Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

There are lots of different paths through life and there isn't one that’s better than another. You have to find the right path for you. School and learning are important and you should always try your best, but some people don't do well in school no matter how hard they try. Those people are not  stupid, they just might not be good at learning in the same way as other people. The most important thing is that you do something with your life that makes you happy - and you don't always need GCSEs to do that.

Failing an exam can be tough. It might feel like you’ve let people down or that it says something about you as a person. I want you to know that it's okay if you don't do well at school if you’ve tried your best. Exams are just one way to find out how much someone has learned but some people just don't do well with exams. That doesn't mean that those people don't do well at other things.

You’ll hear a lot of people telling you that GCSE results are really important - and they are important. But if you fail once, twice or even lots of times then there are other ways to have a career and a happy life. When deciding what to do after school your exam results are just one factor to think about - you also need to think about what you’ll enjoy doing.

Everyone has things that come naturally to them and that they really enjoy. It might be something you do with your hands like building or art, or it might be that you think in really creative and exciting ways that an exam doesn't test for. When thinking about what to do next after GCSE exams you should think about what would make you happy and what you naturally feel good at.

There are lots of options for other kinds of learning after GCSE and learning doesn't have to be in a school or college. As well as things like apprenticeships and work experience there’ll be plenty of opportunity to learn from life experience as you grow older.

A good idea is to speak to a careers adviser. The National Careers Service can help you to find all of your options and decide what's best for you. You might also want to consider trying lots of different types of work which you can get through volunteering. Voluntary work helps you to learn new skills and find hidden talents that you might not have had the opportunity for otherwise.

I hope this has helped, but remember you can always speak with one of our counsellors if you want to share more.

Take care.

Sam

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