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Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The truth about Prince Harry's chaotic Eton days revealed by royal insider - failed exams, cannabis sessions and 'no interest' in studying
Like hundreds of school pupils up and down the country at the moment, as a student, Prince Harry was counting down the days until he could finish his A Levels. During his time at the prestigious Eton College, Harry reportedly struggled to fit in despite being one of the most famous pupils at the public school.
BBC News
06-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
How Yorkshire schools are supporting students during exam stress
Thousands of students across Yorkshire are in the middle of their exam periods, sitting their GSCEs and A Levels. The BBC spoke to teachers and pupils who share their tips for keeping a cool head during a challenging time. "We are open and honest about how tough it will be, it's tough for the staff and it's tough for the students," said Liz Fairhurst, principal of Trinity Academy secondary school, in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, has more than 1,000 pupils and about 200 of them are taking exams at present."We want the very best for them, so we put everything we can in place to support them," Ms Fairhurst said."Primarily we support them not only with a positive outlook for their wellbeing and mental health but also in the academic side of the things." Hafsa, a 15-year-old pupil at Trinity Academy, said there was a lot of support including counselling and one-to-one guidance."I think it's really good," she said she had developed a routine to prepare for revision and tried to ensure she got a good night's sleep before an exam."First thing I do when I go home is make sure I am in a good mood, no stress, make sure I've eaten properly."She said she then watched a show or read a book and - once in a focused mood - began her revision. Fellow pupil Daniel, 16, said he had been anxious ahead of his first exam."I was kind of stressed at first, but then after the first one I found it was a bit less."He said he had also found the preparation the school provided from Year 7 beneficial."We do period sixes, which is like revision sessions, exam workshops and then we get taught to do flashcards."From Year 7 to Year 9 we got taught to do flashcards and mind maps for homework."Jasmine, 15, said she revised most evenings but still made time for dancing to help "de-stress"."I have a timetable around dance and school has helped me fit around it." Ms Fairhurst said building students' resilience ahead of the exam season began in Year 7 and continued through to their exams."How to cope with stress, what to do and what not to do during the exam period."Get enough sleep, eat well, drink a lot of water etc."She said the school also gave out goodie bags, through partnerships with local businesses, which include educational materials alongside snacks and Fairhurst said helping students navigate through exam season was a "huge responsibility"."We all absolutely buy into the fact that positive wellbeing, positive mental health means young people have more chance to thrive and flourish and achieve at school," she Wales High School, at Kiveton near Rotherham, pupils do not take traditional study leave at home and remain in school during the exam of Year 11 Matthew Day said that keeping pupils in school gave them the "best possible chance to work with our specialist subject teachers"."Also where we've got students that need perhaps some emotional or mental health support, we've got counselling and other systems in place that they can access while they are in school."He said he was not convinced pupils would get the same level of support that could be offered in school if they were at home. Mr Day said staff used mock exams to help identify students who might need additional support and they then put together a specific team support them. 5 tips to help you relieve stress in the run-up to examsRevision and exams: How to be resilient Nikki Bloomer, a pastoral support assistant for Year 11 pupils at Wales High School, said a lot of her work involved helping pupils relax."This is a time in your life that's really important but we are all here - mum, dad, carers, teachers - we want you to succeed as well. It's not just on you."She added that parents also needed to avoid putting too much pressure on their children."They might not need to revise at that moment, they might just need that bit of down time, it's not all about 'push, push, push'."It's important to have that off time, to go out and have some fresh air and feel relaxed, so they are prepared for that exam the next day." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Zawya
30-05-2025
- General
- Zawya
President Ramkalawan Honours Seychelles' Top Cambridge Achievers
President Wavel Ramkalawan, accompanied by First Lady Linda Ramkalawan, hosted a prestigious ceremony at State House Friday morning to honour Seychelles' highest achievers in the 2024 Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level examinations. The event marked a departure from conventional recognition ceremonies by placing special emphasis on the vital role of parental and familial support in students' academic success. Surrounded by proud parents and educators, the ceremony celebrated not only academic excellence but also the collective effort behind each student's achievement. In his address, President Ramkalawan commended the honourees for their unwavering dedication, perseverance, and discipline. He acknowledged the essential support of parents, teachers, and school leaders throughout the students' educational journey and urged the young scholars to act as ambassadors of excellence and agents of national progress. "You are a beacon of light for the generations and show that there is a better way," President Ramkalawan told the assembled students. "Your effort, your perseverance, your discipline – all these were required for you to achieve such good grades. You are giving us hope today that Seychelles can produce good education at this level." The recognised students distinguished themselves among more than 200,000 candidates from over 130 countries who sit for Cambridge examinations annually. Their accomplishments not only underscore national excellence but also reflect Seychelles' presence on the global academic stage. Among the standout performances were Laurent Joseph and Shaun Leste, who jointly secured first place globally in their respective subjects. Ellie Mondon, Jayabalaji Gunasekan, and Lia Frichot also earned joint eighth place worldwide in areas including English as a Second Language, Computer Science, Environmental Management, and French as a Foreign Language. President Ramkalawan further announced a subsequent national recognition ceremony scheduled for July 2025, aimed at honouring a broader cohort of high-performing students across Seychelles. The ceremony concluded with the presentation of certificates of recognition, applauding the students' exceptional achievements. In attendance were Minister for Education Dr. Justin Valentin, Principal Secretary Merna Eulentin, Director General of the Assessment Division Arnold Chang Pen Tive, Director of the School of Advanced Level Studies Elaine Larue, Director of the Seychelles Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture Maryanne Marie, Executive Head of International School Seychelles Elodie Vallantine, Principal of Independent School Andy Esparon, and Head Teacher of Praslin Secondary Ian Collie, along with invited guests. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Seychelles.
Scotsman
13-05-2025
- General
- Scotsman
and how to find out this year's grade boundaries
As exams near their end, students begin the months-long wait for results ✍ Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland's secondary school exam season runs from late April to early June this year As usual, results will not be released until August There are a total of four passing grades students can receive in their Nationals or Highers These can be further broken down into bands Scotland's secondary school exam season is now well underway. The 2024/25 summer National 5 and Higher exam series runs from April 25 through to June 2 this year. Students will then face a months-long wait to find out how they did, with conditional university offers and other post-secondary school opportunities hanging in the balance for many. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The latest exam season comes during a time of upheaval for the country's awarding organisation, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), which is set to be replaced later this year. While this is not expected to greatly impact this year's exams or the young people taking them, further reviews and reforms to national assessments are currently in the works. But when exactly will students sitting their Nationals and Highers this summer get their results? What do the different grades mean - and how can they find out how close they were to getting a higher grade? Here's what you need to know: Scottish students will find out how they did in their exams in August | (Image:) When is SQA results day this year? Unlike the rest of the UK, which has separate results days for GCSEs (roughly equivalent to National 5 qualifications) and A Levels (equivalent to Higher qualifications), SQA only has the one. This year, it will fall on Tuesday, August 5, the exam board says. From that morning, results qualification certificates should arrive at all candidates' homes via first class post. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For those that have also registered with MySQA online before the deadline - July 16 this year - will also get their results emailed and text messaged to them. These will start rolling out from 8am onwards. How are exams marked - and what do the different grades mean? After students sit their exams, the papers are sent off to be marked. SQA's policy, analysis and standards director Martyn Ware previously wrote that their markers - all experienced teachers and lecturers - will grade more than 1.3 million assessments during this time. After that, the exam board will hold a grade boundary meeting 'for every subject at every level,' to decide how many marks are needed to achieve each grade. This can change based on how pupils found the exam that year, to 'make sure that the results reached are a fair and correct reflection of the standard of the work completed'. At both National 5 and Higher level - and even for Advanced Highers - there are a total of four passing grades available. These are A, B, C and D. Candidates who don't reach the minimum amount of marks required to achieve a D will get a grade of 'no award' - meaning they haven't received that qualification. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, within the passing grades are grade bands. This means students are technically receiving an upper or lower A, B, or C depending on how many marks they get. This information is not included on your certificate, but SQA says that your school or college should be able to tell you your grade band and how many marks you were given - or you can request this information from SQA directly. What will the grade boundaries be in 2025? Grade boundaries, the minimum amount of marks students need to receive any given grade, are usually not released until results day, when they will be made available on the SQA website. This is because these are set once marking is completed, so that how difficult students found a particular paper that year can be taken into account. While they can vary a little year-on-year, grade boundaries are often quite consistent. This means that students can look to 2024's boundaries for a general idea of how well they'll need to do. As an example, students sitting their National 5 qualification in English last year needed 72 out of 100 possible marks to receive an A grade, and just 39 to receive a D - the lowest passing grade. In the mathematics National, they needed 64 of 90 possible marks to achieve an A, and 35 to get a D. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For older students taking their Highers, they needed 67 of 100 possible marks to score an A, and 38 for a D. In mathematics, they needed 84 out of 120 marks for an A, and 46 for a D. You can find the full list of SQA's grade boundaries for each subject last year online here.
Scotsman
13-05-2025
- General
- Scotsman
and how to find out this year's grade boundaries
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now As exams near their end, students begin the months-long wait for results ✍ Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland's secondary school exam season runs from late April to early June this year As usual, results will not be released until August There are a total of four passing grades students can receive in their Nationals or Highers These can be further broken down into bands Scotland's secondary school exam season is now well underway. The 2024/25 summer National 5 and Higher exam series runs from April 25 through to June 2 this year. Students will then face a months-long wait to find out how they did, with conditional university offers and other post-secondary school opportunities hanging in the balance for many. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The latest exam season comes during a time of upheaval for the country's awarding organisation, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), which is set to be replaced later this year. While this is not expected to greatly impact this year's exams or the young people taking them, further reviews and reforms to national assessments are currently in the works. But when exactly will students sitting their Nationals and Highers this summer get their results? What do the different grades mean - and how can they find out how close they were to getting a higher grade? Here's what you need to know: Scottish students will find out how they did in their exams in August | (Image:) When is SQA results day this year? Unlike the rest of the UK, which has separate results days for GCSEs (roughly equivalent to National 5 qualifications) and A Levels (equivalent to Higher qualifications), SQA only has the one. This year, it will fall on Tuesday, August 5, the exam board says. From that morning, results qualification certificates should arrive at all candidates' homes via first class post. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For those that have also registered with MySQA online before the deadline - July 16 this year - will also get their results emailed and text messaged to them. These will start rolling out from 8am onwards. How are exams marked - and what do the different grades mean? After students sit their exams, the papers are sent off to be marked. SQA's policy, analysis and standards director Martyn Ware previously wrote that their markers - all experienced teachers and lecturers - will grade more than 1.3 million assessments during this time. After that, the exam board will hold a grade boundary meeting 'for every subject at every level,' to decide how many marks are needed to achieve each grade. This can change based on how pupils found the exam that year, to 'make sure that the results reached are a fair and correct reflection of the standard of the work completed'. At both National 5 and Higher level - and even for Advanced Highers - there are a total of four passing grades available. These are A, B, C and D. Candidates who don't reach the minimum amount of marks required to achieve a D will get a grade of 'no award' - meaning they haven't received that qualification. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, within the passing grades are grade bands. This means students are technically receiving an upper or lower A, B, or C depending on how many marks they get. This information is not included on your certificate, but SQA says that your school or college should be able to tell you your grade band and how many marks you were given - or you can request this information from SQA directly. What will the grade boundaries be in 2025? Grade boundaries, the minimum amount of marks students need to receive any given grade, are usually not released until results day, when they will be made available on the SQA website. This is because these are set once marking is completed, so that how difficult students found a particular paper that year can be taken into account. While they can vary a little year-on-year, grade boundaries are often quite consistent. This means that students can look to 2024's boundaries for a general idea of how well they'll need to do. As an example, students sitting their National 5 qualification in English last year needed 72 out of 100 possible marks to receive an A grade, and just 39 to receive a D - the lowest passing grade. In the mathematics National, they needed 64 of 90 possible marks to achieve an A, and 35 to get a D. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For older students taking their Highers, they needed 67 of 100 possible marks to score an A, and 38 for a D. In mathematics, they needed 84 out of 120 marks for an A, and 46 for a D. You can find the full list of SQA's grade boundaries for each subject last year online here. If you have an education story to share, we'd love to hear from you. You can now send your stories to us online via YourWorld at It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
