AS A 16-year-old boy about to sit a series of exams which will have a great impact on the rest of my life, I believe that it is fair to say that, at this stage in my life, I face stress and worry.

There will probably be some cynical adults who will disapprove of that statement, because, for some perplexing reason, they are under the impression that the youth of today ‘have it easy’. I do not know why they have that view but I feel they are gravely misguided. I believe the youth of today are under equal, if not greater, pressure and stress than the young people ‘back in the day’...

The dominating pressure in my life today is the stress of the forthcoming exams. I believe that it is unpractical, unreasonable and unfair to judge someone’s intelligence on a series of exams which only test memory rather than knowledge. It is ludicrous that exams, taken in a period of less than two months, have such a big impact on the rest of an individual’s life. Despite holding these views on the exams’ structure and the way they are conducted, the upcoming GCSEs are my main focus this year. I cannot believe that a meagre voice such as mine will have an impact on the subject. The exams are on the lips of every 16-year-old in the country.

Oxford Mail:

Pupils are facing their GCSEs soon

On results day, parents are going to be doing what they do best – comparing. Every child’s results will be scrutinised with surgical precision against all the others in the country.

I write this letter also on behalf of fellow classmates who are under a paralysing fear of being mocked and compared to others. We do not fear the exams themselves: it is the crippling fear of failure which keeps us awake late at night, which dissuades the shy girl from presenting to the class, which stops the young boy from trying a new sport.

It is the crippling fear of failure caused by abnormally high standards set by adults which will cause the demise of today’s youth.

KELSY CHINGALEMBE

Frilsham Court

Cholsey