Remember getting your A-Level results: the nerves, the catastrophising, the self-soothing in case things didn’t pan out the way you wanted? And then, regardless of results, the collective celebration of getting through it all and looking forward to next steps, whether uni, apprenticeships or a job?
Well, for this year’s cohorts, results day just doesn’t feel quite the same. That’s because current 18-year-olds have spent the majority of their college or sixth-form experience remotely at home as the pandemic rages on.
The Department of Education cancelled GCSE and A-level exams for a second year running amid ongoing coronavirus chaos – relying on teacher-assessed grades (or TAGs) for final results. And now some universities have suggested setting their own entry exams for some courses in what they suggest is a necessary bid to tackle grade inflation.
Freshers Week is usually a rite of passage for first-years, but in the pandemic era, it’s also looking a little different. Some universities have vowed to introduce in-person events for the first time since 2019; others are still contemplating Covid measures. In-person teaching still hangs in the balance, too.
So you can forgive the glum mood (not helped by the weather) that looms over the day. We spoke to some people getting their results about how they feel.
‘The government hasn’t been straight up’
Naomi Cudjoe, 18, Edmonton:
“I’m getting my results today and from the get-go I believe the government hasn’t been straight up with students. We had to actively seek out information to find out what was going on. The messaging was confusing.
“My teachers tried their best, but for a long period of time, even leading up to the TAGs, they were also confused, which was very concerning. Due to what happened last year with exams, the government should’ve been aware there might be fallback into this academic year. They should’ve been prepared.
“As a student who worked hard from the beginning of A-levels, I don’t believe my hard work and perseverance has shone – a lot of work that I believed would be used was disregarded. And as I’m not an upper-class student like loads of my peers, I believe our results will be significantly different.
“It makes me even more nervous attending university, especially when I’ve seen plenty of uni students complain about how their courses were handled over the past year. My university experience will clearly not be the same. I’m worried about continuing online learning in a subject I don’t [yet] know much about.
“Young adults are the future, we are the next generation. But the resources and support we need is missing and a lot of students are struggling as a result.”
‘I’m hoping results will be more accurate’
Jodie Palmer, 18, Manchester
“Results day will be different to last year when there were a lot of upsets with people not getting the results they wanted because of the algorithm that downgraded them. I’m hoping results this year will be a more accurate representation of how we worked throughout the whole two years.”
“The TAG has its problems. For some of my courses, we didn’t know whether we would be doing certain parts of the course until the very last minute. One week we were told we wouldn’t be doing a particular topic, then later told we would, only to be told we wouldn’t.
“There was a lot of confusion surrounding what I had to do and I wish the government had made it clearer earlier on. I’m just hoping they haven’t tried that algorithm that messed things up for a lot of people – that’s my biggest fear.
“I think universities setting exams works for some courses, especially STEM ones, but for more creative courses, it would just cause further stress. I don’t think people should be turned away because of their results to an exam set by the uni – if they’ve already achieved the grades to get in, it would be harsh to make them redo everything and to put that extra pressure on them.
“Freshers is something I was quite nervous about because everyone tells me it’s all parties and fun before everyone settles down. I’m really not a party person so with Covid restrictions, it takes off the pressure to attend. But I will be sad if I miss events such as orientations and fairs if they don’t go ahead.
‘Results day feels uneasy. There’s just uncertainty’
Muhammed Muntaha Siddique, 18, Tower Hamlets
“Results day this year feels uneasy. You just don’t know how well you did (at least in an exam, you have some indication). Teacher-assessed grades have a few shortcomings, as a lot of students who may not have the best relationship with their teachers may be stressed out and there could also be favouritism or unconscious bias.
“Also the appeals process for TAGs, if you don’t get the right grades, is quite complicated. I just hope we don’t have the same fiasco we saw last year.
“Online lessons were so draining last winter, it would be a nightmare if uni was online too. Since there are not really any restrictions at the moment, freshers and uni classes should be similar to previous years, but again there’s just uncertainty. You never know if there’ll be another government U-turn.”