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Original poster

Will DD likely be penalised for this

432 replies

curiousitygotthebetterofme · 04/06/2022 22:44

DD(15) sat a GCSE exam yesterday, which she prepared so well and worked hard for.

She is aware of all the exam hall rules including that you can’t bring mobile phones in with you.

Yesterday, she had her phone with her but forgot to leave it at the school reception until after the exam was finished.

She was not using her mobile phone during the exam nor did she attempt to. The phone was also switched off.

It was in her pocket and it fell out onto the floor and invigilator seen it happen.

Her head of year rang me yesterday to inform
that they are obliged to report it to the exam board and that they could very well take marks off her or disqualify her.

I feel sorry for DD as she worked so hard for these exams and she has been quite distressed over it all and the possibility of being penalised. It just slipped her mind but she knows to be more aware for future exams.

I get that exam boards have to follow procedures, but surely the fact she wasn't actually using the phone will work in her favour?

OP posts:
MrsEdnaWelthorpe · 05/06/2022 17:11

Well, either she was so anxious she did forget she had her phone in her pocket despite all the warnings or she was so scared of not doing well enough that she took the risk of taking the phone in with her. Both would suggest she is scared of failure.

I think the best thing really is to try and help her overcome her fear of failure- it can be especially difficult for teens who are used to succeeding at school.

KittyMcKitty · 05/06/2022 17:12

I think the whole fiasco with (predominately) independent schools vastly inflating grades last year provides a very clear example of why schools should not be allowed to deal with things like this “in house”.

Maireas · 05/06/2022 17:14

Genuinely, if a student has a phone in the exam room, it's more than carelessness.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

15 year olds General education Primary education
Anactor · 05/06/2022 17:27

“Genuinely, if a student has a phone in the exam room, it's more than carelessness.”

I promise you that a student can be emailed that they must not leave a phone in their bag during the exam, be told before the exam that the phone must not be left in their bag, and be told in the final instructions that the phone must not be left in their bag …

… and then a phone goes off during the exam because someone has left it in their bag. Some of them are so focused on the upcoming exam, everything else is just ‘background’.

Maireas · 05/06/2022 17:29

Anactor · 05/06/2022 17:27

“Genuinely, if a student has a phone in the exam room, it's more than carelessness.”

I promise you that a student can be emailed that they must not leave a phone in their bag during the exam, be told before the exam that the phone must not be left in their bag, and be told in the final instructions that the phone must not be left in their bag …

… and then a phone goes off during the exam because someone has left it in their bag. Some of them are so focused on the upcoming exam, everything else is just ‘background’.

Well, it hasn't happened like that where I teach. So somehow the message has got through to our students.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 05/06/2022 17:36

minutesturntohours · 05/06/2022 16:43

Why?

ignore the 'against the rules' part.

Why is a switched off phone in her pocket not OK?

Show quote history

I don't understand what is unclear about this.

Phones are not allowed in examination halls. Students are warned that they face disqualification if caught with a phone. They are urged to hand phones in. There's no way you could 'forget' to hand said phone in, unless the school is not following procedures and not reminding students.

It's really very simple.

Anactor · 05/06/2022 17:38

Ooh, could we swap students?

Maireas · 05/06/2022 17:39

Anactor · 05/06/2022 17:38

Ooh, could we swap students?

Ha, ha! We've had a couple of fainters and one vomiter, though! 😳

QuillBill · 05/06/2022 17:40

But having it in her pocket switched off is really not an issue

Oh well, if you say so we can all just forget what OFQUAL say. Just tell your dd that it 'isn't an issue' OP and it will all be OK.

minutesturntohours · 05/06/2022 17:43

FlissyPaps · 05/06/2022 17:03

Are you thick? Ignore the rules?

Do you tell your children to “ignore the ‘against the rules’ part”?

It is against the rules to have a phone on your person during an examination. Switched on or off.
What’s hard to comprehend about that?

Show quote history

Wow, thanks for the abuse.

My point, for the hard of thinking, was aside from the 'rule', what is the issue with it?

MrsHamlet · 05/06/2022 17:45

My point, for the hard of thinking, was aside from the 'rule', what is the issue with it?
No issue at all, apart from the rule. Which isn't a "rule@, but a rule.
Having a prohibited item in the exam room is malpractice.

minutesturntohours · 05/06/2022 17:45

I'm sure OP will be entirely comfortable with the vitriol shown towards her daughter and other PP.

I ask whether you would be writing the same things if it was your daughter?

CaptainMyCaptain · 05/06/2022 17:45

Tickledtrout · 05/06/2022 13:14

Poor DD. Mistakes happen OP. She has to know that it's recoverable
Get onto the school and make recovery from this their problem too. Of course students get stressed and forgetful - they're preoccupied. Did the invigilator not remind them? They need to support her with questions about what happens next, resits etc

The invigilator has to remind them. When I was invigilating I would mention it once, maybe twice or three times and there are signs everywhere. They will have been told about this rule by teachers before the exams started.

It isn't the school's problem. There is no grey area. For whatever reason she broke the rule.

Maireas · 05/06/2022 17:46

minutesturntohours · 05/06/2022 17:45

I'm sure OP will be entirely comfortable with the vitriol shown towards her daughter and other PP.

I ask whether you would be writing the same things if it was your daughter?

It's not vitriol.
People are pointing out public exams procedure and the clarity of rules.

coffeecupsandfairylights · 05/06/2022 17:54

My point, for the hard of thinking, was aside from the 'rule', what is the issue with it?

There isn't an issue with it. But it's a pretty important rule to break as it could lead to all your exams being cancelled.

FlippityFlapperty · 05/06/2022 17:55

Teacher here. An external invigilator caught a group of three our pupils cheating in the same exam - outright caught them although I’d rather not explain here how and what they were doing as it was unusual - and they all received an unclassified mark for the subject but were given the grades obtained for all their other exams and were not expelled. None were staying on for 6th form so would have made to sense to expel them a few weeks before the end of term.

That was very clear cut whereas having a phone turned off is trickier. Possessing the phone will result in a ‘penalty’ according to all the boards afaik, but they don’t specify what it is, only that having it may result in possible disqualification from the exam/qualification. None of us can really predict for sure what will happen but if it’s a two paper exam, they may compare marks across the papers and against the school’s predicted grade to see if her mark appears unusual and use their judgement there.

FlippityFlapperty · 05/06/2022 17:56

*no sense, not to sense

FlissyPaps · 05/06/2022 17:56

@minutesturntohours Wow, thanks for the abuse.

My point, for the hard of thinking, was aside from the 'rule', what is the issue with it?

Oh get a thicker skin.

If they scrap the ‘rule’ and make it ok for the students to have phones switched off in pockets, just imagine how that’ll turn out?

Some students will turn them on. Some students will use them to text their friends/parents etc. Some students will use them to cheat.

Are you the hard of thinking here? Serious question.

Also you didn’t answer my previous question.
Do you tell your children to ignore the rules?

Puzzledandpissedoff · 05/06/2022 17:57

You would surprised at how little attention many students pay to the reminders

Not really, but then paying attention's a iife skill and not one which is going to be learned by saying "Don't do it again" if all those reminders have already been given

It's a shame for a student to lose their marks, but if that's what it takes it won't be the end of their lives ... and at least they (and others) are less likely to do it again

Rosscameasdoody · 05/06/2022 17:59

Anactor · 05/06/2022 17:27

“Genuinely, if a student has a phone in the exam room, it's more than carelessness.”

I promise you that a student can be emailed that they must not leave a phone in their bag during the exam, be told before the exam that the phone must not be left in their bag, and be told in the final instructions that the phone must not be left in their bag …

… and then a phone goes off during the exam because someone has left it in their bag. Some of them are so focused on the upcoming exam, everything else is just ‘background’.

This. And all you poster out there casting doubt on her honesty should put yourselves in the position of an anxious teenager. She thought she had left it in the car and only found out she hadn’t when it fell out. I don’t have any trouble believing this and I think any student found in breach of the policy should at least be afforded the opportunity to prove their innocence if their network provider can prove the phone wasn’t turned on during the exam.

Butchyrestingface · 05/06/2022 17:59

minutesturntohours · 05/06/2022 17:45

I'm sure OP will be entirely comfortable with the vitriol shown towards her daughter and other PP.

I ask whether you would be writing the same things if it was your daughter?

No kids but pretty sure my own mother would have performed an anatomical impossibility on me with that phone if I'd done what OP's daughter did. Grin

A lesson in choosing your parents more carefully...

Simonjt · 05/06/2022 18:01

Rosscameasdoody · 05/06/2022 17:59

This. And all you poster out there casting doubt on her honesty should put yourselves in the position of an anxious teenager. She thought she had left it in the car and only found out she hadn’t when it fell out. I don’t have any trouble believing this and I think any student found in breach of the policy should at least be afforded the opportunity to prove their innocence if their network provider can prove the phone wasn’t turned on during the exam.

Show quote history

That would only work if malpractice was using the phone, where as malpractice is having one in the examination room turned on or not.

Carrotten · 05/06/2022 18:10

No one uses the phone in the exam hall. They go to the toilet and Google the answer. This is cheating 101, has been a tactic since phones had Internet. It was talked about in my day 10 yrs ago. The phone is obviously switched off during the exam hall, so you can say "oh I forgot I didn't use it etc".

No one is caught with a phone and goes 'fair cop gov I was googling the answer'. It's always I forgot it was in my pocket, and that's exactly why all students caught with a phone are penalised. You simply cannot prove they didn't use it if it was on their person during the exam.

Phones are quite heavy, going off in the bag is different because you might forget to switch it off. But I can't believe that you don't check pockets and check again, when students are reminded again and again, you don't notice the weight of the phone in your pocket etc. The fact it was switched off suggests she didn't forget so much about it as she remembered to switch it off!

Carrotten · 05/06/2022 18:10

She didn't think she'd left it in the car though because she'd turned it off! She wouldn't have switched it off if she thought she'd left it in the car

failingtomatoes · 05/06/2022 18:13

This is just my opinion and I appreciate every teenager is different. My kids phones are never switched off. Ever.
There are swathes of kids turning their phones off before an exam and handing them in and I guarantee you they are the first thing they turn on when they get them back.
So to have turned off your phone sometime before the exam would be the exception not the rule in my opinion.

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