In-person exams are leading to students feeling increasingly stressed, warns Essex psychologist
They've been giving us tips on how to manage stress
A local educational psychologist is warning a return to in-person exams is putting extra stress on this year's co-hort.
Students have sitting in-person assessments for the first time in two years, with GCSE exams beginning this week and A-Levels starting next week.
Throughout the pandemic, traditional exams were replaced with teacher assigned grades.
Doctor Amanda Furness works in Thurrock at Aspire Educational Psychology Services and says this year's students are under a lot of pressure: "We can't underestimate the impact of of the stress that Covid has caused for a lot of people.
"There's been a lot of disruption to education and to people's lives in general, and a lot of young people are experiencing heightened anxiety anyway due to the situations that we've been in, so when you add another layer of stress on top of that with exams or other test situations, it's a lot for our young people to cope with."
She suggests some stress can be useful, when it's managed: "It's important to distinguish between good stress and bad stress. There is a degree of stress that's actually really important for us to perform our best.
"It's good to experience a little bit of adrenaline to get us in the right mode when we're motivated to succeed and we're focused - that's what I'd describe as good stress.
"Bad stress, however, is when that goes too far and it begins to interfere with our functioning... if you are really stressed, then all of that emotion that's flooding your brain is going to affect how well you perform, so it's really important to find ways to manage it."
Amanda' tips on how to cope with exam stress:
1. Make sure you take enough breaks
"Make sure your basic needs are met, because we know that our brains learn best when our bodies are functioning well. Getting enough sleep is really important, as is making time for fun things. Try seeing a friend and doing things that make you feel calm, relaxed and positive.
2. Take things one step at a time
"If you look at something as a whole, it can feel very overwhelming, but if you take small steps towards your goal, you're more likely to feel that it's achievable. You'll then feel less bad stress, more good stress and hopefully achieve your goals going forward."
3. Look at the big picture
"Try to develop a narrative around exams that put them in the big picture of your life. Understand that, although these are important events, if it doesn't go to plan, it's not the end of the world.
"You've got time and you've got options beyond those exams to help you move forward."