No actually I worked really hard, I didn't find them easy, and I spend hours and hours revising. I come from a very difficult home background and others things, I went through a lot. But I worked incredibly hard and among other things had teachers that told be to work harder, to be better rather than just accepting a low grade. Also don't patronise me because of my age, I have lots of empathy, if you read what I said about people being failed (most of those kids are like me, who I think deserve way more support and they'd actually be able to reach their potential). I don't think its their fault they failed, I have seen how the system fails them and me, facing blatent racism from teachers amd my headteacer who wanted to expel me (after she was racist to me), facing a MH system that penalises Black people and the expectations of a 'strong Black women' that meant my maths teacher felt okay leaving me with the boys who talked about how they wanted to rape girls and rape me - because only I was strong enougu to sit with them, facing a horrible SS system that failed me, facing living in houses infested with cockroaches as its the best we could afford, and much else that I don't want to share. T
he people who failed 'without trying' (not those kids who were failed but often worked much harder) were often the ones with tutors and privilege because they said they'll just get a job with their dad and didn't care - because they have the privilege to not care, I didn’t because it was and is the only way I had a chance at a better life. I worked incredibly hard and got 3 GCSEs that were some of the highest in the country. At the start of Y11 I was getting a 5 or 6 (just) in GCSE English Lit in the end I got 156/160 for both papers, one the best grades in the country.
For History GCSE, I had one of my closest teachers die during the year, I wrote myself off as never being able to get higher than a 6, I only lost 11 marks in my whole GCSE History and for R.E I also only lost 9 marks and did very well in GCSE Sociology with a 9 mostly down to an incredible teacher who forced me to do better, gave me JSTOR reading and univeristy theory. Rather than just saying try your best and whatever that is, is fine. I also have done lots of work in youth policy and advocacy, I have worked for a number of years with exam boards, policy makers in education (around dealing with the challenges young people face which stop them from doing as well), I have done since Y10 my whole PSHE and workshops in schools off my own back - on violence against women and girls, consent, racism in the modern world, women's history month, Black history minth, sex education, helped my 6th form write a whole new Harmful Sexual Behaviour policy, did menstrual health workshops in schools. I didn't find exams accessible easier (due to an invisble disability - for which since 13 I have navigated the healthcare system, meds etc by myself), as do many girls (and I have done lots of work around the challenges for diagnosis and acess arrangements for SEND for young girls especially BAME girls who are adultified). I have done lots of work in education, exams, government policy, and I have worked, created many campaigns with tons of empathy on a whole range of issues - exclusion policy, hair policies in schools which discriminate against Black students, creating a new inclusive curriculum that focuses on representation (helping exam boards change parts of their specifications and schools change KS3 curriculum), doing training for teachers on misogyny, racism, unconscious bias, adultifcaiton.
I also agree that there should be more range of qualifications other than GCSEs and have worked with exam boards to create these actually. But the reality of the current situation is that there are only GCSEs now, it doesn't mean there shouldn't be much more on offer including vocational, more choice etc. Like I said I have worked on the creation of some of these plans for new qualifications as well as more accessible GCSEs. As said in an earlier post "Some of them try really hard which I acknowledge - many of them are failed by the school system, lack of SEND support, being young carers or not having good support if they're in care - and there needs to much more support for them".