So what’s plan B?

Six weeks after the last exam, today thousands of A-level students ended the anxious wait to collect their eagerly anticipated A-level results. Whilst for some, this meant achieving top grades and securing their place at their preferred University, for others it was a very different story of disappointment and discouragement.

Days, months and years of hard work lead up to this one moment, with the fate of the future all hinging on the grading letters inside the white envelope. Not achieving your expected results can be one of the most devastating experiences for anyone to encounter, especially for a young adult. The unattainable expectations, endless anxieties and pressure for perfection is almost impossible to escape. Richard Branson states that “grades do not define you” and this couldn’t be more true. It’s important not to see your A-level results as an indication of your innate intelligence or ability. It is just one step in a whole process. Richard Branson is just one example of someone who’s career has been their education.

It is important to remember that not achieving the expected grades is not the end of the world, as cliche as that might sound. The funny thing is, failure actually makes you stronger; it gives you an understanding of what it means to fall, what it means to receive a negative outcome. A common worry is that you’ll never be able to get the job you wanted and lead the successful life you’ve always imagined. At 18, it’s impossible to see what your outcome at 35 is going to be, as a lot depends on the steps in life you take.

I was always a middle of the road achiever at school, I didn’t excel in top sets, but I wasn’t “bottom of the class” so to speak. I just tootled along at my own pace and I always did “ok”. Whilst taking my own A-levels, my parents and friends expected me to get high marks, but that never happened. I didn’t get into any of my first choice universities, infact I didn’t get into my second or third choice either. So like many, results day wasn’t spent clinking glasses and celebrating with friends and family, but rather on the phone to UCAS joining the hundreds of other 18 year olds trying to snap up a University place through clearing. I felt like i’d not only let myself down but my friends and family too. My chosen path and my future were crumbling down in front of me.

Fast forward almost 20 years and I now have 2 degrees, a husband (who I met at my clearance University!) and 2 children. I changed careers, finally got accepted onto a PGCE on my 4th attempt and taught myself GCSE science to achieve the “required grades” to secure my place. I successfully completed my teaching degree whilst simultaneously raising my 18 month old and I have published two children’s books.

Never let exam failure force you into believing that you can’t achieve any of your dreams. Sometimes they might be harder to reach, but they’re not unreachable. You may have to take plan B, you may even have to take Plan C and D but it doesn’t mean that you are any less of a person, any less intelligent or any less able to achieve what you want to.