By Nicole Lee (26S05A)

A not-so-pleasant reality is that in Y6, there is a light that always goes out. With A-levels around the corner, it’s very normal for the average Year 6 to experience a sense of impending doom, accompanied by the constant feeling of dread. 

Sometime last week, I had a conversation with my GP tutor about the concept of Year 6 despair. “Suddenly you can tell that Year 6s walk with a bit more tiredness (and) solemnness”, he laughed mirthlessly, “they become more focused… it’s like (in Year 5) they don’t understand they need to know things but by Year 6, they’ll be like: oh, we really need to know this”. 

In Year 5, we had orientation, new classmates, and exciting events. Above all, we didn’t know what was coming for us, which is a stark contrast to that of the Year 6 experience—you actually have to lock in now. 

Anyways, on the idea of Year 6 despair: sure most of us have it, but how does it manifest itself? There are many ways your week can go wrong, but for simplicity’s sake, let’s move along to the common denominators of despair in Year 6.  

I slept for 4 hours last morning night

Sleep loss. Not from a chronic neck pain condition, but rather the existential dread you derive from attempting to finish the entire academic syllabus at night. In Year 6, you may find yourself tangled in the vicious cycle of tutorials and class tests, with the final straw being the fact that you are nowhere near the end of your revision. 

I’ve been there. Matter of fact, I am there right now. Starting your A-levels’ revision is like falling through a rabbit hole, where the more you study, the more you realise you don’t know anything.

That’s when reality kicks in. You’ll scramble to stay ahead of your lectures and tutorials, try out additional practices, and pray that you still have your Year 5 content memorised. With your tendency to overcommit and the unyielding school timetable (all hail ASC Timetables), you’ll only find pockets of time at night to actually develop your academic prowess. 

Now, just how much can one achieve by studying at night? It depends on how far you’re willing to go for your grades. A focused study session suggests you’ll stay past 12, whereas a I-didn’t-know-the-test-was-tomorrow warrants an all-nighter. Either way, you lose out on sleep. Nowadays, I spend my time in class watching my classmates slowly descend into slumber. Sometimes I spectate so closely that I too, fall asleep. 

Are we actually coping? 

This question’s pretty deep. Not because it’s more common than you think, but because of its disturbing nature. Are we actually alright right now? It’s like a unique kind of denial, more specifically the art of postponing stress. 

Perhaps the only reason that he’s still standing is the fervent belief that he would get things done in June. We all try to discount our current pace, coming up with excuses for lagging behind all the way to justifying pushing ourselves to the limit. 

JC feels like a race against time, where you’re uncertain as to how far ahead or behind you’ll ever be. And that sets the stage for that unsettling sensation we all get whenever we think about how well we are doing in Year 6. 

But still, we cope.

Even though the journey to A-levels might not seem pleasant, the previous batches of our seniors have all gone through this; it is simply our turn this year. In the next half of 2026, a gruelling ordeal awaits us, and even though it seems career-ending, we’re all in this together–before we move on, here’s some advice on pulling through to the end of the next semester: 

Still, even as we constantly try to shake off the feeling of uncertainty, it gets us at the most random intervals. Why are we even fretting so much in the first place? Sure, this year is quite important because we have the Big As waiting for us at the end of the line, but what else makes it so significant? 

The Trade-off: J2 Student or 18 Year Old 

It’s 2026, and you are officially recognised as an adult under the law. You may make your own decisions, from popping a drink to getting your driver’s license—the world is your oyster. Above all, you’re at that period where you get to experience the many greater things in life, with almost all of them being your first. It’s not just your A-level year, it’s the only time you’ll ever be 18, and somehow that number is an important one (the world told us so). 

For the longest time, we’ve been told that 18 is the prime age. Perhaps almost everyone in the world has watched a Hollywood movie or two. If you did, chances are you’re familiar with the classic high school trope: drama within cliques, exorbitant house parties and cheerleaders. 

Strangely enough, everyone found a lot of time outside of school to do whatever they wanted for the plot. Growing up, they sold us the idea of taking 18 seriously, as everything good or bad would miraculously happen in the span of that one year. Basically, a lot of interesting drama. 

So why are our lives so stressful? Or worse still, miserable? 

The short answer: there’s no magical feel to being 18. 

All the glamour and drama that comes with turning 18 is mostly not true. For starters, the American high school setting we’ve been watching is nothing like the Singaporean JC. Here in Singapore, reality is so much more different than expected, especially if you’re facing a rather unforgiving curriculum. Right now, we’re stuck in limbo: a 2 year transition from whatever academic setting we know straight into the (somewhat) real world. And instead of finding ourselves with what little time we have left this year, we’re expected to cram for A-levels. 

The reality of being 18 is vastly different from that of how it’s been portrayed to us, and we cannot afford to mourn that. But that is part of being a Year 6 student—an 18 year old—in Singapore. You will balance that terrifyingly uncertain period with one of the toughest examinations in the world. 

Being a Year 6 student also means that you’ll have to swap out a good amount of your free time to catch up on your revision, as well as sacrifice some sleep to clock in your hours for commitments. 

There’s hardly any time left to be you. 

That’s the trade-off we all ultimately face, to chase either happiness or ‘future success’—and most of the time, we go for the latter. 

On the bright side, the balance doesn’t always have to be fully tipped. Even in our hectic lives, we can make the best of what we have. It could be that rare cheat day where you’re resolved to doing nothing, that PE module you particularly enjoy, or anything remotely positive. Although, I’d reckon that the balance still remains sorely existent. Even as we try to focus on school life, our everyday decisions could very well influence the outcome of our near future (i.e. our Timed Practices). 

Sobering Thoughts 

Being 18 is so overwhelming: you’re stuck right in the middle of your fading childhood and getting a glimpse of your possibly daunting adulthood. You’ll have many last occasions, many things you still want to do, and many things you fear or regret. It’s that time where you feel like you’ve got everything at your fingertips, yet you can’t pursue them without consequences (that is, risking your academic career). The timing is pretty bad–being 18 and in JC. 

Can we even enjoy being 18? 

Yes, actually. This may be a pivotal year where many diabolical things (such as the big As) will happen, but it is also a year that belongs to us more than ever. 

Truth is, no matter how diabolical, we only get one year to be 18. And although it might not be the most eventful, we can always try living it to the fullest. I’m sure we’ll always have a way to make the most out of our time—after all, we’ve been exposed to challenges, made to confront sobering truths, shaped by experiences unique to us. 

In my short JC experience, I’ve learnt many things: to always strive to be a better version of myself, to move on from things, and to be happy even if Year 6 despair ultimately kicks in. Despite the fact that JC currently feels like a baptism in lava, I’m still quite content with how I’m surviving it. 

So to all the Year 6s out there, why let anything hold you back? 

Whether it is about being Year 6, or 18, you should be unapologetically you. It’s all about learning to find yourself within the chaos of daily life, and embracing it through the decisions you make. 

Do not let your circumstances deprive you of your silliness. Do not question your worth over menial setbacks. And certainly, never stop working towards your goals. Sure, you may let the unforgiving year get the better of you once in a while, but always remember to live for yourself. 

Conclusion 

Be happy, Year 6s. 

One must imagine the JC student happy: This article’s title pays direct homage to the aforementioned article, which is (un)arguably an amazing read.