Ciara Sims

When I started year 7 I had no idea how school was going to go. It felt like my GCSE's were decades away and I had loads of time. But as the years went on, they got closer and closer and crept up on me. Suddenly my whole year group was plunged into mock exams, revision sessions and mountains of things to do. I was so nervous about all of my exams. I was stressed and short tempered and it must have been a nightmare for my family to live with me. I dreaded going into the exams and after coming out of the exam hall and hearing everybody talk about their answers, I was convinced I hadn't done too well on any subject.

Yesterday was GCSE results day and I opened my results and saw 6 A*'s and 5 A's. This, I wasn't expecting at all. I'm not just 'playing it down' or anything like that. I honestly had no idea that those were the grades I earned. I exceeded my expectations in every way. I'm still in shock really that I am capable of producing those results and I know the year 7 me wouldn't have even dreamed of opening such a great results paper. The whole way through my school life I've told myself that I'm no good, that I cant do it and that I'll never be one of those 'high achievers' and if anything, what these exams have shown me is that actually that is all nonsense. I can do it and I did.

I wish I could go back and tell myself that all the effort I'm putting in, all the hard work, will pay off. It won't be wasted. But all that worry, all that stress and frustration, all of that is for nothing. There's no point in it at all, but it does show that you're bothered. If you weren't worried at all, then it obviously doesn't mean much to you.

But whatever grades you receive do not define you. They are important in that moment because you've worked for them and you don't want to be disappointed. But they don't define who you are and that's not the end of your future. You have so many paths to choose from and you can do whatever you want to do. You just have to stick to it and give it your all and I promise you, however things go, you will be just fine.

Ciara x

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After months of worrying and stressing, I finally received my GCSE mock results last week. I had convinced myself that I had failed everything. When I opened up my results I was over the moon, I had managed to get 7 B's an A and an A*. I had spent weeks and weeks worrying and getting myself in a panic for absolutely nothing. I am constantly too hard on myself and I put myself down straight away, something that I am trying to change. When I got home my parents were thrilled as they knew how hard I had worked to achieve these grades, but my brother being a little stirrer said - "Well they aren't all A's are they". And there was a part of me, a tiny little part in the back of my mind, that agreed with him.

I think we put so much pressure on ourselves to achieve perfection when really it isn't needed. I got amazing grades, and grades that I am extremely proud of and that I would be happy with if this was the real thing and yet I still felt a little bad? That's not right at all.

Not everybody is going to achieve a perfect score of all A's and A*'s and I think we need to stop comparing ourselves to the people that do. It is okay to strive for perfection but it is not okay to beat yourself up for it when it doesn't happen. One persons idea of perfection may be completely different to the person standing next to them.

All that matters is that you work hard in order to feel good about what you have done, and achieve the best that you can. It's about setting yourself a goal and working towards it. Worrying wont solve anything, it will just make you feel bad about yourself when actually you are doing pretty well. Don't compare your winnings with somebody else's. They don't know the journey that you had to take to get there.

Be a warrior not a worrier.

Ciara x