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?

@curiousitygotthebetterofme Sent you a pm.

Yes!

Just love it (not) when posters jump on to say "a-ha! schools aren't off at the start of July so you're lying OP!!" Like some kind of huge Gotcha detective moment. Only for OP me not bitter at all to say 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 so shove it right up ye!

If she 's in Y10 , it really isnt so much of a worry. Most schools don't do and exams before Y11 anyway because thet feel the students lack the maturity (as evidenced)
The only real downside will be the gossip

Is there any possibility that when the school report to the exam board, they can give their opinion, i.e. that it wasn't turned on, fell out of pocket?

Obviously the invigilators were there so if she was using phone, it would have been spotted?

Just seems really disproportionate for her to be disqualified.

Fingers crossed for her...

One of the things I find useful with the more nervous students is to get them to look the worst case scenario in the face, then work out what to do if it happens.

”I am going to fail all my exams.”
“Okay, well, I don’t think you will, but if you did, what could you do? Resits? Vocational course instead of A levels?”

Once they’ve worked out a worst-case Plan B for themselves, they often feel much more in control.

It's not a ridiculous rule that phones aren't allowed in the exam, you can't prove a student didn't use it or intend to use it. Just because the invigilators didn't see doesn't mean she didnt. The rule is simple and clear to avoid people being able to argue or wriggle out and to minimise the risk someone will cheat in their exams. The harder it is to get away with cheating the less likely people will be to cheat.

Students aren't patted down for phones, but if a phone is discovered then the exam board must be informed and they will likely be disqualified. Just as if they are found with a watch, airpods, writing on your arm even if you weren't seen to be using it. Saying "students aren't asked to cut off their arms' is a stupid arguement

It's a rule, and it's not fair to apply the rules to some and not others. I don't think its fair that a good student might get away with it whilst a 'bad' student might not if the school give character references. A rule is a rule. It'd quite clear and things need to be kept as fair as possible across the board.

Is there any possibility that when the school report to the exam board, they can give their opinion, i.e. that it wasn't turned on, fell out of pocket?
They will have to report the malpractice factually. The candidate had a banned item in the exam room. It did not go off.
The likely penalty is a loss of marks for the affected paper rather than loss of certification.

Its likely she will be disqualified from this exam. So she will need to retake next year or write off that subject. Its not a big deal. Anything could happen in one exam that means you get a bad mark, she could have been ill or even just mess up the paper. Things happen.

If she's doing most/more of her GCSEs next year, the chance that they'll be impacted is even smaller than if they were all done this year. If she does fail this exam, she can probably resit it next year alongside her other GCSEs.

It's natural to be upset, but in the long run, having one less GCSE really won't matter (unless maths/English). And if it is a subject that she needs in the future, she can always retake it.

Would be a worry here in our bit of Wales.

DS finishes one of the English GCSE this year - done in 12 months which all local schools do. When we asked if there was a failure could it be re-taken we were told there's no provision for it to be re-taken at that school in Yr 11 - teaching time is with next English exam and they'd be dis-inclined to just re-enter.

He also sitting exams that are about 50% of final GCSE in Y10 for about 6 subjects .

On plus side does hopefully mean the OP could at worse re-sit the exam ( or worse exams) in Nov re-take or next summer at end of course - depending on exam board and the exam center ( which is the school here).

I’m no fan of the current government but to their credit the disincentives for early entry in England are a very good thing. It’s a cynical attempt to game the performance tables and for the vast majority of students it’s a real disadvantage, meaning that they leave compulsory education with a worse grade in a core subject than they could have got a year later. It’s disappointing to hear that it’s still the norm in Wales.

Surely she would have been seen if she was using it and given no-one reported that hopefully it won’t go against her

The centre have to report it. Not to do so is malpractice on their part as well as hers.

@minutesturntohours I struggle with grown women piling on to a stressed out, anxious teenager.

It was her mother who posted for advice - who says the teen DD will even know of this thread's existence? It's not "vitriol" it's people explaining the rules and the possible consequences or telling what had happened in their areas. Please don't venture into AIBU on a Friday night if you think this is tough going

It’s a cynical attempt to game the performance tables and for the vast majority of students it’s a real disadvantage, meaning that they leave compulsory education with a worse grade in a core subject than they could have got a year later.

Can you explain this, @ThanksItHasPockets

If the vast majority of children are getting worse grades, how is the school gaming the performance tables?

It's to give them an extra go. Especially in maths.

They have put a stop to all this in England haven't they? Schools getting dc to sit some GCSEs in year ten. Now they have to use the first grade in the school performance table even if they do better in year eleven.

But how is that a real disadvantage for the vast majority of students, giving them an extra go?

You are confusing two issues. She may well be disqualified from that paper and potentially any others with same exam board this year. If she is year 10 she could resit in autumn (if English/Maths is still available) or next summer with other gcses.

However it is up to the school how they handle her school place and if they can accommodate her in the timetable for year 11 next year. Unlikely it will affect her otherwise unless they feel it was deliberate and not out of character,

That's what the data says.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/933682/EarlyEntryyAdHocNovv2020.pdf

She’s in school tomorrow morning so she will be speaking with her HoY to see what can be done.

we are hoping for the best

The main measure of a school’s performance used to be the percentage of students getting five GCSEs at A-C including English and Maths. Under this system it made no odds to the school’s headline figures if a bright student who should have got an A or A instead achieved a B in year 10.

English state schools now use the Performance 8 measure. It is not perfect but it rewards progress rather than simply attainment. Students’ expected outcomes are extrapolated from their KS2 SATs score and their achievement compared to the rest of their cohort. If they do worse than comparable students in their best 8 subjects then their P8 is negative. If they meet expectations it’s neutral. If they exceed them it’s positive. It means that schools have an incentive to support all students, because a student with a target of a 2 achieving a 3 and a grade 8 target achieving a 9 both have the same positive impact on the school’s data.

This is a very crude explanation but I hope it helps.

Because schools were grinding the students through multiple resits (summer y10, autumn y11, summer y11) to the detriment of the rest of their subjects.

Re the Wales thing, DC's school does this - I think the reasoning is that they start GCSE teaching in Y9 but in more subjects than most schools, so they narrow the curriculum earlier but by not as much, enabling more subjects to be taught to GCSE depth iyswim. This would mean an impossible exam load in the summer of Y11 in England but many subjects are modular here so you can do half of a syllabus and then be examined in it in Y10. Just a different approach, more subjects studied and examined over three years vs fewer subjects studied and examined over 2 years. The extra GCSEs are of no benefit for eg uni entrance, but they have a broader education to 16.

(Eng Lang and maths are done in Y11 so it's not a question of keep trying at those core subjects and pick your best grade after multiple attempts. Although you can probably do retakes in Y12 I think, if you can persuade them to let you in to 6th form. Eng Lit is done in Y10 usually, but then not taught in Y11, so they are unlikely to do better with a second attempt and nobody tries because they focus on getting the pass in Eng Lang instead.)

Good luck!