Childline sees a 20% increase in counselling for teenagers worried about their grades

The number of young people receiving counselling from Childline about their A-Level and GCSE results rose 20% this year – with one in four sessions delivered in August.

New figures from the NSPCC-run helpline show there were 1,127 counselling sessions about exam results stress in 2015-16, up from 937 the previous year.

More than ten per cent of these calls were dealt with by volunteers in Wales, at Childline’s bases in Cardiff and Prestatyn.

Girls were five times more likely to get in touch than boys.

Unsurprisingly, the need for support peaks in August when exam grades are announced.

Not wanting to disappoint their parents, fear of failure and the general pressures linked to academic achievement are just some of the reasons why young people contacted Childline.

Stress about exam results can affect young people’s ability to sleep, trigger anxiety attacks, depression, and eating disorders. In some cases it can also lead to self-harm and suicidal feelings, or make pre-existing mental health conditions worse.

One 15-year-old boy told Childline: “I feel like I’m going to explode waiting for my GCSE results. I have really high expectations and want to do really well, but I’m scared that I was so stressed doing my exams that I might not have done my best. I can’t sleep most nights because I’m constantly thinking about my results and feel like I’ve wasted my summer because this has been in the back of my mind the whole time. I don’t want to feel like a failure.”

A 17-year-old girl who contacted Childline said: “I’m worried about getting my AS results because I think I might have failed. I’ve really struggled with the workload in college this year and it’s been impossible to concentrate on revising. I just don’t feel motivated anymore. I don’t have anyone to talk to about this at the moment, but speaking to Childline has helped me and I feel inspired to try to work through things.”

Head of NSPCC Cymru / Wales, Des Mannion, said:

“Awaiting exam results can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety.

“These figures show the pressure to perform well in exams is being felt by young people across Wales and this can be difficult to handle.

“Our dedicated Welsh volunteers – in Cardiff and Prestatyn – hear from lots of young people each year who are very worried about their results and what the future may hold.

“If they want to talk – Childline is always here to listen.

“It’s important to remember there is life beyond exam results. Disappointing grades are not the end of the world, even if it doesn’t feel that way at the time.”

As well as calling Childline’s free confidential helpline on 0800 1111 or visiting childline.org.uk, young people can also email trained counsellors or receive support online via one-to-one chat.