exam cheating

[rahman97]

My daughter had a chemistry epa today(controlled assessment) wherE her phone went off during the exam so she was caught with it. Has anyone had any experience in this situation? How long will it take to find out from AQA if she's been disqualified or for how many years? I understand she shouldnt have had her phone and been on it so I'd just like anyone whos ever come across the situation to let me know what happened

[TeenAndTween]

No help, but you must remember that this was (presumably) a mistake, an error, but no intention to cheat. She may get disqualified from that GCSE (I don't know the rules for the CAs) but it is not the end of the world.

[mumsneedwine]

I'm going to be brutally honest and tell you it is a very big deal. The school will report to the exam board, who can disqualify her from every exam. The rules are very very clear and she will have been told them so many times that I'm afraid it's not going to be good.
She will almost definitely not get any marks for the controlled assessment.
They will usually report back pretty quickly as to what their decision is, and I really hope for you that they just disqualify from this exam. But you need to be prepared for the worst.
I'm sorry - I have no joy in telling you this.

[TheFirstOfHerName]

According to the AQA website, these are examples of actions taken for this type of malpractice:

• a warning
• loss of marks for a section, component or unit
• disqualification from a unit, all units or whole qualifications
• a ban from sitting exams for a set period of time.

[rahman97]

I understand but she has her maths on Edexcel, do you think they will stop her getting a qualification in this too?

[TeenAndTween]

Personally, with no knowledge, and just speaking from common sense, I can't believe that any sanction would be higher than disqualification for that specific GCSE.
(Assuming of course that no one believes there was actually any intention to cheat).

[TheFirstOfHerName]

I think the Joint Council for Qualifications can make decisions that cross exam boards, but hopefully it won't come to that.

[rahman97]

The teacher put in her statement that she was cheating so without a doubt she will get disqualified, but I would like to know if it is likely to be over a year.

[TeenAndTween]

Oh.

[MyVisionsComeFromSoup]

boy in DDs year had his phone go off during a science exam last year (apparently it was his mum checking how the exam had gone ) - he didn't get a grade for that subject, but as the school were happy it was just stupidity in not turning off his phone, and not an attempt to cheat, he wasn't disqualified from any other exam AFAIK. He's resitting this year alongside AS exams and is a Dire Warning to the current batch of Y11s.

Don't know how long it took for a decision to be made, sorry.

[CloserToFiftyThanTwenty]

Your DD was actually on her phone?!

[SocksRock]

I invigilate exams and she would have been given many opportunities to give the phone to an invigilator. We remind students as they enter the hall that all phones are to be left off in bags, repeatedly as they go to their seats. Then we read the JCQ wording prohibiting any form of mobile device twice. We then ask twice if anyone has anything to hand in - any items at this point are placed in named sealed envelopes and left at the front to be collected at the end. I would imagine that with all this, and if she was actually using it, they would assume she was cheating.

It's taken very, very seriously, I'm sorry. It is possible to be barred from all exam boards.

[5madthings]

The girl I knew who did this was disqualified from all exams.

Do they think it was a mistake or is there actual evidence phone was used for cheating?

Tbh I expect they would take a hard line on this, they have to.

[rahman97]

If she gets disqualified could she do IB next year?

[titchy]

Does she need GCSEs to do IB? If she doesn't then yes she can if the sixth form are happy. If she needs GCSE grades and is disqualified then no she probably won't be able to do IB.

Why on earth didn't she just hand her phone in?

[titchy]

Oh was this A level? And you're asking if she can effectively restart her sixth form studies again and do IB instead? It would be up to the school or college I imagine.

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

We had a year 10 student who was disqualified From just the one exam for checking the time on her phone. But she was a year 10 and her first ever external exam.

This, however, sounds like a seasoned sixth former so I can seen they could come down much harder. I think you will need to wait to see what they decide before you can plan what she might be able ton d in the future. It's hard to second guess then exam boards.

What are the school advising you do?

[MrsUltracrepidarian]

What sockesneedrock and mumsneedwine said.
This is a big deal, and the consequences are serious.
I am a teacher, and have also invigilated numerous public exam, and quite apart from what they will have been told by their teachers before the exam, they have very clear instruction at the beginning - there really is no excuse, and the school have to assume an intention to cheat in this case.
At most schools, every exam from Y7 onwards is done under these conditions, so the DC are used to them by Y11/12/13...
Rules are clear and apply to everyone, and the school can lose their exam centre accreditation if they let people get way with it.
(Some parents do try to argue the case - completely selfishly oblivious to the disruption their child has caused to those who comply with the rules)

[EnlightenedOwl]

I have spoken to someone who runs exams at a school who thinks a disqualification from the exam is a given but anything above that would be harsh.

[00100001]

Whatvdid she have to say for herself for being so monumentally stupid?

[peteneras]

Well, some people just need to learn lessons the hard way. But on a brighter note, hopefully this experience will make her to be more careful in everything that she does for the rest of her life.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

It sounds as if this was a series of blunders on her part - forgetting to hand in her phone, then, when it rang, answering it without thinking - and hopefully the school will know your dd well enough, Rahman, to know that there was no intention to cheat in the exam.

So, whilst she may well get disqualified for this exam, with a bit of luck, the school will accept her onto the IB course she wants on the basis of her academic record so far.

[catslife]

The exam board won't make a final decision until the end of the exam period so your dd will still need to take all other exams she is entered for at the usual time for AQA and other exam boards.
i don't think she will get away with a warning OP, I think the best you can hope for is that she will only be disqualified for this unit and not other exams.
I do know a pupil who was disqualified from all their GCSE Maths exams (including those taken on different days) for a similar offence. They were allowed to resit the following year, the school have been very careful to make sure this doesn't happen again!

[rahman97]

Ah okay, but if she is disqualified from taking exams for a period of time will it affect the IB exams? As from what i am aware they are not associated with AQA or other exam boards or am I wrong?

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

I don't think it matters if it is AQA or not. Exam boards work together and they can extend a ban across all the boards.

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

But, saying that, don't know anything about how the IB works