How To Cope On GCSE Results Day 🌸🌺💮
So it's been a few years since my own GCSE Results day (4 years) and since 2019 results day is coming up, I thought I'd share some wisdom.
So the likelyhood is you're going to be nervous. Best bet is to do something to take your mind off it. Go out for the day with your family, watch a load of films, read a book etc. Honestly anything to keep you busy, even cleaning can help.
Get some perspective. Let's be real, most of us aren't going to Oxford or Cambridge and lots of us don't want to. If you aren't interested in either of those then your GCSEs aren't super duper important. What I mean by that is as long as you pass your core subjects and get enough passes to get into your next qualification (e.g. College, sixth form, apprenticeship etc.) the rest don't matter too much. And even if you don't pass your core subjects, don't stress too much, most sixth forms will allow you to resist them, especially sixth form colleges.
OK so you probably aren't going to get loads of sleep, that's a given. But still shower and get into your jammies and lie in bed because you might get a few winks here and there. The next day might be quite busy what with a usually fairly early morning, lots of talking to people at school when you pick up your results and even celebrating after.
If you want to see what other people are saying about the results and exams, look on twitter, not the student room. Twitter is full of memes and jokes, as you'll know from after each exam. The student room is full of very self assured people talking about all the content they put in their exams and how they're definitely getting all top grades. Who needs that the night before when you're stressing that you didn't get a single pass grade?
Don't stress about getting to school for a certain time. If you want to go early, go early, if you'd rather wait until the crowds thinned out, do it that way instead.
Wear something nice. Now this is more of a suggestion but often there are lots of pictures taken some by parents and students, others by staff for the school website and sometimes even local news show up. You don't want pictures out there for life with you still in your jammies hahaha. Also you never know if your parents have planned a surprise celebration meal.
Choose how and where you want to open your results. Some people do it with their friends, others on their own. Some like to do it in school, whereas others might choose to go back to their car to do it. Either way it's up to you
Relax. The papers have been marked, the results are on the paper, you can't change them now, so no point stressing too much.
Have backup options. Things didn't go well and your sixth form of choice won't let you in? It's fine, there will be plenty of other options so look around. My sixth form college wasn't picky about who they let in and plenty of others will be the same. It's not the end of the world things will work out
Finally I want to say good luck, and these grades will seriously not define the rest of your life. I know it might not seem like it now, but whatever happens will lead you somewhere great and in 5 years time you'll be glad things went the way they went. 🌟