Exams. Love them or hate them, they are now a regular part of our school system in the UK. But why are they really necessary?

I’m sure if you are in Year 11 like me you will have just had your mock GCSE examinations or will just about to have them. This is definitely not an enjoyable time and causes lots of unnecessary stress and anxiety. I know that lots of people will argue that it prepares us for our actual GCSE examinations in the summer, but does this really outweigh the negatives of the stress and anxiety that it causes and the pressure it causes for students to perform well?

Exams shouldn’t be the only measure of our success in school as not everyone performs at their best in exams. Not everyone’s full potential can be shown and defined to a mark on a piece of paper which you receive at the end of your school studies.

It is silly how our whole future can be defined by the grades which we receive at the end of school and how we are living in such an old fashioned system where people are still based on their exam performance and not as a well rounded individual.

But, on the other hand exams can give us a good basis for our lives. If after school, we want to go and study at university, good exam performance can ensure our place on a particular course and can show how appropriate we are for that course. If we didn’t get good exam results then maybe university wouldn’t be right for you and you could look to consider alternate options.

Even though exams will open many doors for you when it comes to university, nowadays, universities and employers aren’t just looking for top results, they want well- rounded individuals. If so many people are achieving the top grades, people need to have their unique abilities, which set themselves apart from everyone else in this competitive market.

I’m sure the people who enjoy exams are in the minority as I’m certain that most people do not enjoy exams in the slightest. They can cause stress for children as young as 10 when they will be taking entrance examinations for secondary schools or when they take the SATS. It has become a way of life for young people that needs to be changed as prolonged periods of stress isn’t good for anyone’s health and could had damaging effects in the future and could lead to mental health problems in extreme cases.

By Sophie Reilly- Sydenham High School