ONCE again we have hit that time of year...the dreaded exams! I m sure for every young person taking exams, as we have been doing since primary school, it s the same old stress and pressure. Having just finished my final A-level

ONCE again we have hit that time of year...the dreaded exams!

I'm sure for every young person taking exams, as we have been doing since primary school, it's the same old stress and pressure.

Having just finished my final A-level exams I began to wonder how significant exams are in measuring a person's academic ability.

I know from personal experience that when you get into an exam room, all set with your pens and bottle of water, fear soon dawns on you as you panic about how you will do in the examination itself.

For some people, exams don't highlight their ability and instead the pressure results in them not gaining the grades they deserve.

It's quite scary to know that your future career can depend on some simple letters, particularly if you intend to go to university.

I think it's important that everyone understands that it's not easy to sit there two or three times a year and write everything you know onto paper, neither is it easier to be told that when our grades get better, "the exams must be getting easier".

I think the improvement that is happening more and more often is due to the quality of teaching received, combined with the determination and skill of those taking the exams.

So from now on, let's spare a thought for all those young people that are at the moment, having to sit in a room on a hot day working through yet another set of exams!

What you do have to bear in mind when you feel it's all getting too much, is that one day all the hard work will pay off and also...summer is finally here!