Student Jamie: it should never have been like this,

YESTERDAY was a great day. A really great day. When I heard the news that Peter Weir was allowing centre-assessed grades from teachers to be used for GCSE students’ results on Thursday but was staying firm on A-levels, I and so many others were outraged at one set of rules for one and a different set for the other.

After hearing the news that A-level students are now being awarded their teacher centre-assessed grades, I am delighted.

It has been a turbulent few days for students, parents, guardians, teachers and so many others who helped to U-turn this decision. I have spoken to fellow students who have come forward to tell their story, as well as many courageous parents who spoke out against their children being wronged.

The pressure from the media and people coming forward to share their stories has told.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to every journalist who asked the tough questions that needed answering; to every teacher for their hard work in preparing our grades with the sufficient evidence; to every politician who stood up for us, and to every single person who put pressure on Mr Weir to do the right thing.

As a result of young people stepping up and speaking out to challenge Mr Weir and Justin Edwards, who heads up CCEA, we have finally got the grades we deserve.

I am thrilled with the result for students in Northern Ireland and I am so glad teachers have been listened to and their professionalism acknowledged.

It does disappoint me that all of this could have been avoided

if Mr Weir had considered the future of young people receiving results on Thursday before now. We cannot go back in time, but we can certainly learn lessons from this.

It cannot be ignored that the A-level fiasco has had a negative impact on the mental health of young people.

It must be considered that young people lost out on the traditional rites of passage after secondary school: the farewells to teachers and other students, the end-of-school parties and summer holiday plans.

The added trauma of not receiving fair A-level grades was devastating for so many of us and the past few days have been difficult. I’m glad we can now work to move forward and get back on track — but it shouldn’t have been like this.

I often read young people have the power to change the world and today that quote couldn’t be more true. We have the power to use our voice and in recent days people have used their platforms in incredible ways. We were failed. But we fought for what we believed in as a team, and we have won.

And that is something we all should be so very proud of.