What to say and what to avoid saying to the exams student in your home

Finals are looming and whether your child is ready or not, they need their parents to be supportive and considerate

Exams are challenging and it is natural for your child to feel anxious. But saying, ‘It’s only’ this, or, ‘It’s just’ that is not helpful. “It undermines the natural anxiety they have and makes them feel silly,” says Luke Saunders, teacher and co-founder of revision website Studyclix

Over the next few weeks, 135,000 students will sit the State exams. Others will grapple with school exams. All of which translates to a high degree of household stress with last-minute revision, panicked regrets, and mounting anxiety.

In such circumstances, it is easy for parents to say the wrong thing. We ask five experts about what not to say to young people facing exams.