The Covid 19 pandemic caused schools to close in 2020 and 2021 for months at a time, leading to Year 11s missing months of crucial schooling.  

For students taking their exams in the summer of 2022, they had additional support given to them, as the government felt they had been heavily impacted by the loss of schooling.

This included; fewer topics in the exams, support materials in the exams (formulae and equation sheets) and advanced information to help the students revise the correct topics. 

It has been announced by the government that students taking GCSE exams in 2023 will be receiving formulae and equation sheets in mathematics, physics and combined science as a way of supporting them from the Covid 19 pandemic.

However, some people believe this isn’t enough support for this year group, as they too were equally impacted by the pandemic, because they should’ve been studying their GCSE topics at the time of the school closures. 

Kato Paul, 16, a student at Christ the King College, struggles with home learning, and feels the government isn’t helping the current Year 11s as much as they should be.

“We have been just as affected by Covid and lockdown as the years before us, especially when we were continuously sent home during Year 10, which is a crucial year for GCSEs.

The government should have definitely given us more help than they have, especially when the last Year 11s had advanced notice on what would be in their exams.”  

However, Amelia Munroe, 16, feels prepared for the exams, and feels she is being correctly supported.

She said: “I feel prepared and confident as the teachers have made sure to help us and go over all of the content in time.

"The government has allowed us to have equation and formula sheets during the exams, which is extremely helpful.”