“My Heart Breaks for Him”: Matric Learner Vents About Mathematics Exam to Mom, SA Compassionate

• A caring mother filmed her son after his Grade 12 Mathematics exam, where the exhausted student admitted that he felt overwhelmed, leading to a viral discussion about the paper’s difficulty
• The relatable clip was shared on the video-streaming platform TikTok, attracting comments from students and parents shocked by the complexity of the exam
• Social media users agreed that the paper was difficult, with one mother revealing her son was hospitalised due to the emotional and physical strain
• Briefly News spoke with Qhamile Diniso, a Grade 12 learner at Table View High School, about the mental toll of final exams and coping with unexpected paper difficulty

A mother’s video, capturing her son’s raw reaction to a difficult matric Mathematics exam, resonated, igniting a conversation about the emotional toll of the final exams.

The clip, shared on TikTok by @veskha_013, gained massive views, likes, and comments from viewers who sympathised with the matriculants and some who questioned the need for Pure Maths if one is not going to continue with it at university.

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The video features the caring mother, TikTok user @veskha_013, asking her son how his Grade 12 Mathematics exam paper went. The matriculant responded honestly, saying he felt like "he didn’t know his subject." He recounted one particularly challenging mathematics question that featured two separate patterns. He managed to solve the initial problem, but when he tried to decipher the accompanying pattern, he admitted his brain simply couldn’t process it.

With a touch of humour, he personified the exam paper, saying, “There was a function and there was a pattern,” only for the paper to declare, “No, you don’t know my subject.” His honest frustration highlighted the pressure and confusion many students experience during exams.

The supportive mother gently concluded the conversation by asking her son how the family could best support him and help him feel better about the situation. The exhausted matriculant replied, stating that he would eat his food and start studying for his Afrikaans exam.

The matric exam stresses learners

We at Briefly News spoke with Qhamile Diniso, a matriculant from Cape Town, to understand the intense pressure faced by matriculants and how she and her peers manage the emotional strain of a famously difficult paper like Mathematics.

We noted that the boy in the video felt defeated by the paper and asked how emotional exhaustion and stress after writing a major subject affect them as matriculants. She responded:

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“That feeling is normal for everyone. We spend months preparing, but when you hit a problem you can’t solve, the stress is huge. We all felt that exhaustion after the tough papers, and sometimes it feels like your brain just stops working.”

The team asked how much stress comes from maths, and how much comes from the social pressure or the need to get into university. She shared:

“It’s half and half. Math is hard, but the real stress is knowing that one bad paper can ruin your university application. The social pressure to pass and secure my future is what makes the difficulty of the exam feel ten times worse.”

When asked how important a supportive parent or family member is in helping learners move on to the next level, Qhamile said:

“A supportive parent is everything. They are the only people who can assure you of your efforts. You can’t let one hard paper ruin the next one, and only a loving parent can give you that push to focus on the next subject.”

SA shows support to matriculants

The clip attracted massive engagement, with both learners and parents flooding the comments section, expressing their frustrations over the seemingly difficult papers. They supported the boy’s feelings, expressing shock at how difficult the Maths paper was, even for those who had prepared for weeks.

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One mother shared a heartbreaking experience, revealing that her son was admitted to the hospital after writing the paper, stating he had been emotionally and physically drained from the stress. Others suggested that Pure Mathematics should only be a subject for learners who need it for specific careers, arguing against making it a mandatory hurdle for everyone else.

User @Renz007 shared:

"My son was admitted to the hospital after he wrote his. He was so emotional and physically drained. But keep all in our prayers. What God gives us, we will accept. Stay strong for him."

User @Abby said:

"As a mother, I literally cried. Why do our government make our kids' lives so difficult? This is so painful to listen to. God be with you, son. You will do well ♥️."

User @Nazzy786 commented:

"Don't stress, just do ur best, boy. Praying for all the matric out there. Don't over-push yourself."

User @annie_taylor01 ⁷ added:

"My heart breaks for him! Our children’s mental health takes a dip with these final exams 🥺."

User @sho stopper said:

"All will be okay, boy 🙏."

User @Lynne commented:

"Our babies are so stressed."

Watch the TikTok video below:

3 Briefly News articles about study methods

• A young man who scored straight A's in matric shared a detailed breakdown of his unique and effective study methods, impressing many social media users.
• A young man who scored over 90% in Grade 12 mathematics shared the effective study method he used to achieve his high marks, leaving social media users grateful.
• A local tutor shared his top three apps that high school learners should use to improve their grades and achieve outstanding marks.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News