Students across the country started their GCSE and A-Level exams this week, but for those sitting their A-Levels, it is their first experience of a formal exam due to Covid.
At Allestree Woodlands School, staff have been working to prepare the students for the experience.
Head of sixth form, Catherine Mills, said the school had put on mock exams in conditions as close to the formal assessments as possible.
“Students do undertake exam style questions, regularly in classroom settings with their teachers. We do talk to them about things like timings and exam techniques. But nothing prepares students for the actual experience of sitting in an exam hall.”
Public exams were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic – the time today’s A-level students would have been sitting their GCSEs.
Sixth former Harvey Box, 18, said he was pleased at the time that the exams did not go ahead because of the amount of school learning time he had lost due to Covid.
“Now looking back at it I didn’t get the experience I almost needed,” he said. “It’s a weird experience when you’ve been used to doing stuff in classrooms and then you’re in a hall doing it at your own little desk.”
Fellow student, Max Parry, 17, said he had made the most of the extra support from the Allestree Woodlands School.
“Extra revision sessions after school definitely helped and going through past papers in lessons, asking them to mark questions you have done,” he said.
Although the last day exam students had to be in school for lessons was Friday, May 12, Allestree Woodlands School is continuing to run lessons as normal for exam students who want to come in to get extra practise or ask teachers questions.
Both Harvey and Max said they were making the most of the sessions, which run up until the half term holidays.
