Cinnamon Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Can anyone give me some tips on how to help y 17 year old daughter deal with the stresses of her important exams? She has had 4 over the past 3 week - some AS resits & one A level this morning, & although she seems fine to someone who doesn't know her,I can tell that she is very stressed. She hasn't been sleeping very well either & has constant headaches which I am sure are stress related. I have tried all the practical things like relaxing baths,good hearty meals & making sure she takes time out,but am concerned for her next lot of A levels in May She is a very high achiever & is resitting all her AS exams as she wants to get A grades,rather than the perfectly respectable B's she achieved. She has gone into todays exam certain that she will be resitting it in May as her mark will not be what she wants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbier Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 I'm not surprised she's stressed, if she has resits on top of normal exams. Today is the last day for my son's exams, so hopefully your daughter is over the worst now (until the next lot...). I don't see that you can do any more than you are already. There is such pressure on children these days, and the media doesn't help by splashing ridiculous headlines about how easy it all is, and they hardly have to bother to turn up to get A grades. Sorry I've ranted rather than being helpful, but I do sympathise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 So sorry to hear about your Daughter's stresses. I really feel for kids these days, it seems that anything less than an A* is almost considered to be a fail. I can't offer any advice either, I'm afraid, just keep doing what you're doing being a very supportive mum. I will be thinking about her this morning, poor thing, I remember it all only too well, sending her positive vibes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Aww, I know how hard it is. I have had 4 exams this January, (1 retake, other 3 were new modules). The last time I had a day off from college work was Christmas Day and overall I think my exams have gone ok. I'm aiming to get AAB, so the pressure you put yourself under is immense, just because you know you can do it and you want to be able to show that you can. How far off was she from As in here exams? At the end of AS I was really annoyed as I was 4 marks off an A for Biology as my summer paper let me down, (a really high C), so I decided against retaking that module and just worked extra hard for the January module to make up the mark. Would that not have been possible for your daughter? For maths I knew I had to retake one of the modules as I screwed up in the exam and got a D, (I got an A in the mock...). It is so hard, especially for the types of subjects your daughter is doing as I know that most English courses need really high grades. All I'm going to say is just be there for her when she needs you. To be honest most of my friends have had the occasional day when they think, oh god, I'm going to fail, (Me at least 4 times this past month), but sometimes it just helps to be hugged and know that you're going to be loved either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 It sounds to me like you are already doing the right things. I would say encourage her to get enough sleep, this is often a problem with hard working teenagers. My ED is in year 12 and already finding the workload of her 4 AS subjects very stressful, she is also a high achiever and a perfectionist, she is her own worst critic. We try to get her to at least stop work after 9pm take a bath and read for pleasure or listen to music before she goes to sleep. I think that all we can really do as parents is provide a calm support network and hope forthe best. I hope that she gets the results that she wants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 I think it sounds as if you are doing all you can. It is hard trying to help our children through exams and gauging what is right approach for each child. My DD is revising for exams at the moment and even though she's in her 20s she still gets stressed out. . Lots of chats and cuddles are the order of the day I think. Good luck to all that are taking exams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Hmm - a nice holiday on the understanding that she's not allowed to take her study books with her? Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 I know how she feels after going through all of it, it doesn't get any better I've had 4 Uni exams last week, over 5 days inc one at 9am on Saturday If she has coursework it can help to go through what she's got and also from previous modules, put it together and see what she's on course for, then can concentrate on the couple that might need a bit more work. For me I know I need to get certain %'s in each exam and overall in the module to get through to 2nd year. My first 2 exams were horrible, but the last went (I think) really well - think thats beceause the first 2 were were Biology and Genetics and the last was Equine Anatomy and Physiology, so a bit more interesting and more motivating to revise! One thing I can't do is sleep so am always up until 2 or 3am. Find I'm most productive at that time though 'cos theres no-one awake in the flat and no-one on fb to distract me! Vitamins are meant to help too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 As well as the obvious things such as lots of study, good night's sleep etc, I used to munch on a packet of glucose sweets (such as lucozade sweets - Boots sell 'em) half an hour before an exam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percy049 Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I know how she feels! ive been unable to get to sleep some nights from worrying about my GCSEs... ive also recentrly got more headaches... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
