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Original poster

What is the protocol if a DC is ill on a GCSE exam date?

33 replies

SpellItOut · 14/04/2026 07:13

My DC has an undiagnosed health issue that causes spells of nausea, lasting anywhere between a day and a week. We’ve been round the houses with referrals etc over the last couple of years to try to find out why, but have no diagnosis. School attendance is roughly 85%. Exam days don’t seem to be a trigger, we’ve got through EoY exams and mocks with next to no absence. But we have to plan for what happens if they are ill for a GCSE exam.

I will check with school, but I wanted to get an idea first - I report their absence, but do the exam board need a doctors note? I gather the board will extrapolate the grade from the other subject paper(s), is that correct? Genuinely worried this might wreck their chances.

OP posts:
hellobaby24 · 14/04/2026 07:49

Can you ask the gp to prescribe antiemetics to use if necessary? There are plenty out there which should help.
As other posters have said if they aren’t contagious they need to take the exam if at all possible

Booooooooom · 14/04/2026 07:46

Dd got norovirus for one of her exams at GCSE time. There was no way she could even leave the bathroom to go to school. It went round the entire class. They took a grade from her teacher I think for that portion (from memory the exam doesn’t count for everything but times may have changed!).

Muchtoomuchtodo · 14/04/2026 07:44

You need to talk to the exams officer.

our x hook has told us that they need to be contacted by 8am on the day of the exam and a Drs letter will be needed

PrincessOfPreschool · 14/04/2026 07:42

Ps. I would not have sent her to school on a normal day feeling that bad.

PrincessOfPreschool · 14/04/2026 07:40

I think it depends how incapacitated someone is. My DD was pretty ill with temp and flu symptoms for a week of her GCSEs (it was quite a few exams). She went in dosed up with meds, sat exams, came home and slept for hours and hours till next morning. She did drop a grade in one of her favourite subjects but she's doing it at A level so the GCSE grade doesn't really matter anymore. We did go to the GP to get antibiotics in case it was bacterial and could be improved. She was ill for a week but could function, just far from her best. I'm sure the school exam officer will know the best protocol.

LittleOwl153 · 14/04/2026 07:26

As exam staff.... talk to your schools exam officer very very soon! There is stuff they can do if prepared. Involve the SENCO as they will likely be the adjustments sign off anyway.

Realistically though he needs to be prepared to take the exam if he possibly can. If he isn't contagious with it then he can still attend school, and still sit the exam - potentially with 1 to 1 supervision and a bucket/accessible toilet. He can have meds available if needed during g the exam etc. But this needs to be planned ahead to be fair to everyone.

BrightBrightSunshineyDay · 14/04/2026 07:17

My daughter missed one of her exams last summer and was given a final grade based on her first paper and mocks.
She did ok.

Tellmetomorrow57 · 14/04/2026 07:17

Yes, you need a doctor's note and the school will need to apply for special consideration, presumably with evidence of the existing condition.

I don't think there is a guarantee that the exam board will accept it though? It's probably worth a call to your school's exam officer to come up with a contingency plan!

ETA- some boards may take data from eg: paper one from English Literature, if it is paper two they are missing from and will double it (this happened to one of my students last year). Some may not do this. They won't do anything if both papers are missed though is my understanding, unless it is a blanket across exams illness (eg a student relapsed with leukaemia and they did award grades based on mocks in that scenario)