Will DD likely be penalised for this

[curiousitygotthebetterofme]

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?

@minutesturntohours No, you still haven't told me why the person with a switched off phone in her pocket who didnt leave the exam hall is an issue, I'm afraid.

It. Is. Against. The. Rules. And. Exam. Conditions.

The student could have easily switched the phone on. And cheated. And texted. And used social media.

You can’t argue with “But she didn’t switch it on”. Because, sorry, that’s not a credible argument.

Would you sit behind the wheel of your moving car holding your phone? You get pulled over and fined by the police. Would you argue with them “But it was switched off”?

You really must be thick if you cannot see the issues here.

Also, Just the fact it dropped onto the floor, in a quiet hall, it would have made a noise. Distracting other students working. Making a scene of the invigilators coming to investigate.

Students will be talking about this now. “Oh did you hear that”? “Sarah had her phone in the exam”.
“Sarah’s banned from all exams now”. This is how rumours spread. And Chinese whispers starts.

Please tell me how this is NOT an issue?

So before this year when JCQ did not allow teachers to invigilate, who was invigilating exams in your centre? You’re not doing it for free, unless your school decides to deduct pay when you invigilate. They successfully saw the phone, so more than capable of doing their job, despite the ratio now being 1:40.

People who ignore rules all the time, in exams its sometimes to be awkward, other times it is with the intention of cheating.

Yes, got that.

but its a ridiculous rule.

They have to wash it off before entering the exam room, its well known, which is why many girls avoid mendhi in year 11.

@minutesturntohours Jesus Christ you’re a teacher??!!!!!!

Do they though? as i said above, do invigilators check?

”She COULD have gone to the toilet, but she didn't!”

So are you suggesting two rules about phones, @minutesturntohours ? If you aren’t going to go to the loo, you can have your phone switched off in your pocket, but if you are going to go to the loo, no phone for you?

When you are writing the rules for exams that thousands of students are going to take, you need clear, simple, easily-enforced rules - and ‘No Phones whatsoever in the Exam Hall’ is the clearest and easiest way to ensure no-one tries to sneak their phone in and cheat on the exam.

Yes. That is exactly what they do. They are not allowed watches of any kind any more. I posted above about the issues that this has caused us as it turns out many students can’t read the analogue clocks in our exam hall.

You claim to invigilate yet don’t know that children aren’t allowed to wear watches in exams. If you were an invigilator you would know that yes an writing on the body isn’t allowed, you would also know to look out for students pulling up sleeves, trouser legs etc and students keeping an ear covered.

I'm a teacher, and we invigilate for free, so excuse me for not thinking it's wonderful how much pay they get a day for watchign weans write.

You invigilate for free? Do you mean you invigilate during your normal working hours when you'd be in school anyway? And being paid your salary?

Yes.
But the girl clearly was anxious or panicked and forgot, unless you choose to believe she did it on purpose.
The PP are talking nonsense - I sat an adult GCSE a few years ago and i switched off my phone and took the sim card out before I even entered, for my own anxiety and paranoia that it couldn't go off.

The point is, she didn't go to the toilet, she didn't use it, so disqualifying her because her phone dropped on the floor is nonsense. As I've said above, there are numerous other ways a student coult cheat - writing, airpods, a watch.

And apart from anything else, if she did cheat and do substantially better than she did in her prelim, that would be investigated anyway.

Regardless, depending on the subject, there are few that a 'google' in the subject would actually help her do well in.

I do not believe for a single second that @minutesturntohours is a teacher.

Through my lunchtimes and breaks, and after school.

Do they check everyone's watch, given that most weans have google watches? Or check that every wean with her hair down doesn't have an air pod in? or check all arms to make sure things arent written on them?
No they don't check watches because watches are banned.
If someone has writing on their arm on the way in, they're escorted to wash it off. If they're caught in or after the exam, it's malpractice.
Can't say we check hair but that'll likely be the next thing.

You can believe what you like. If you think I'm sad enough to come onto a thread and make up a career, that's up to you!

You're not allowed watches. As an "invigilating teacher" of course you knew that though?

So when timetabled public exams aren’t taking place…

"I do not believe for a single second that @minutesturntohours is a teacher".

I can only hope you're right.

Yet PP are claiming the invigilator couldnt possibly notice phone use which is obvious behaviour, but they would be expecting to see a check of an arm, leg or hair down with an airpod?

righto.

@minutesturntohours there are no watches in JCQ exam rooms, yes students at my centre are asked to move hair to check for earphones and yes any students with writing on their hands are sent to wash it off before the exam starts, if it's noticed during the exam it would be reported as possible malpractice.

I do not believe you are a current teacher working in a JCQ approved school who is invigilating under emergency rules this year or you would know this. The rules are harsh. OP's DD broke them; that doesn't make her a bad person but if you sit an exam you are agreeing to abide by the rules. A phone is against the rules. If JCQ wanted to say that you must wear a pink tutu then you either abide by the rules or don't sit the exam

I hope the OP's DD is able to concentrate on the rest of her exams and that this one mistake doesn't put her back.

Numerous exams take place in breaks, lunch and after the working day. They also take place in our school holidays.

And yet you've posted about the unlikelihood of hundreds sitting a GCSE exam. To link back to one of the trending threads from the weekend, "did ye aye"?

Thankfully, school students arent as ridiculous as MN.

So you enter toilet cubicles with children so you can see if they use the phone, or you expect invigilators who actually know what they are doing to do this?

And apart from anything else, if she did cheat and do substantially better than she did in her prelim, that would be investigated anyway
How? Exam boards don't routinely ask for evidence of prior assessments from schools.
The fairest way to deal with malpractice is to make it really simple and apply the rules consistently, with the awarding body making the decision, not the centre.