GCSE and A-level pupils feel Covid anxiety as exams begin

This summer's exams may be back to normal on the face of it, but Covid anxiety is still having an impact on A-level and GCSE pupils.

Exams are going ahead for the second year running after being cancelled in 2020 and 2021.

The qualifications watchdog said there are still some measures in place this year to reflect disruption to learning.

Wales' biggest school will see 6,500 papers sat over the month, with more than 1,000 pupils at the same time.

At the 2,400-pupil Whitchurch High School in Cardiff, making sure it all runs smoothly is "really quite tricky," assistant head teacher Jonathan Davies said.

Mr Davies said exams were "pretty much back to normal" after the first full school year without Covid measures in place, but that "the remnants of Covid-19 are still carrying on unfortunately with some of the students - they're very anxious".

Exams are spread over a number of school buildings and rooms - from 300 teenagers in the main sports hall to smaller venues which seat 70 and far fewer.

"It's the logistics of making sure that every student's got the right paper, every student's sitting in the right place, each of the venues has got the right number of invigilators - people to start the exam and end the exam," said Mr Davies.

Arwen, 18, and Millie, 17, have already done some practical assessments for their A-levels but their written papers start next week.

They feel well prepared but are "very, very stressed" and "feeling the pressure" as they both hope to go to university.

Arwen feels they benefitted from having the opportunity to sit AS exams last summer, but missed out on the experience of GCSEs because they were cancelled in 2021.

"I found it very difficult trying to learn how to revise", she said.

"The school have been great in trying to get us prepared, but having that additional support beforehand with GCSEs would've made it much easier for us."

"I do feel like it's back to normal - almost", said Millie.

"But it does feel normal, it doesn't feel like we're disadvantaged in any way because everybody's in the same boat."

Exams went ahead in summer 2022 after teachers decided grades in 2020 and 2021, but some course content was cut to reflect the significant disruption due to Covid.

This year there are fewer measures, but most students have had advance information of topics they can expect to come up in exams.

It is meant to help focus their revision and grades will still be slightly more generous than before the pandemic.

The school has seen more applications for special arrangements for exams which includes some students sitting papers in smaller rooms or on their own.

It puts "a massive pressure on schools", Mr Davies said, because they have to find extra space and invigilators.

Fresh from her history GCSE paper, Arabella, 16, said she was feeling "pretty good" and having advance information helped.

"During the lockdown we had work put online for us, so I haven't felt I've missed out on any of the course, but it does make it a little bit harder because you feel that you haven't quite got the full experience that other people would've had if it wasn't for Covid," she said.

Eva, 15, is glad she got the "taster" of doing some exams last year.

"Coming into Year 11, you know what you're doing, you're not jumping in right at the deep end."

Qualification Wales called this year's arrangements the "next step" on the journey back to the pre-pandemic system while still offering support for pupils, schools and colleges.

"We know that the pandemic has had a long-term impact on learners, and we believe this is the fairest approach", a spokesman said.