Top tips to keep a cool head ...

ADVICE for young people to overcome pre-exam nerves and help them if they have any concerns. ● Make sure you take regular breaks from revising and do some exercise. ● Go to bed at a reasonable time and try to get some sleep – getting a good night’s sleep will help you much more than trying to revise all night – you will just end up very tired the next day. ● Try to think positively – even if you don’t feel like it, a positive attitude will help you during your revision. ● Take some water into the test with you, if you can. Keeping hydrated by drinking water will help you concentrate.

Help and advice is also available to parents and carers to help ease young people’s exam stress and anxieties during the summer months with emphasis on just simply recognising that exams can be intensely stressful and acknowledgment of this in itself can be helpful to the child. ● Don’t place unnecessary pressure on your children to gain certain grades. They may feel they have failed if they don’t achieve what they thought was expected of them. ● Encourage children to take regular breaks, eat snacks and exercise. ● Help them revise by leaving them the space and time to do so. ● Be relaxed about chores or untidiness and understand they might be moody. ● Allow your children to revise at nights if that’s what works best for them, however, do make sure that they get enough sleep to keep their energy levels up in the day. ● Be supportive and help alleviate their worries by talking to them.

There is also a helpline available to anyone who wants to speak to a counsellor about their examination results.

Phone 0800 1111.