. Until that day rolls around, the outcome of those long, boring exams are shrouded in mystery.
As a teenager going into GCSE results day, my view is that schools emphasise the necessity that is achieving big in GCSE's, which is fairly relative to go big or go home. Many schools seem to care less and less about the wellbeing of students and more and more about GCSE results. Schools consistently tell you about increasing standards in exam results and the need to raise the bar even higher, in turn creating more pressure for students in the long run. As I myself have witnessed in my school experience, we also were seemingly forced to adhere to this ideology. Some may see this as a challenge within itself to test one's resolve whilst others may see this simply as stacking up the pressure. When faced with the daunting task of outperforming the previous year's results, it is highly likely for many to crack under the pressure.
Cracking under the pressure shouldn't be seen as a failure or even in a negative light. You may look at others and wonder how they're managing to cope with the stress of not performing to the level expected. Many a time have I heard the phrase "You're an A* student!" which adds to that pressure. As time goes by leading up to results day, the pressure mounts up to an astronomical level. Many may coolly claim to not have any fears for their impending results but nobody is exempt in reality. The constant reminder that your GCSE results will effectively map out your future for you is a huge think to take in on its own. The pressure that teenagers have to perform under is sometimes underestimated and overlooked within today's society.
Failing to achieve a pass isn't the end of the world, many people have gone on to be successful and at one point have been in the same situation. Exam results do not define a person, future employers will look at more than results on a piece of a paper. If you fear that should you not get the results you had hoped for and that your chosen college/sixth form will reject you, do not fear. Many colleges and sixth forms can be willing to be flexible or if necessary you may find other places willing to offer you a place. See failure as something to learn from and build on rather than let the failure consume you. I wish everyone collecting their results the best of luck and I hope that you receive the results you all deserve.