Survey reveals ‘Mum’s the word’ for students awaiting exam results

Sixty-one per cent of the 1,003 students across the UK who took part in the survey, commissioned by Leeds Metropolitan University, plan to tell their mum first upon receiving their exam results, whilst only 7% plan to tell their dad first.

Mums also scored highly when it came to giving the most valuable advice on which university to choose with students being twice as likely to head to mum, rather than dad; and mum also being the most influential when giving students career advice.

The survey showed that students living in Northern Ireland, the South West and the North West are the most likely to celebrate with their families after receiving their results.

Key findings:

84% of male students are confident they will achieve better or the same as their predicted grades v 72% of female students.

Mums offer the most valuable advice on which university to choose (26%), teachers second (18%), dads third (13%).

Male students are more likely to be incentivised (66%) as opposed to female students (58%).

Male students are on average are offered higher value incentives (£183) than female students (£124).

38% of students are offered money as an incentive, with just over one in nine offered a car, with nearly one in nine offered a holiday.

Speaking about the results, Dr Caroline Bligh, an expert in Education Studies at Leeds Met said: “With mothers tending to be the primary carer of their children from birth, it may be that children build closer and more trusting relationships with their mothers and feel l that they are more likely to accept the results whether they are good or bad!.

“Children could also be more concerned about their father’s reaction if they do not achieve the results anticipated. Research also suggests that mothers become stronger academic role models for their children, with the educational achievements of fathers making no significant impact on their children’s academic aspirations and achievements.”

The survey also showed that male students are more positive than female students about receiving their exam results with 84% of male students confident that they will achieve better or the same as their predicted grades: 12% more than their female counterparts. Students living in the London region were the most positive about their results with 83% confident that they will achieve better or the same as their predicted grades, whilst students from the East Midlands were the least positive at 70%.

Results from the survey revealed that 38% of students have been offered financial incentives for succeeding in their exams with 11% being offered a laptop, 11% a car and 10% a holiday. On average the survey showed that male students are offered more money than female students to perform well. The average amount offered to male students was £184: £60 more than their female counterparts who were offered on average £124.

The amount offered by parents as incentives varied dramatically among the respondents, with some students being offered up to £2,000 for an A* and £1,500 for an A grade. The most frequently offered sum for both an A* and an A was £100, with £50 for a B grade.

The survey also asked students to describe how they would spend the night before receiving their results; with the majority of students predicting that they would stay up late, unable to sleep. 47% of male students surveyed said they would be staying up very late as opposed to 38% of female students.

Twenty-three per cent of students are planning to stay in and spend time by themselves in their room the night before receiving their exam results with 22% planning to go out with friends or family to take their mind off it. 21% of the students surveyed planned to start researching their options in case they don’t get the results they want, with this figure rising to 25% for male students.