The release of exam results, whether for the Leaving or Junior Certificate, can be an overwhelming time for students and their families. As a parent or family member, you play an essential role in offering calm, steady support during this emotional period. While students are processing what their results mean for their future, your reactions and approach can either add to their stress or help them navigate the outcome with confidence.
In the following piece, Dr. Amy Watchorn, Senior Clinical Psychologist at St John of God Hospital, offers invaluable advice on how to approach these crucial moments with care and thoughtfulness. Whether the results meet expectations or not, how we respond is key to ensuring students feel supported and reassured as they move forward.
“Keep calm and carry on. It might be a bit cliched but when it comes to exam results time it is still excellent advice. As a parent or family member of someone who is receiving their Leaving Cert results this week it is really important to make sure that you allow the students time to process their results, whether they are happy with them or not. It is important not to jump in and react immediately to whatever points they receive. Take a breath and allow time to tune into how the student is feeling and react accordingly. It is really vital that, whatever results they receive, you remain calm and supportive.
It is important to listen to what the student is saying and give them time to process the results and what this means for them rather than giving them advice, particularly if they are not happy with the results. It is also really important not to make comparisons between their results and those of others, or between their results and their previous expectations. This will likely cause hurt and frustration, no matter how good the intention behind the comparisons. Giving the students the opportunity to talk about their results, when they are ready to do so, is also really useful and make sure to provide reassurance as and when it is needed. Finally, it helps to remind the students that they are more than just their exams results and that, whatever points they get, they are now going to be moving on to the next stage in their lives and that you will be with them every step of the way”.
