Prepare in advance
If you have some time before your results arrive by post you can let them know you really did try your best and want them to know you put all your effort into getting the grade you received. You can then practice saying it, or if you’re more comfortable, you can give them a letter to read.
Come up with solutions
It can be really useful to think of solutions to any problems you might have had when learning or studying so that your parents and carers know you’ve taken time to think about everything. It might be that you didn’t do so well because you found the subject really difficult and you might need some extra tutoring. Maybe you didn’t on great with the teacher and would find it useful for your parents and carers to chat to the school about moving classes?
Talk about it
Perhaps you found that your parents or carers were putting a lot of pressure on you and you found it hard to deal with. This could be an opportunity to discuss how you’re all feeling and get it out in the open so you can all decide how to best support each other during exam time.
Or it could be that your mental health has been poor lately and you need some extra support. You could ask your parents or carers to come along to a GP appointment to discuss how you’ve been feeling and how it’s impacting you. Find more information and support on our AyeFeel page.
Show the options
Your parents or carers might think that going to university is the only way to get a good job. But there are so many different paths you go down to get a job you love! Look into all the alternative options and chat to them about it. Whether you go on to do a Modern Apprenticeship, resit some exams, go into work or head off to college or university a little later on, there’s no wrong path to your dream career!
Get support
If you’re really nervous about how your parents or carers are going to react, you could tell a trusted adult to be there when you do tell them your results. This could be a teacher, a youth worker, or another trusted relative.
Don’t hide it
You might just want to try and avoid tell your parents or carers your results. Or you might even be tempted to lie about them! This isn’t worth it. As much as it can seem like a good idea at the time, it’s much better to be honest and tell them as soon as possible. You don’t want to add more stress into your life by worrying about when you’re going to tell them, or when they might find out your actual results.