Three quarters of students in the UK worry failing exams means they won’t get a job

A study has found that academic failure is the second biggest fear among UK students

Half (48 per cent) of the 2,000 adults asked as part of the study admitted to suffering from academic anxiety – a figure which rises to two-thirds (66 per cent) for Gen Z while three-quarters (75 per cent) believe too much pressure is placed on students ahead of exams.

Furthermore, 45 per cent have made themselves physically sick with worry ahead of receiving their results. 23 per cent have even dropped out of a class after worries about failing the class/exams.

The aftermath of exams is also taking its toll on students, with 45 per cent of adults saying that they used to feel more confident before taking their GCSE's with a further 37 per cent admitting that they felt more confident before A-levels, BTECs and university.

Academic failure is one of the biggest fears among students in the UK, with the fear of spiders the only thing ranking higher. Other fears in the top 10 list included visiting the dentist, heights, spiders and horror movies.

With 75 per cent of respondents agreeing that the mentality around failure and the pressure put on mock exams affects their stress levels and mental health, Quizlet, an online learning platform that provides a wide range of study tools including flashcards, practice questions and activities, has partnered with Elizabeth Day to help change the narrative and make the UK a more positive space.

Elizabeth is an award-winning author and broadcaster. Her chart-topping podcast, How To Fail With Elizabeth Day, is a celebration of all of the things that haven’t gone right.

To help students change their way when it comes to thinking about failure, Elizabeth has worked together with Quizlet to comprise a step-by-step guide on approaching the subject of failure:

Elizabeth Day’s top tips on how to approach failure: 

2. Sometimes too much value is placed on results. It's the time spent acquiring knowledge - the process of learning - that we need to remind ourselves to value. While good grades and accreditation have their purpose, it’s the journey we've been on to educate ourselves that will prove most important in the long term.

3. Every setback is a set-up for a comeback. If you’ve failed, ask yourself what you can do differently next time - it might be preparing more for an exam or it might be chatting to your parents, your friends or your teachers, recognising your strengths and choosing another subject. If you have the right mindset, failure can be data acquisition. After all, if you only ever win at something, then you never have the opportunity to learn!

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