Test or Torture?

It is often remarked that the only two facts of life are death and taxes, but for young people in 2023 something stands out as far worse, and far more immediate - exams.

Of course, there is an argument to be made for their importance, exams consolidate all information learned through the schooling experience into a compact test which should perfectly measure a student’s intelligence and academic capability.

I, and plenty of other A-Level students are unsure of this.

To many students, the most important aspect of exam season is dealing with the immense stress. Often, exams for A-level students collide with coursework and homework, as well as personal responsibilities (which are often overlooked). For some, this incredibly overwhelming environment leads to incredibly high stress, like for one year 13 student I asked about the subject:

“To me this isn’t what college was supposed to be, I wanted to learn more about the things I enjoyed rather than being too stressed to even care”

(Anon, Year 13)

Certainly, this argument is convincing. If the point of school is to learn, then shouldn’t it become a place where students feel safe and encouraged, rather than somewhere that sparks intense dread and anxiety at mounting to-do lists and revision timetables? I’m certain the rest of the student population would agree.