BTEC students fear they will give their families Covid after getting just hours’ notice that they must attend January exams in person – despite the national lockdown.
On Tuesday evening, the government announced it would be up to schools and colleges to decide whether to continue with tests. While some institutions chose to cancel them, others have not.
It is the latest inconsistency from Gavin Williamson’s embattled Department for Education, which just 24 hours earlier had said all students taking vocational exams such as BTEC Nationals in England “should attend as scheduled”.
Meanwhile pupils due to take their GCSE and A-levels in summer 2021 have already been told their own exams are cancelled.
Some 135,000 students are due to sit vocational tests this month.
Sian Parker, 18, from Carmarthenshire, said her immediate reaction to hearing her applied science BTEC exam would go ahead as planned was “shock and disappointment”.
“My sibling’s BTEC exams have been cancelled but mine are still going ahead. It’s wildly unfair,” she tells HuffPost UK.
My family are the most important thing to me. I’m so scared I’ll be bringing the virus back to them.”
Several members of her immediate family have health conditions and could become severely unwell if they contracted Covid-19, and Sian is “terrified” she could be putting their lives in danger.
“I don’t feel comfortable going to college with the rise in cases. As there are so few of us doing the exams, college transport isn’t working so I’ll have to take public transport which is an even bigger risk.”
The impact on her mental health and her ability to prepare for the exams is clear. “I’m struggling to revise and I’m really stressed over these exams. I’m working as hard as I can and am revising daily, but the stress and anxiety of this virus are taking a toll. I’m scared this will affect my performance and I’ll do poorly on my exams.
“I feel as if I’m at a breaking point.”
Bailey-James Boyce, 16, from Essex, also worries the uncertainty will have an impact on his exam performance. “I haven’t been able to focus on studying as I’m so stressed,” he says. “Nobody feels safe doing these exams. It makes me feel sad, anxious and powerless because I don’t know what to do.”
He also worries that by taking the exam, he could potentially catch Covid-19 and pass it onto his mother, who is a key worker.
“I’m scared because if she catches it she could seriously endanger the people she works with. The virus could still spread on the papers, the pens, the computers – all I can worry about is what’s on the exam, not what’s in it.”
Bailey and his mother were informed by email on Tuesday night that he was still expected to attend his health and social care BTEC exam on Friday. “What remains certain is that the January vocational exams will continue as planned,” the email reads.
“It’s just so unfair for the students who have to do it now,” Bailey says. “Most schools are going to cancel but some aren’t – and it’s not our choice. We’ll be at a disadvantage and it could have a massive impact on our grades.
“I’m angry and disappointed at the government because it makes me feel that they don’t care about us. These exams are putting our lives at risk.”
Faith, 17, will be sitting a BTEC exam on Thursday and Friday – one test, across two days. To do so, she will have to take two buses to travel to school. “By forcing me to come in, they’re putting the health of me, my family, the transport workers and other students at risk – all for an exam,” she despairs.
She says the uncertainty over the past 48 hours has put her under “so much pressure and stress”. “It’s not fair. Why are the exams that are months away getting cancelled, but the ones this week haven’t? If I take my exams this week, I’m not at all mentally or physically prepared.”
Late on Tuesday night following the government’s U-turn announcement, Faith’s school sent an email round confirming exams would go ahead as planned. She said she wasn’t surprised: “They don’t care about those doing BTEC exams so they’ve just let the schools and colleges choose.
“They’re claiming the students who are taking exams won’t be at a disadvantage but they’re wrong; we are under so much pressure. Now we’re going to struggle to get into the universities that we want to get into because we have to take our exams while others don’t. It’s stupid, not right and 100% unfair.”
Yasmina Reily, from Birmingham, has also been informed she must take her applied science BTEC exam as planned. She agrees the government’s decision has effectively thrown her and her fellow BTEC students under the bus. “The fact that many schools are encouraging students to take the exam is awful,” she says.
Nobody feels safe doing these exams. It makes me feel sad, anxious and powerless.
“Our safety should be their first priority. We should not be travelling to college during a national lockdown. Many of us live with family who are shielding.”
Maksymilian Wisniowski, 16, lives with his parents – who are both key workers – as well as his grandparents in Bristol. Last night, he was told he would still have to come in for his tourism BTEC exam.
He believes there is an “injustice” to how BTEC students have been treated in comparison to pupils taking A-levels and GCSEs. “Why do they get more leniency when we don’t? We are all in the same position.
“I cherish my family very much and they’re the most important thing to me I’m so scared I’ll be bringing the virus back to them.”
On Tuesday, a DfE spokesperson said: “In light of the evolving public health measures, schools and colleges can continue with the vocational and technical exams that are due to take place in January, where they judge it right to do so.
“We understand this is a difficult time but we want to support schools and colleges whose students have worked hard to prepare for assessments and exams where necessary.”