Student diary: ‘We are just too young to be under this pressure’

This is so draining. All these exams are so close together. I had two — Irish and biology — today. Next week, I have one each day over three days.

I know that in a few other countries there is at least a day between every exam. That would help here.

Biology is such a big course, and I was up till 1am last night studying, trying to nail down the definitions. Then I was up at 5am to go over my study for the Irish paper. I have sacrificed a lot of sleep.

Irish paper one and English paper one are being moved to the end of fifth year as a way of tackling the problem of too many exams in too few days.

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But it is the wrong solution: both of these papers are skills-based, and there is no way that my ability to write an Irish or English essay would be better at the end of fifth year than it is now.

It is, however, a proposal that could work very well for other subjects. Take today’s biology paper, for instance. It contains three different units, so they could easily examine one of them at the end of fifth year.

Maths, similarly, could have a paper at the end of fifth year, perhaps putting some topics like algebra and trigonometry on the exam and leaving other topics like financial maths and calculus for a sixth-year paper.

It would work for so many subjects — business, chemistry, accounting, geography, history, just to name a few. Just not language papers.

It really beggars belief that the Department of Education is ploughing ahead with this flawed proposal that won’t help us at all.

I’ve never had an experience like this in my life: there’s so much stress and I have spent the year in fear and dread that I won’t get my course or my points.

We are just too young to be under this pressure and, while I would love to do medicine, I don’t expect to get in with the points through the roof. I am already, however, considering a graduate entry medicine course.

I’ll just be glad when the exams end.

It feels like, finally, the darkness is starting to lift and that the summer might bring some joy.

• Katie Cullen is a Leaving Cert student at Creagh College, Gorey, Co Wexford