Preparing for exams during the Covid-19 period has certainly been different. For students who joined us in September, we planned to hold some functional skills exams in February 2021. Due to the ongoing pandemic this was not possible, with the next available date being the end of April/start of May.
We have been continuously impressed by the motivation of our employability skills course students, which has stayed strong despite the delay in exams.
Some students were able to sit English speaking, listening and communicating exams in December 2020. We had some amazing presentations on the topic of technology with each student adding their own twist onto their presentation, from electric cars to sewing machines, mobile phone use amongst teenagers to the benefits of technology at work.
One of the biggest challenges for students was to overcome the anxiety behind giving a presentation and then participating in a group discussion. All students were able to fully participate in exams, and we couldn’t be prouder of them.
We are currently awaiting guidance from NCFE on pass grades, but we are confident in the work produced by our students.
As we come to exams now, we are looking forward to spending targeted sessions across weeks beginning Monday 5th April and 12th April, where we will be delivering targeted exam work on English and maths to small groups and reviewing employability skills coursework progress.
In addition to academic support, we hope to create a safe space for students for them to discuss any worries and anxieties about exams, and provide useful techniques to help them deal with any exam stress they may have.
We wish all of our students every success in their upcoming exams.
You deserve it!
To find out more about our employability skills courses, click here.