Young people struggling to cope with exam stress turn to Childline

Girls 5 times more likely to seek help from Childline¹

New figures show that Childline gave 2,795 counselling sessions about exam stress in 2018/19 - around a third in April and May². Counselling sessions were most commonly with 15 or 16 year olds, when many are preparing for GCSEs³.

Young people's concerns included:

disappointing their parents
trying their best and still failing
excessive workloads
and feeling unmotivated to revise.

Other young people said worrying about taking exams was negatively affecting their mental health, causing some to self-harm or feel suicidal.

Childline is encouraging all young people to speak out if they're stressed about their exams, especially boys who are 5 times less likely than girls to talk to Childline about the pressure they're under.

Sophie's story

Sophie struggled with severe exam stress during her A-levels which caused huge anxiety before exams. She was regularly sick from stress before exams and it impacted her physical and mental health.

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Tips and advice to help reduce exam stress

Young people

Take regular revision breaks and try exercising.
Go to bed at a reasonable time and try get some sleep.
Try to think positively. Even if you don't feel like it, a positive attitude can help.
Remember: everyone's different. Try not to compare yourself to others.

Parents and carers

Don't place unnecessary pressure on children to gain certain grades.
Encourage children to take regular breaks, eat snacks and exercise.
Help them revise by giving them the space and time to do so.
Be supportive and help your children with their worries by talking to them.

Teachers

Facilitate classroom discussions to get students talking about exam stress.
Encourage students to take regular breaks.
Encourage students to talk to you or other teachers about how they're feeling.
Help students to see exam stress as short-term.

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Supporting children's mental health

Exam stress advice from Childline

Find advice on coping with exam stress, share your thoughts on the message boards or chat to a counsellor on the Childline website.

Visit the Childline website

*DISCLAiMER

Names and identifying features have been changed to protect identity. Photographs have been posed by models.

References

1. 5 times as many girls (1,769) than boys (341) received counselling sessions about exam stress in 2018/19.
2. In 2018/19, Childline delivered 2,795 counselling sessions where young people were worried about exam stress.
3. The most common age for exam stress counselling was 15 with 21% counselling sessions, followed by 16 with 14% counselling sessions.