My daughter has fallen sick during A level exams

For the two missed papers we’re hoping she can either sit them in November or next summer as an external student.

She can't re-sit them in November and whenever she resits she has to take all papers - even the ones she's sat already,

She cannot sit A level in November. It's not possible.

when an exam is being sat for the first time it’s not considered a resit.

This isn't correct OP. Has the school exams officer told you this? She has been entered and has sat papers. They will therefore be classed as resits even if she missed papers.

On a side note, this is why exams are more spaced out now than they used to be. It came in during Covid to avoid students being in isolation or perhaps still ill/ symptomatic for the next exam in the same subject.

If she misses two papers this week and sits the ones after half term she could get a grade based on what she's done I'm sure. It's got to be easier/better to try and get them done this year than to have to retake them again in a years time.

It’s not going to be as low as 15% sat for a calculated grade but you should be able to find out tomorrow from the school

That's not an option now.

No, they don't do this any more!

That 15% is about being eligible for special consideration, though. That's not quite the same.

I think it is more than 15% sat for a grade to be calculated. We had this when a student got appendicitis. Happy to be proved wrong, But all the worked examples are of students missing one unit.

I got the flu during one of my A-levels, and they used my mock grades as my final grade. Worth asking rather than hold her back a year? Seems a waste of time, illness can happen any time!

But she has been registered now, and sat some papers/assessments so any exams taken next year are effectively resits. Look at the link @Dearover mentioned below, she needs to take a minimum of 15% in each subject to get a result. You can explain the situation on UCAS applications if needs be.

But she has a chest infection OP. How do you know she will still be too ill to sit the exams after half term?

This is what the contextual bit on the UCAS application is for.

They cannot reject a student because they were too unwell to sit an exam. And sat it when they were well enough.

Missing papers can't be caught up and grades cannot be calculated based on mocks or on one sat paper - students need to have done a certain % of the qualification for a grade to be awarded ( I think it's 70% but haven't properly checked). So , I am afraid posters are wrong in suggesting to you that if she has done 1 out of 3 papers for an A Level, she will get an award of a grade.

She needs to try to focus on getting better. As some have pointed out, there is a break coming up.

It's so sad that we live in a world like this

Hopefully she'll be fine after half term and can do as many as possible. My son spent three years in sixth form but that was because he wanted to change his subjects.

That's surprising since various courses/universities don't accept resits particularly top universities for very competitive courses.

You would of course hope they would be more understanding if there is a genuine medical reason for a serious illness. However the OP's daughter has a chest infection which in most cases is going to be considered a minor illness (obviously dependent on what the doctor says).

If you have money then I would get her to a private hospital and on iv antibiotics so she can recover ASAP and sit her next exams.

https://www.aqa.org.uk/exams-administration/special-requirements/special-consideration

The rules are clearly explained here and apply to all exam boards.

I taught secondary 25 years. I’ve never come across a place that didn’t accept resits. Especially for illness. Which would be in the contextual information on the UCAS reference.

Please also consider that some universities/courses won't accept resits. They would be considered resits if she is permitted to take year 13 again and try again because she has already been entered for the exams and has sat some papers. Plus not all schools allow a year 14. Our school doesn't.

Any NEA/coursework would also need to be done again if they allow the year to be retaken. You can't carry it over or use the same work. In some cases you can also find that the curriculum has changed eg with English lit texts.

She really needs to dose up and get in to take the papers this week.

No A level papers are available in November, I'm afraid.

She won’t be able to combine papers done now with papers at another sitting to achieve a grade.
She won’t be able to sit the actual missed papers later they can only be done on the scheduled date.
With proper evidence it may be possible for a grade to be calculated in subjects where at least some papers have been sat, you need to speak to the exams officer right away.