My message to year 10s as someone who got 11 9s
I'm of course really happy with my results (although definitely sending english lit back for a review of marking having been only 2 marks short of a 9!!) but was it worth it for the stress I felt and the pressure I put myself under? Honestly I have to say no.
I was doing far too much work each day, I didn't see my friends or go out with my family at all and this really took a toll on my mental health. I hope that any year 10 reading this who has high aspirations for themselves like me knows that GCSEs really don't matter as much as some people will lead you to believe. They're mostly just important for getting to whatever your next step is, be that A levels or something completely different. At the end of the day, you'll get a piece of number with some numbers and that's it. For me, no grades could have been worth the months that I felt miserable and scared, there were several points where I seriously considered not even going in for any of my exams becuase I felt so stressed and unable to do it.
I really hope I don't come across as ungrateful, but if just one person sees this and knows that working yourself to the ground will not magically solve your life's problems when you get your results, that would be enough for me. And to all other year 11s who got their results today, well done whatever you got in the end- I'm so so proud of everyone :)