Leaving Cert students are plagued by anxiety, insomnia and are piling on the pounds as a result of exam pressure, new research claims.
The Studyclix.ie survey of 2,690 secondary students shows the testing system is taking a punishing toll, as 57% have said they developed a mental or physical health issue in their final year.
Studyclix.ie co-founder, Luke Saunders, said: “I was shocked to see that more than half of students said they had developed a mental or physical condition in 6th year.
“We started Studyclix with the aim of simply offering study material, but over the years we have seen a need to offer more.
“More advice and support for students on how to cope with what for many will be the most stressful year of their lives.”
Leaving and Junior Certificate exams will be corrected on computers this summer
Seventy five percent of pupils answered that they felt an extreme amount of stress - beginning in fifth year when preparation begins for exams.
Nearly half of students said they gained weight while 15% said they lost weight.
Anxiety was the prime issue among 71% of the teens surveyed while 35% had trouble sleeping.
And shockingly 28% said they suffered from depression due to the stress of the exams.
Students highlighted that a lot of their stress is down to the number of exams on their timetable.
Thirty seven percent advised a continuous assessment system would relieve pressure while 20% feel that exams should be spread further apart.
Teachers voice concern over new 'online' marking system for Leaving and Junior Certificate exams
And 80% believe the Leaving Cert is not a fair assessment of their level of intelligence.
Mr Saunders said: “I think the exam timetable could be modified to spread out the more popular subject exams over a longer period.
“For example, the Irish paper falls on the same day as Maths and Biology, meaning that the majority of students will spend up to five hours per day doing exams.
“I also think a simple change would be to lower the number of subjects counted for CAO points calculations from six to five meaning that students would be able to take one less subject leaving more space in the timetable for the likes of physical education, career guidance and health and well-being classes.”
Mr Saunders added: “Alarmingly for parents and teachers, time spent daily on phones and devices is increasing with 53% of school teens spending more than three hours on their phones every day.
“It’s natural for teenagers to go through stages of liking or disliking themselves during adolescence, but the social media and virtual world we’re currently living in really isn’t helping with the existing stress and pressure put on young people.”
Meanwhile, 62% of students said the cost of rent will affect their choice of university - leaving Dublin colleges in danger of a lack of rural pupils.
