Since the outbreak of coronavirus in the UK back in March, every aspect of life has been changed drastically. One of the most affected sectors is education, with some students still not completely back into normal lessons and the recent second lockdown in England is leading students to wonder will they ever get their post exam summer holidays?
In the past, the summer after GCSEs and A levels have been known to be the best part of secondary school, but with the new restrictions and rules these holidays might look very different in years to come. At the beginning of the year, many year 11s and 13s will have been looking forward to festivals, holidays and partying after completing some of the most important exams of their lives. However, after the government announced a nationwide lockdown in March, schools were forced to close, and all exams were cancelled.
Pupils who should have taken their GCSEs and A Levels this summer were left with results based on predicted grades from teachers and a confusing algorithm, some of whom were left disappointed and felt as though they would have done better had they been given the chance to actually take their exams.
This year, students like myself are equally as anxious about whether they will take their exams, after Scotland and Wales have already had their GCSEs and A-Levels cancelled for the 2021 exam season. I asked Jaimie Rix, a year 13 student living in Woldingham, Surrey how she felt about her upcoming A-levels and her future after college. "I am slightly worried about my fate as I feel like young people like me aren't getting the treatment we deserve. In a sense I feel as if we have been swept under the rug". She went on to say that she is "hoping next summer will be able to go ahead, however I do worry that my year group won't get the fun we deserve".
So is it farewell to fun in the sun? Goodbye to Glastonbury and Reading? See you in 2022?
