Another exam results day has now passed. For some, it’s already a distant memory (thankfully left behind). For others, the outcome, or the prospect of the outcome, still feels raw. It even feels as if everything is riding on these numbers – your future, worth, and your place in the world.

Young people today face immense pressure to see exam results as more than just grades. The job market is becoming increasingly competitive, and expectations for young people’s achievements are higher than ever. As a result, milestones like GCSEs and A-Levels can feel life-defining.

This pressure can feel overwhelming, especially for students who are historically underserved and under-supported by systemic structures. However, it directs young people’s attention towards exams. As a result, they have less space to nurture curiosity and engage with the world.

A 2024 Sutton Trust report found that state schoolteachers are twice as likely as private school teachers to raise this concern. They say their schools don’t provide consistent opportunities for pupils to develop oracy skills. These skills matter well beyond exams

These are skills that would not only serve them academically, but also in their future employment experiences. As a result, we pile more academic pressure on young people in their late teens to excel. This also deprives them of the opportunity and time to develop life skills that would serve them better in their adult life. 

The Cost of Pressure  

With more pressure comes more strain. Poor mental health among young people has become one of the most urgent issues in UK education and youth policy. Youth Futures Foundation published a report in 2024 on understanding young people’s declining mental health. It showed that financial and employment precarity is one of the four key drivers of poor mental health in young people aged 16-24.

More specifically, to the topic of exams, two reports by The Mix and Save My Exams from 2024 and 2025, respectively, found that:

• 79% of young people said exams have significantly and negatively impacted their mental health 
• 65% felt exam stress had damaged relationships with family and friends.
• Only a third felt they had meaningful support during exam-related mental health crises
• 91% of students believed their results would determine all of their long-term success

We risk failing young people when we don’t consider the impact that exams are having on their sense of well-being.  

In the same vein, we risk failing young people if we see academic achievement as the only thing that matters.  

96% of teachers believe that life skills are more or as important as formal academic qualifications. With 51% of that majority saying “life skills”, such as oracy, are unequivocally more important. [Life Lessons (2024) report from The Sutton Trust]

The Government expects to publish its ongoing curriculum review later this year. The review aims to build a cutting-edge curriculum. It should be fit for purpose and meet the needs of children and young people to support their future life and work.

“The Review will develop a cutting-edge curriculum, equipping children and young people with the essential knowledge and skills. This will enable them to adapt and thrive in the world and workplace of the future,” the Government says. It seems like they have explicitly drawn the link between school and employment in their consideration of change.  

We still need to see if this review will truly improve a system that is underserving young people. We also don’t yet know what effect it will have in the years ahead.

And, if you are still processing your own results – perhaps the most tangible step so far towards your future goals – take a breath. Remember that these grades are just one step, and not the definition, of your future.

If you’re feeling anxious and insecure, know that you are not stuck, and you’re not alone. Around you, there’s a community feeling the same pressure. But there are also resources to help you feel more connected and better prepared for what comes next.