Childline: Around the clock support for young people ready to sit exams

A young person getting stressed during an exam can be a common occurrence. Photo posed by a model

As young people across the region get ready to sit their GCSE and A-Level exams, our Childline counsellors are ready to offer support around the clock.

Last year, Childline delivered 1,647 counselling sessions where the young person mentioned exam or revision stress, and those sessions peaked in May, when the rate was two and a half times higher than the monthly average for counselling sessions.

Young people can feel under pressure to do well, or might put pressure on themselves to do well in their exams. As a consequence, they might struggle to balance revision and other areas of their lives like friends or hobbies, and can lose sleep over revision, exams, fear of failure or comparing their performance to their friends’ or classmates’.

One girl told Childline: “Exams are coming up and I feel physically sick I’m so stressed. I keep thinking how much I’ll let everyone down if I fail, and I’ll ruin my life. I usually use mindfulness to cope but I feel so nauseous I can’t even concentrate on that.”

As a parent, it is important not to be dismissive of a child’s fears about exams, and to remind them that their results will not determine their life. Remind them it’s important to try their best, but reassure them that whatever their results, there are always paths available to them.

Try to help them think of healthy ways to cope with how they are feeling, and it’s important for them to try and take occasional breaks from revision to take care of their mental and physical wellbeing. You could try things like yoga, breathing exercises or mindfulness together.

It’s important for young people to speak about how they are feeling, but if they don’t feel able to speak to you Childline's trained counsellors are available around the clock for anyone feeling overwhelmed.

The Childline website offers practical advice on positive thinking, healthy coping strategies, and maintaining perspective during exam time. Young people can also find comfort in connecting with peers through our monitored message boards, where they can share experiences and support each other.