You’ve written your final paper and now the long wait for the results begins. This is true for thousands of learners, especially the Class of 2020 who have finished their final exams on 15 December. Whilst most matriculates are celebrating the end of more than a decade of studying, others are nervous, anxious or afraid whilst waiting in anticipation for their final Matric Results to be released in January. Home Education Provider, Brainline, says many students struggle with the idea of disappointing their family and friends.
‘At this point you have done everything possible to ensure success; all the late night study sessions, extra classes and missed social events have to be worth the sacrifice. However, there’s about a month to get through before you know whether you’ve made the grade and those weeks can be even more stressful than the entire year that preceded it,’ says Liezel Bruwer, Brainline Mentor
Bruwer says the build-up to the results can prove too much for many.
‘So many matriculants are worried about low results, a missed distinction or not getting enough points to further their studies. Newspapers are gearing up to publish all the matric results nationwide and all eyes are on the matrics, which makes the process very overwhelming and creates a lot of anticipation waiting for the dreaded unknown results,’ Bruwer explains.
Bruwer has a number of tips for both students and parents during these coming weeks leading up to receiving the final results:
For students:
- Over the next few weeks, try to occupy your time by catching up on lost sleep, exercise, eat well, take up a new hobby or a holiday job, get ready for the festive season, have fun and think about your future options.
- Remember that success looks different for everyone. It does not need to mean all ‘A’s’. If you are working towards a goal for yourself, you are on the right path.
- Talk about your fears and feelings with your parents or trusted advisor. The most important thing is to remain calm. Once you have received your report, take a deep breath, and don’t let a bad grade or two hold you back.
- If you did not receive the report you wanted, it may feel like the end of the world, however, it is important to remember that some of the world’s most successful people experienced setbacks.
For parents:
There are many ways to cope after receiving the results, parents need to be there for their children before and after exam result. Offer support and make an effort to show them that it is not the end and that there is so much that can be done after a bad result, missed distinction or points too low for University exemption. As a parent, one needs to validate a child on the importance of trying again, or striving to do better. We can only learn from our downfalls.
- Stay calm
- Plan the discussion
- Sit down together as a family, without distractions.
- Let your child share their thoughts, comments and worries
- Help to rephrase complaints and end up with more positive outlook
‘It is also important that student and parent work together to set goals, identify areas to focus on and to track future progress. Learners must also know that failing matric isn’t the end of the road. They can apply for remarking, write supplementary exams or redo matric via a college,’ Bruwer says.
