Exams causing huge pressure on students mental health
One York teenager has been telling us about the impact
A York student says the pressure of exams at school left her riddled with anxiety and unable to "pick up a pen".
With exam season underway we've been looking at the impact testing can have on mental health.
15 year old Lana ended up moving to online learning because she found it difficult to cope in a mainstream setting: "Even though that I knew logistically, these grades that you get, they don't really mean anything, they are just a way to help you improve, there was still something in my head that said 'you need to be perfect, you need to do everything right, you are not doing well enough'. Every single day was really just a struggle, it really hurt me, in school and outside of school as well, everyday when I came home from school I just felt completely drained."
She is now much happier but has this message for others who are struggling: "It's just difficult to remind yourself, when you are in a bad place, really, exams aren't a pivotal point in your life, they are just small things. Just try to let yourself be, give yourself a break, you work really hard, you deserve to let yourself be happy or be alright with how you did, even if I didn't go the way you hoped".
Meanwhile, exam results in England this year are predicted to be more similar to those before Covid, as some support measures have now been removed.
The regulator, Ofqual, says some changes brought in during the pandemic - which led to more top scores - have been scaled back.
But grades are expected to be higher in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as they've kept the modifications.