The worst disappointment I ever felt as a student didn’t come on GCSE results day, but on the day that I got my A-level results. I had achieved all As at AS level, but ended up with ABB at A level.
I didn’t want to go out and celebrate, and I didn’t want to tell anyone what I got, and I didn’t want to look at my university options. I just wanted to go to bed and cry.
And that’s what I did. Shut my door, pulled across the curtains, and tried to pretend it wasn’t happening.
But my mum came in to see me. She gave me some good advice: “Anyone can be a good winner, that’s easy. When things are going well, it’s easy to be gracious. The true test of your character is how you deal with failure - that’s when you know what sort of person you are. And Grainne, you haven’t failed. So cop on to yourself.”
And as much as it infuriated me at the time, angst-ridden teenager that I was, she was right. I was bitterly disappointed with myself. But I couldn’t change that. I had to make the best of it.
GCSE results day brings mixed emotions
GCSE results day is both a wonderful and awful day. For as many who are overjoyed, there are those who are disappointed. And although some students had this outcome predicted for them, there will still be those who are shocked or surprised by their results. They’ve sometimes convinced themselves that they would be OK if they revised - or they’ve unexpectedly flunked the paper.
As a school, the most important thing to bear in mind is the student’s emotional wellbeing. Turning them away because there is no one there to talk to them should not be an option. The process for dealing with disappointed students isn’t simple, but it is relatively easy to implement:
1. Space to talk
Make sure there is a space where students can go to talk over their results. Allow them to process the news without the pressures of watching others open their results.
2. Re-marks
Dealing with the practical can help the emotional - if you have the paperwork for a review of marking ready, this can help to alleviate the awful feeling that the situation is helpless.
3. Signpost
No matter what the results are, there will be options. For GCSE students, this will be specific to the provisions in your area, and for sixth-formers, Ucas details or contacts for recruitment agencies should be shared.
There needs to be a period of thinking over what has happened, and looking at all options before deciding on the best course to take next. Many students can get caught up in what their friends are doing, and make decisions based on what is best for their social life, not what is best for them. Allowing space and providing good advice can help to counter the impulsive, knee-jerk decision-making.
As horrible as it is at the time, we grow as people when we’re faced with disappointment. Failing exams doesn’t mean you’ve failed as a person, it just means you’ve failed an exam.
What you do next is what counts.
Grainne Hallahan has been teaching English in Essex for 10 years. She is part of the #TeamEnglish Twitter group
