to want to complain about this exam invigilationr?

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

One of my children was in an A level exam today.

They started 15 minutes late.

Without announcing it, the invigilator turned the clock back at the front of the hall to the time it should have started. So turned it back from 2.15 to 2.00pm.

She did this without announcing it, I'll just say that again.

However, there was another clock in the hall telling the correct time.

My child was completely distracted by the question of what was the correct time and when would the exam actually end throughout the exam.

In the event, it ended 15 minutes before she was expecting and she missed out on answering her final question properly.

AIBU to be livid?

[Rufusthebewilderedreindeer]

lancashire

[lancashirebornandbred]

My favourite question that a pupil asked me was if I could please wake up the boy in front of her who had fallen asleep. His snores were disturbing her.

[tabbiemoo]

How ridiculous not to allow students to go to the loo. That is an individual school’s rules not JCQ/the exam boards. What if a child was desperate or had a period related issue? If I were a parent or candidate at that school I would complain.
We allow toilet trips but candidates must be “supervised” ie. accompanied to the loos (not into the cubicle ) by same sex invigilator/reserve. We do not allow extra time for toilet usage unless medical reason, which means they rarely go as they’d lose exam time.

Am amazed by all the dimwittedness over how the timing confusion came about!

[Katzia]

Gatehouse, I am in England and these are the rules in my school. It's not even just the students, Invigilators are also not allowed to leave room to go to the loo. As I said, my school is very strict.

[cherryblossomgin]

I doubt she was the only one who did this. It's a stressful situation and the clock should of be left or the invigilator should of announced the time change. I hope something can be done or she doesn't lose to many marks.

[Ferrisbuellersdayoff]

Cross post with BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou

[PuppyMonkey]

Did OP get a call back?

[Ferrisbuellersdayoff]

Candidate thought there were still 15 minutes left, but there weren't.

[Ferrisbuellersdayoff]

Clock says 2.15.
Candidate looks at clock.
Candidate knows they have 2 hours for exam and /this is the important bit/ that the exam ends at 4.15.
Candidate looks at exam.
Invigilator changes clock to 2.00, unnoticed by candidate.
Time passes.
Candidate looks at clock, and assumes it is correct and unchanged. Candidate still thinks the exam is ending at 4.15 by that clock.
Invigilator ends exam at 4.00 by the clock. It is actually 4.15.

[BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou]

OP you haven’t replied to the numerous posters who have pointed out that the mistake your daughter described would have meant she had MORE time left than she originally thought not less

OP (and others) have explained. Picture this...

Exam starts and the clock shows 2.15. Exam should take 2 hours so at the end the clock should show 4.15. At 2.30 the clock is turned back by fifteen minutes. So at the end of the exam the clock actually shows 3.45. So it is perceived that the exam has finished 15 minutes early.

[Gatehouse77]

No, students cannot ask to go to the loo. This is not allowed unless you have a loo pass.

Not true in the UK as a whole.

Students are not permitted watches of any kind

Not true if you mean it's a rule they simply have to put them their desk so they can be monitored.

Students must remain upright at all times, no slumping on desks.

Again, not a rule but your school's choice.

OP you haven’t replied to the numerous posters who have pointed out that the mistake your daughter described would have meant she had MORE time left than she originally thought not less

Because it's NOT relevant - the invigilator flouted the clearly stated rules. That's what caused the confusion and that's what needs addressing.

[Itscoldouthere]

Good luck OP

[Piggywaspushed]

Emm yeah she does need to say two clocks not tow though.

Classic piggy typo.

[Katzia]

Moonstone magic, in those situations, they inform Examinations Officer before the exam and get issued a temporary toilet pass.

[Katzia]

I am an Invigilator and in our school they are not allowed to go to the look unless they have a toilet pass. They are well warned in advance of the rules. Personally I don't agree with this rule but have to enforce it.

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

Waiting for call back from exams officer!

[TheCanterburyWhales]

Yes, re watches. We have a blanket ban, smart or otherwise. Kids are too smart (excuse the pun) and we have had instances in mocks of one watch being handed in and one being smuggled in in pocket.

[Ferrisbuellersdayoff]

Mumsneedwine

Watches are permitted by the exam boards (except smart watches or ones with storage) if they are removed and placed on the desk, but may be blanket banned by individual heads of centre.

[Ferrisbuellersdayoff]

You have two breaches of the rules to report:

1. Changing the clock (this is the big one, as it caused your child to think she had 15 minutes longer, having missed the change).
2. Clocks showing separate times.

[cheeseandpineapple]

Reposting these links for ease of reference which pp posted.

www.jcq.org.uk/Download/exams-office/ice---instructions-for-conducting-examinations/instructions-for-conducting-examinations-2018-2019

Page 18 section 11.7 covers the clock point that it must show actual time exam starts and there shouldn’t be clocks with different times in the room.

Page 41 covers malpractice and what to do, first step would be notify head of centre which presumably is school in your case and ask them to confirm that they will follow up on this.

Have you raised it with the school already?

[TheCanterburyWhales]

You MUST put it in writing, of course.

Ring the school first and ask (school office/internal head of exams) who exactly you need to approach. Possibly the school will do it for you- but I think that would depend on how many students are coming forward with this issue. They will know who you need to contact though.

I just asked in our school office and they said if that happened at our school, they would ask the student/parent to put their grievance in writing and would forward it on via PEC, but time is very much of the essence- they pointed out that for language listening exams for example, grievances about audio quality etc need to be raised on the actual day or are not considered- not your situation obviously, but as an example. They (my office) said also that if more students came forward having at least noted the same thing, and not just one, then a grievance would more likely be upheld.

[diddl]

" because tow clocks showed different times, "

Isn't that all you need to say?

I remember taking exams years ago & if in the hall with 2 clocks the one at the back was covered.

Not rocket science, is it?

[Piggywaspushed]

Also, can I just add : keep it simple! I understood your OP but some didn't. You need to state that regulations were not adhered to because tow clocks showed different times, with one showing the incorrect actual time and that you are aware this contravenes regulations. Feel free to say this confused your DC but don't start adding too much stuff about 15 mins etc.

[Piggywaspushed]

Don't delay by writing : phone and ask to speak to exams officer and back this up by requesting their email address and emailing them. Others may also have complained : you really can't know that.

Don't delay!

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

@cheeseandpineapple - thank you for asking. I am going to formally follow up on this today but I don't really know where to start. Daughter came out of the exam convinced that they'd been short changed by 15 minutes. She was brave enough to raise this with the invigilator then - and that's when she was told the clock had been turned back. Other students weren't affected but the point is she was and I'm going to complain. So thank you Mumsnet for helping me make up my mind!

But now ... where to start? Who should I write to initially?