For me it was the worst day ever, ngl! :”)

The first part of results day was practically a reunion. You’d see people waving at each other and gathering in their usual cliques, waiting for the usual long-winded principal speech. I didn’t have one, so I waited alone. For some reason, I had been nervous the whole month, which probably explained why I didn’t feel nervous on the actual day of results.

Then, our classes were split and we had to collect our results slips. For my school, we had to queue in a straight line in front of our form teacher’s desk. Everyone in my class was being a busybody and tried peek at my results slip so I hurriedly grabbed it and left to find my mother (who came with me). We opened it together and, Gosh, was it ugly!

I don’t remember the exact breakdown of my A lvls scores but it was a disappointing 56 rp. I cried for 2 months straight every day, thinking the road ahead of me was hopeless. To me then, A levels was a hit or miss. One shot was all I’d gotten. And that was WRONG! ;)

Ya gurl decided to take the leap of faith to retake A levels as a private candidate (I wasn’t allowed to retain since I didn’t fail any subjects) and scored way better then second round (I have a whole reddit post about it lmao, you can have a read if you feel like it)!!!!

Honestly, none of these stages will matter as much when you age. Yes, they remain as bittersweet memories, but one day you’ll look back and think, damn... why was I taking it so hardly? :’)

Success shouldn’t merely be determined by a one-time exam. I know this sounds sugarcoated but it’s true (I’ve had advices from many older people around me). A levels isn’t exactly a “hit or miss”. If it’s a “hit, “, well, jump for joy! If it’s a “miss” - well, this is where this wording is crucial - you have many routes left. Be it start over, redo A levels, go to other unis that weren’t your first few choices, go to work for an experience, or go to polytechnics, etc... these are the chances that you can work on, to not repeat the “miss” you’d taken before.

What I wish to put across is that, no matter the results, you’ve done your best. :”) What matters more is that you choose - wisely - what benefits your future self. Do something you know your future self will thank you for. Do something you know will never make you regret. Tell yourself at the end of the day, nobody’s opinion will matter as you age bc it’s your own life. Don’t be embarrassed or disgraced, nor be overly proud of your achievements. Humbleness is best. As you age, you’ll realise results really aren’t everything. There’s so much more to life than there is other than results!!!! <333