The grade depression?

As the so-called Covid generation’ prepares to receive calculated exam results, LIZ CONNOR asks an expert how to help them process the emotional impact

WAITING to find out your exam results is always stressful, but this year, students are waiting to receive results for exams they didn’t even get to take.

Normally you’d have a rough idea of how well (or badly) you might have done because you sat through the test, handed in the coursework, and know how well your mocks went. Coronavirus has seriously tampered with the system this summer though, meaning final grades are largely being drawn up based on predicted performance.

Marks are being calculated, and while for some young people the results will be a great relief, for others, it could be a major disappointment – and either way, it may not feel as though those calculated marks are a reflection of their true potential.

We spoke to an expert about how to respond to certain concerns and navigate an exam results season like no other. Here are some possible worries that may arise…

‘I did well, but my results don’t feel real or properly earned because I didn’t do the exam’

“ACKNOWLEDGE all the other things that make your child brilliant and remind them that they are more than the sum of their exam results,” says ACP Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist Rachel MelvilleThomas (rachelmelvillethomas. com).

“You could tell them they’re good at sport, they have brilliant ideas, or that they are a fun and loyal friend. Stress that these qualities will be really important in their future – plus, remind them that their good performance throughout the school year has earned them their results.”

‘I did badly – can I just blame the system?’“

THIS has been a very weird time all over the world. Remind children that we cannot measure academic progress accurately at this time.

“The important thing is that all their school life they have been learning and they will carry on learning,” says Rachel.

“Their ability to learn doesn’t change because of a ‘bad grade’ and it isn’t going to help them progress to blame anyone or the system.

“What will help is to focus on their ability to move forward.”

Their ability to learn doesn’t change because of a ‘bad grade’... What will help is to focus on their ability to move forward ACP Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist Rachel Melville-Thomas

‘I wish I’d tried harder in my mocks. I didn’t know then how much they’d end up counting’

RACHEL stresses: “Kids need to understand they are following a system given to them by adults. We tend to encourage kids to work for their mocks, but to save their energy for their final exams.

“Ask them what they can learn from this experience before moving forward. And you may be able to appeal the grade if you’re unhappy with it.”

‘What if these exam results – that don’t fully reflect what I’m capable of – affect the rest of my future?’

“WHILE it is hard for them to imagine now, kids need to