Amid the current chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government took the decision to close schools and cancel GCSEs and A-levels this academic year as of Friday, March 20.
This leaves many young people in an unpredictable, nerve-racking situation.
While some may see this as an opportunity to decrease the amount of stress felt by these teenagers during this time of crisis, it is becoming clear that these young people are struggling with the terms at which they will be leaving their schools.
Some have spent up to seven years studying in their school and many are being forced to abruptly leave their friends and teachers and, until recently, without any knowledge regarding how they will receive their qualifications.
On March 21, it was announced that teachers are to estimate the grades they believe their students should have received, had the exams gone ahead.
Many students have expressed a sense of relief about how the situation will be handled as postponing the exams would have shortened their reward of a long summer or intervened with their later studies.
However, others have shown that they feel frustration toward this decision because it means they will “never have a chance
to prove they can be better” than what their teachers expected of them.
Moreover, students in school years 11 and 13 have been made to say goodbye to friends whom they may never see again.
Others may be able to meet up again in the future, but not until it has been declared completely safe to venture outside of our homes and not contract the virus.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson explained that “cancelling exams is something no Education Secretary would ever want to do”, but it is clear that this decision was vital in the country’s efforts in slowing the spread of the virus and crucial to protect the more vulnerable groups in our community.
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