Thousands of UK school students have just finished sitting exams. But how do they feel about the pressures of being tested, how nervous do they get waiting for results and what do they think of exam boards that make mistakes?
| I feel a bit nervous just before the results come, but I’m just glad to be free from the pressures of the teachers. |
Miles Gilfellon, 12, Jesmond
I don't feel much pressure when I take exams, but it is a big relief when they finish because there is no more revision. The sciences were the hardest, especially chemistry, because you need to revise more for that. I go out with my family for a meal when the exams are over. I get quite excited while waiting for the results because I want to know how well I did. I think that teachers put a bit too much pressure on kids for the exams, but parents don't.
Katie Norwood, 15, Heaton
I don't feel much pressure during exam-time, but it is sort of a relief when they finish. Maths and chemistry are some of the hardest subjects because there are so many equations. I find that revision is harder than the exam because there is so much of it to do. I don't get too nervous before I get my results, but I do feel curious as to how I did. There is sometimes too much pressure put on kids, especially that by the teachers.
Sophie Hurrell-Day, 15, Heaton
I've just had my internal exams at school and it was a relief when they finished. Maths and science are the hardest - physics especially, because there are loads of formulae. Revising is really hard because there are so many other things to do like walking the dog, watching TV, or playing on the computer and you have to force yourself to sit down and work. I think that there is a lot of pressure on kids for exams and it seems a waste of hard work when mistakes are made on exam papers.
Kathleen McCoy, 15, Gateshead
There wasn't much pressure on me for my exams but I was happy to get them out of the way. Revising is really hard - you have to learn everything, as you don't know what is going to be on the exam. Because there are so many exams, there is not much time to revise for each subject. I was a bit nervous when I got my results back this year. I think that it is unfair in important exams like A-levels that mistakes are made on the papers.
Asma Majid, 15, Haydon Grange
I get quite stressed during exam-time and it is a big relief when they finish. English is always one of the hardest and so is biology because there is so much to revise. I find the exams harder than the revision because you never know what's going to be on them. It's really nerve-racking waiting for results but I like to know how I've done. Mistakes on exam papers should be deleted, but it's normally only one question so it's not that important.
Marine Kiene, 15, Jesmond
I've just done my French GCSE but I didn't feel too stressed about it because I am French. It is a relief when exams finish because you don't have to revise any more. I think that maths is always a hard exam because there is so much to learn. I find exams harder than revision because you can't have your books there with you. I feel a bit nervous just before the results come but I'm just glad to be free from the pressures of the teachers.
Gina Maclean, 15, South Shields
Exams are hard, especially science and maths, but it's nice when they finish because it's always just in time for the holidays. Revision is hard because you don't know where to start. I like to catch up with my sleep after exams so I don't have much time for celebrating. There is a lot of pressure on kids because there are parents that want you to get good grades and then there are the teachers who want a good reputation for the school.
Danielle Rae, 15, Wrekenton
I felt a lot of pressure in the exams that we've just recently had at school - it really was a relief when they finished. English and Business Studies were two really hard ones; there just wasn't enough time. Revision is quite boring, almost as hard to do as the exam itself. I don't get really nervous before I get the results, but I do like to know how I did. Teachers and schools put too much pressure on young people to do well in exams.
About the team
This article was produced by Amy Gilfellon, 14. Junior Jury is a weekly column published by the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.
