Many people dismiss exam anxiety as a natural response to a stressful and pressured event. One that we all have to experience at some point in our lives. Such a position, though, does not adequately account for two central features of exam anxiety.
First, that there are large differences between individual students; there are some who never become anxious or become moderately anxious, while others become highly anxious.
Second, exam anxiety does not just refer to the acute state experienced immediately before or during an exam; highly exam anxious students can panic and worry in lessons, when revising, or even when being reminded about forthcoming exams. Given that academic pressures on students are ever-present throughout the GCSE and A Level period of study, there will be some students experiencing high levels of anxiety throughout this long period.
