Month: February 2015

GCSE Exams should be reduced significantly in order to save teenagers mental and emotional state

February 25, 2015 / / 1 Comment

GCSE exams should be reduced significantly in order to save the fragile minds of young students. The pressure to revise and do well in exams is very stressful.

Thousands of pressured students who are not fully ready to take an exam, must prove what they have learned to examiners. Those who fail are left to dry out in the world, to be taunted for doing miserable on that one day, not being given another try. Exams deteriorate us and oppress our very lives making our everyday routine revising and reiterating for an exam that can determine our whole life. The pressure put on the fragile mind only gives the student one choice under the stress leading to the examination. If you do well, you are fine, but with the ever-changing mark scheme it’s very difficult to do well. Students who fail lose complete self-confidence, feeling like they ruined there only last chance to shine. It’s exhausting having to prepare for an examination when the end result is marked so harshly on a student, it puts the only courage you have down.

The pressure from our teachers and parents to do well in our exams is brainwashing, students are being taunted by the amount of homework, coursework and assessments that we have to face. Teachers and parents should try to support teenagers in the situation where exams can determine their lives. Overwhelming pressure on stressed pupils to do well at exams is putting their mental health at risk. Specialists say, eating disorders, self-harm and even suicidal tendencies are some of the consequences as pupils struggle to cope with the enormous pressure to succeed. Dr Deema Sihweil (clinical psychologist) quoted “students experience higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression, fear, hopelessness and rage than ever before and exam time can be painful for so many”. Recently, a bullied schoolgirl committed suicide after she was told she couldn’t take top maths exam. Exams are damaging teenagers minds.

In 2010 and 2011, a children’s mental health group, received 6,332 calls to its helpline. Of these, 884 calls were from young people aged 16 and 17, 39% were about exam stress. Parents are suffering when they are aware that their kids are struggling to cope with the pressure to succeed with exams. This can lead to the unfortunate death(suicide) of them. The government should reduce the amount of exams students have to face in order to save them. One alternative to examinations is e-portfolios, this way students are not pressured to do well by their parents and teachers. E-portfolio’s are ideal for supporting coursework and end-of-course assessments. This way, a students work can be assessed, verified, graded and given feedback remotely by the learning provider. This means students have up-to-date interactive representation of their achievements as they develop their skills.

In conclusion, students do have not have the same mind-set as adults. Students are coping with exam anxiety by skipping meals, drinking alcohol and having trouble sleeping. Suzie Hayman( spokesperson for Family Lives) quoted exams can cause conflict in families and crisis of confidence in young people. A child’s right organization in Bengaluru created a programme( Child’s Right Trust, CRT) in order to reach out to teenagers who are suffering with anxiety related to exams. The unique aspect of the programme is that counsellors visit homes of students who need assistance in managing exam stress. This way, students are receiving major support which makes creates a better society for teenagers. All these solutions come as a benefit towards teenagers and should be used around the world.

IGCSE Writing to Describe

February 3, 2015 / / 3 Comments
The howling of the wolves and the darkness had enveloped me and everything around me. When I heard the clatter and cackle of stainless rooftops, I became frantic and jagged when I heard the echo of the clattering. I walked towards the English department as the lights flickered off and on. I could hear the creak of Ms. Pinto’s door as the wind played tricks on my mind.
As I entered room 205, I was abruptly startled by the sight and disorganization of the room. The force of the wind had taken control over my mental state. The windows were shattered and the old stainless steel chairs lay wrecked around the room. The magenta violet curtains blown open by the strong forceful wind and the gold tables tossed over. I felt the cold sensation of the room as the hairs on my body stuck up and a shiver went down my spine. I felt a trembling feeling with a slight rapid motion. An eerie sensation filled the room, I began to tremble convulsively as a result of fear. It looked like someone was hiding behind the curtain. I felt fearful and my heart skipped a beat as I walked towards the curtain. As I approached the dark corner, I notice a shadow behind the curtain, a human figure like.  I felt a sign of relief as the force of the wind blows open the curtains.

Suddenly, I hear a screech behind me, a scare, a suspicion, a horror. I strain my ears to try and hear in which direction the noise was coming from. I turn around in anxiety walking slowly towards the door, I turn right towards the back staircase. The lights continue to flicker as I walk past and glance into the library and then into another English room. As I walk down the stairs, I notice blood dripping down the stairs. I follow the blood and it leads through the double doors into the science corridor.

Unblinkingly, I keep following the dripping blood, thinking it may lead me to somewhere. I walk past two science classes wondering where I might end up. The blood leads past the IT corridor, past nautical studies and then down into the Maths Department. I continue to feel a shivering feeling as the hairs on my body stuck up. My physical state tells me I can’t walk no further but my mind tells me another.

I hear another screech faintly behind me. I turn around and walk back up the stairs. The blood stains have gone and I feel like I am not the only person in the school. The lights continue to flicker off and on as the pips ring out loudly, echoing around the school. I glance at the clock as the small and big hand reaches 13. I feel drained and overworked as I feel my heart sank to the bottom. I look left and right wondering which direction I should go next. I take a left back towards the English department as another shadow dashes before my eyes. Suddenly, the lights go out, I cannot see a thing, it is pitch black………………………..