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?

@ElinoristhenewEnid That is definitely a myth. We have had a few pupils over the years found with phones. Either ringing as they weren't switched off, or falling out of pocket/bag. All have been disqualified from the years exams but only that year. We have had pupils that have been found to have cheated on coursework - disqualified from the course that year and all other coursework thoroughly checked. Again this only affected one year.

Regarding the school not reporting it : Some years ago, I was in a final year law exam. It was an exam that we were allowed to bring a book into. Before the exam, I’d been doing last minute revision in a cafe with some other students.

I had loads of little index cards with me that day, where I’d written name and year of case on the front and brief facts of case on the back. I’d been using them to revise.

Anyway, before exam started, when we were sitting in our seats, I picked up my book and a card slid out, onto the floor, just as one of the tutors walked past… I obviously had no idea it was in there 😳 it was a thick book and as I’d gathered things up from the cafe, it had obviously got left in there somehow.

She picked it up and looked at it - there was hardly any information on (and it was an easy case to remember anyway). I obviously explained I didn’t know it was in there, and she nodded and let it go, thankfully. I think that logically, if I’d been using a card to cheat then I would have crammed information on it, and she would have recognised it as a revision card. But still, she used her discretion rather than going “by the book” and removing me from the exam.

Not a phone incident, but I had a student who was spotted with writing on her hand by an invigilator. It literally said "Paper 1 =40 %, paper 2 =60%". She was disqualified from that paper, but not her other exams. No right of appeal.

she used her discretion rather than going “by the book” and removing me from the exam
JCQ regulated exams have to be run by the book. My paper alone has 500,000 candidates. It's imperative that everyone is treated the same

Our school use WJEC and this is what we’ve been told about phones in the exam room

‘Being in possession of a mobile ‘phone (or any other electronic communication device e.g. ipod, smart watch, headphones) is regarded as cheating and is subject to severe penalty from awarding bodies, with the minimum penalties as follows:
Device found on you and turned ON – disqualification of the entire subject award.
Device found on you and turned OFF – disqualification from the specific paper you are sitting at the time.
Phone rings during the exam wherever it is in the room – the exam board must be informed and you will be disqualified from all papers for the subject (including any already taken).’

There will be a penalty, and that is only right imo, but please support your dd to carry on with her exams and not let this have a negative effect on any others that she still has left to sit.

I get that, I was referring to the PP who were like "how could she possibly forget, there's signs" etc etc.

Universities set their own rules and guidelines. School exams are governed (other than CAIE) by the JCQ rules.

The school will report and the invigilator will have had to complete a report.

The exam board can make q number of decisions. Disqualify that paper, that subject or all exams that year that she sits for that board.

If it is just that paper she may still pick up enough marks on the other papers to pass the GCSE if she is an able student. As hard as it is she should continue as though every paper will count as they well might.

“But still, she used her discretion rather than going “by the book” and removing me from the exam.”

She may not have been ‘using her discretion’ if the exam hadn’t started. If your notes were removed before the exam, then you no longer had an unfair advantage. No need to remove you.

I really hope you're able to persuade her to sit her other exams, and resit this one in the autumn, OP.

I can easily understand her believing she left it in her DF's car. I'm often positive I've put my phone in my bag, only to find later that it's actually sitting in the charger at home.

I can absolutely see how this could happen. And I have loads of sympathy for your daughter.

but everyone caught cheating says exactly what your daughter has said. I do believe you - but there can’t be exceptions - or everyone will cheat then trot out the same line.

tell your daughter mistakes happen - it’s absolutely not the end of the world. She needs to put it behind her and show everyone how great she is by continuing with her exams.

atart a routine int he morning - phone stays in the house.

What are you talking about?
I meant She was trying to get it out and then switch it on to view her cheat sheet

Yes, but it's slightly different going into public exams with visible and audible warnings. You'd have your memory jogged!

I can believe it was a mistake - but as someone who invigilates university exams I’d say that at the very least she’s going to have a penalty applied to that paper.

The important thing is to sit the rest of her papers, state her side of it and see what happens. And remember, having to do retakes isn’t the end of the world.

That does sound like bollox though, wouldn't you agree?

It is perfectly plausible that it fell on the floor, either out of her trousers or from her coat pocket.

Yes. It stinks in legal terms, and realistically how do you enforce it? All the person concerned needs to do is change their name.

You would surprised at how little attention many students pay to the reminders. I have lost count of the number of times I have to reprompt an entire hall of Year 11 to write their name on the paper/answer booklet. They switch off thinking they know the rules. Unfortunately it often takes an incident like OP's DD to shock the rest of the year and year below into being more careful.
It's really not the end of the world though OP please encourage your DD to carry on and deal with the exam board decision when it's made.

You might need it when asleep if someone needed to contact you in case of emergency.

Given that the rule is that the phone cannot be in the students possession, the consequence is for having the phone, rather than using it. The exam board don't need to prove that she was using it, as the regulations has been broken as she had her phone. There will likely be disqualification, without a right to appeal I'm afraid.

@fUNNYfACE36 she definitely would’ve been caught trying to get her phone out.. just doesn’t seem logical

The school has no option but to report it.
She will definatly lose that exam (she will be awarded a mark of 0)
She would have been given multiple warnings, including as the exam started, so she knew exactly what could happen if she was caught.
Its a hard lesson but many young people learn this lesson this way.

This is ridiculous though. Invigilators would see her use it. If she picked up her jacket, or moved in her seat, and it fell out, how is that an issue?

It's not about using it, it's about having it. That's the issue sadly.

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

Yes, it really is an issue.