A Weight Off My Shoulders

Sunday, August 28, 2016


Thursday 25th August 2016. Anxious was an understatement. The day I had been waiting for since the start of summer had finally arrived and despite the usual encouragements of "you'll be fine" and "we love you no matter what" left echoing in my mind, I still couldn't shake the feeling of dread which was consuming me. 

To put it politely, I was bricking it. 
Of course, I wasn't the only person feeling this way. Year 11's up and down the country were coming out of hibernation to collect their GCSE results and ultimately find out whether they'd done enough to take the next step into further education, apprenticeships or employment. 

Arriving at school as early as we had been allowed, I encountered huddles of (equally as nervous) parents crowding the doorways, eagerly waiting for their children to image with their fate. Rushing up the stairs as quickly as my short, shaky legs would carry me, I passed a few more friendly and familiar faces. However a nice chat was not on the the cards as I think I was about to explode with anticipation. This was it. 

Entering the room I came face to face with a long table, the infamous brown envelopes all neatly lined up waiting to be collected. Typically, mine was right at the other end of the room which meant even more painful seconds of not knowing.

After being so eager to get my results, as soon as I had them in my hand I was hesitant to open them. Whether it was the realisation of what was going on, or the fear of disappointing myself and everyone around me, something was stopping me.

When I finally built up the courage to open them, I was amazed. 5 A's, 2 B's and 3 C's. All the hard work had paid off. My sister and I had done ourselves proud, both of us achieving more than 5 A* - C grades each. I still don't think we've stopped smiling.

Now, this may all sound very dramatic, and yes people may tell us sixteen year olds we're overreacting because "GCSEs are easy" and "A Levels are harder". But after having mark schemes, methods, techniques and just about everything else drummed into you five days a week for the past two years, and a hundred times more intensely in the final few months, finding out whether it'd all paid off was inevitably going to be nerve-wracking. What's more, I had in fact achieved the grades I needed to get into my chosen college, and after not having the easiest five years at secondary school, it was a huge relief to be able to close that chapter of my life, and with a smile on my face.

Of course my A Levels and whatever else I decide to do in the future will be a lot more difficult and take a lot more work. However it's a challenge I'm looking forward to, and at the moment I'm quite content with the qualifications I already have. And celebrating them. 

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