TESTING TIMES
YEAR 12 students are still questioning how a turbulent start to their final year of schooling will affect their professional careers as they return to classrooms on Monday.
Term 3, arguably the most intense term for Year 12 students due to assessment requirements, is also shaping up to be the first “normal” term for all students this year.
As long as there are no further COVID-19 disruptions, it will be the first term students start and finish in their classrooms this year.
Babinda State High School Year 12 student Audrey Van Ballegooyen said she had discovered a new form of stress this year.
“You would normally think Year 12 students are worried about getting the best results but learning the content hasn’t really been a concern,” she said.
“It’s been everything to do with the virus. I’m feeling OK now but it was all the uncertainty and how quickly things were changing. We were worried about how it would impact our future and our opportunities and to be honest, things could still change, you just don’t know.”
Ms Van Ballegooyen has already been accepted into a physiotherapy course for next year, alleviating some pressure but she said she was saddened with the social impacts of COVID-19.
“The school has been great with supporting us and providing the content, and if we had to, we’d be ready to go back online again,” she said.
“But I’m really keen to just go back, even these (two-week) holidays have felt like six weeks – we’ve spent a lot of time at home this year. We only have 16 weeks of school left, with each other, and we’ve missed out on a lot of social activities in our final year.”
The new Queensland Certificate of Education system will see Year 12 students sit external exams in October and November, with an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank calculated from students’ five best subjects on a scale of 99.95 to 0.
Queensland Teachers’ Union president Kevin Bates confirmed teachers were preparing for an intense Term 3.
These (twoweek) holidays have felt like six weeks – we’ve spent a lot of time at home this year.
YEAR 12 STUDENT AUDREY VAN BALLEGOOYEN