After finishing Year 11 at school, I spent a year in sixth form so that I could have the opportunity to resit maths and English GCSE in addition to studying other subjects like health and social care and business. Mixed feelings emerged, as I began to take maths and English again. I was glad that I had another chance to do it, but at the same time I felt more sceptical about whether or not I could pass.
It was a stressful period because I have always had difficulty with maths. English proved to be much easier, and I also realised that this was the most important for the career path I wanted - to be a filmmaker, I knew I would need good English. But I was unable to devote myself fully to revising because I was unsure about how to do it and frustration began to build.
Throughout my entire period of school and sixth form, I knew a lot of people who had so much more confidence, energy and independence than me. I was jealous and envious of them because I thought that they were all better than me. Looking back on all of that now, I realise that I was wrong.
Once I got to Greater Brighton Metropolitan College and began making films, I was able to resit maths and English again. In my first year, I passed English with a B grade, higher than my predicted C grade. This was because the entire year was focused on just one piece of work instead of a multitude of them. The task was to plan and write an article about an argument people would have; I chose space exploration.
Everyone fears failure
I still failed to pass maths, but I decided to let it go for now because it’s no longer a necessity. Looking back on the whole experience, it was something that I consider to be a period of extreme stress and anxiety, especially when I was a struggling 16-year-old, as I discovered that there were things that I wasn’t skilled at. But I managed to find things that I was good at which I have taken forward today.
If if you are out there doing GCSEs and all the usual thoughts and feelings come to light, you are not alone and it’s something that normally doesn’t last forever. Everyone has some belief that they might not pass but that’s totally normal and there are always people around you who feel the same thing and you can talk to them about it.
My hope is that by supporting the #NoStressSuccess campaign, I can share my own story so that people out there can look to me and others as sources of inspiration. They will see that some of us failed the first time but succeeded the second time. This campaign is incredibly important and relevant for now, as more and more people face difficulties with GCSEs, and to be able to hear the voices of those who have succeeded in their chosen paths despite their early failures can give those who are struggling a sense of hope and purpose.
*Ryan’s name has been changed. He is a GCSE “exam survivor” student from Greater Brighton Metropolitan College supporting the #NoStressSuccess campaign. For more information, click here.
