2020, has been different to say the least. For some, it was as Captain Raymond Holt once said, 

For others it was more of a Michael Scott quote,

via GIPHY

It was the worst, and this was no different for a student. This year had extreme effects on the A-Level student body; from drama in the educational world that could very well be produced by Star Plus, to adapting to situations beyond their wildest imaginations, the students were caught unprepared in the face of unprecedented circumstances. Like any weird teenage relationship, this year was reckless, and it would be impossible to capture a single, unanimous response of the entire student body. Hence, after interviewing different sections of the A-Level student body on WhatsApp (Thank you, Quarantine 2.0), I compiled a list of the plethora of diverse emotions, reactions, and events which were set in motion by this bizarre year. So, without further ado, let us begin.

1) The Chosen Ones, aka expected grades:

To start off on a surprisingly good note, we have the former O3 students who were preparing to give their CIE’s when the plague struck; these students had an emotional rollercoaster. It all starts off from them being more than relieved when they realised they don’t have to give exams. However, one of the interviewees recalls how they recognised the ensuing horror after seeing their fellow comrades fail their GCSEs with the weirdest grading system to date (Cambridge was super moody on this one). What’s worse: our beloved LACAS conveyed the results to the students 11 hours after receiving them from Cambridge. When all hope was lost, Shafqat Mehmood came in clutch and decided to let expected grades be set and a super result be made. Then rained nothing but A*’s and A’s. Flexing on Instagram stories as if they actually gave the exams, “The Chosen Ones” were really saved by 2020; guess this year had some silver lining after all.

2) I’m done with life and everything it holds, aka O/N:

Nevermind, this year is bad. O/N constitutes 3 characters which can haunt every student, ever. If our student is the beloved Raymond Holt, O/N is a Wuntch but honestly, it’s much much much worse. O/N is a Dark Souls villain, achingly slow and annoyingly difficult. It gets worse for them after seeing “The One That Got Away”, this being their result had they been our first type of student. Then, it gets worse; while watching “The Chosen Ones” flexing, going out, and living life (following SOPs since they are not dumb (most of them)), these sad souls were made to sink in piles of past papers and notes to actually work for their result. 

One of them, calling “The Chosen Ones” snakes, was honestly just expressing their frustration after realising some of them have a December SAT to greet after going through the O/N exams. We really feel bad (read: laugh at) for them and their capability of making sensible life decisions, because if things go the way they’re going, then God help them.

3) Farewell nae mila yawr:

Personally I don’t care about farewells, but some students are really passionate about it; I don’t know why but they just are. They purposefully enter a conversation just to ruin it by saying these infamous words:

“Yaaar farewell chahiye tha”

“Welcome ke liye suit liya hua tha ;-;”

If you feel like really ruining someone’s day, go to them and remind them about all the events that got cancelled (RIP 3peat Innoventions). You shouldn’t be this evil but you’re allowed if your mental health is as sadistic as one of those O/N kids.

4) Phuppo, aka the ones who love “the tea”:

This student is done with 2020, so much so, that they have dropped down to the level of gossip. Their only source of entertainment is tea. You can see them from a mile away, slithering, with utter desperation, just dying to spill tea at someone’s face. 

“OYEEEEEEEEEEEE abhi usne mujhe bataya ke inn dono ka phadda huaa”

“Ew that guy is a creep.”

“PLEASE MUJHE BATAOOOOO” 

One of the interviewees, despite having some good tea, claims that it comes with side effects; no other will to live, will collapse in a day without tea, addiction, and finally, is very very untrustworthy. What I just described to you is every person in A-Level, so beware.

5) The A2’s, aka we are indeed livn’t:

From bullying the A1’s in MedPub, to dressing up as Trump and Bin Laden at Comic-Con, the A2’s are quite possibly the drama queens of LACAS. Due to this pandemic, it was difficult to really get a grip of what the A2’s have to offer, so I interviewed two of the most beloved ones, just to get an idea of their perspective on this abysmal year (I’ll let you figure out who they are).

They seem sane and human at the start: sleeping during online classes (sorry Sir Javaid) to still leaving assignments till deadline day (I am personally inspired by this one). They also, sadly, keep batch secrets (the Phuppo inside of me died a bit); the infamous A2 Curse is confirmed to be real and functioning but has not been disclosed. They surprisingly seem alive, even in times as gloomy as the ones we find ourselves in; this could be because of their many “sacred places”, cults (BP420 REPRESENT), going full “monke” mode when sad, and the subtle, but never ending, discourse on Communism, all of which helps veil the horrors of the plague, A2, and University Apps. Yes, as can clearly be seen, they only started off as sane and normal.

Even though they casually bully their juniors, they still have this cute parent inside of them. They call their bullying “ironic” and “part of the A1 experience”. One ensures that if you aren’t a communist, you might be safe from this cyber torture. Speaking of which, yes, sending $ in your group texts to bully a commie does work. They secretly love their juniors, and are there to guide them with constructive advice. This advice basically comes down to two primary axioms: keep the MedPub group alive and give us a good farewell. They think of their juniors as  “8/10” students (I’ll never know why or how), and they’re quite adamant on us not wasting our A1; quarantine or not, it seems that the A-Level grind is never-ending. They did, however, pass the vibe check on wanting send-ups to be cancelled, and don’t worry- they too are suffering in the hellhole of assignments LACAS has thrust down upon our innocent lives; was it really a small price to pay for salvation? We’ll never know. 

Despite being hard on the outside, they play the mom and dad role really well, even if we take into account their slowly collapsing mental state (type 2: I’ve found your friends).
From taking online classes whilst sleeping to dying inside because you have to turn your camera on, it is clear that 2020 has been unkind to so many but with the support of each type of student, maybe, just maybe, we can survive the coming year. The prospects of such a hope seems gloomy knowing the year starts off with the send-ups- something which we all want cancelled (except and very weirdly O/N kids, but no one should listen to their opinion on life)- but if we can survive through this, surely we are well-equipped- both emotionally and otherwise- to tackle what’s coming, right?

Wasay Rafaqat
TLC Writer