GCSE exam finished early. What can I do?

[CAMHShelp]

DDs GCSE exam was 1 hour and 45 mins. The invigilator asked the kids if they had finished to which DD replied yes, as she had answered all the questions (ASD) but planned to use remain 20 mins to check answers. They immediately took the paper away and ended the exam early as she was the last one to stop writing.
I have made a complaint to the school but they are being dismissive and fobbing me off.
What can I do?

‘Now: Does your child have other imminent exams they are taking? If so I would urge you to write a letter that the child can take with them to each examination. That way, if anyone tries to cut their time short again your child has a copy of the letter to give to the invigilator from you in which you tell that invigilator that you expect your child to be given the full time allotted to them.’

i would not advise any students to take such a letter into the exam hall, it’s unauthorised material. The exams officer should not be allowing invigilators to cut exams short.

This is NOT TRUE. A complaint about malpractice can be made by anyone to the board which set the exam.

Exactly this. The advice to take something into the exam is dreadful advice - taking anything unauthorised in is malpractice and the candidate is likely to be disqualified.

You can.

@gcsesargh I was invigilating last week and all students had to stay until the end of the standard time. It was a small room setting so we could say everyone except x and y stop writing and let them go, and then those with extra time could leave at any point up to their allocated finish time.

The candidates must still be given the whole time allowed.

Yes, I work hard as an invigilator too. A long, hard day does not excuse breaking the rules, you should know that.
OP’s DC did not have extra time, even if she did it was up to her to tell the invigilator that she had finished. The invigilator should certainly not be asking a student if they have finished before the allocated time is up.

‘You. Can’t. Talk. To. The. Exam. Board. Directly’

Yes you can.

For those who claim that you can’t complain directly to the exam board, here is an example from AQA:-

Reporting malpractice
‘If you suspect any form of malpractice either at school or online, speak to your teacher or exams officer. You can also get in touch with us directly by emailing [email protected] or calling tel:08001977162 0800 197 7162.’

Under the JCQ rules for conducting examinations a complaint made to a school about malpractice must be forwarded to the exam board.

I didn’t say they shouldn’t have the whole time. It’s a candidate’s choice to leave.
I Invigilate at a school- all candidates must stay until then of the exam (school rule) and a college where candidates may leave after one hour. Candidates indicate to us they want to leave, we don’t ask them.

@Caligirl80 - your letter advice is not sensible. Students should not be taking any written material into the exam.

“In the first instance all suspected malpractice should be reported to your school/college/learning provider.

If you've exhausted their internal complaints process you can report suspected malpractice by learners or staff by emailing [email protected] with as much detail as possible.”

If you’ve exhausted their internal complaints process…

Your DD should have gotten extra time given her needs and assessed prior for access arrangements to be made to give her the support she requires. I would complain to the school and speak to the exams officer.

Of course the child wouldn't take it into the exam hall!!! It would be with their other stuff, and they can tell the invigilator they need the invigilator to refer to a document from their parent that is in their bag (either in paper form or electronic form on their phone). Unclear why you would read into my comment any suggestion that the child take a document into the exam with them!

There is nothing wrong with parents/caregivers escalating their concerns and complaints directly if they wish. These examinations are important: lives are changed by the outcome. Deciding not so escalate an issue because a single document says "If" is bizarre - it's far too important to not be proactive and get help quickly - not just to help one's own child, but to help other children who might have their examination cut short because an invigilator etc hasn't been properly trained/isn't doing their job properly.

Exam Invigilator here. This is a huge no-no. Everyone MUST stay for the designated time allowed on the paper. If it’s 1 hour 45, they sit for 1 hour 45 minutes, even if everyone is finished. THEN the exam is ended with the exception of students who have extra time- they can continue working.

Was this an actual GCSE or mock ? The school are not conducting external exams properly if they are being ended early. You should complain to their Exams Manager ASAP.

I invigilate exams and this is totally wrong practice. Times are very strictly adhered to and we would never let a pupil go early even if they begged and said they were finished.
Staff should also not be interrupting during an exam to ask the candidate questions etc.
Sounds like the staff member made a total breach of policy

Definitely make it a formal complaint.
I always used left over time to check papers .

For those saying an invigilator must not speak to a candidate or ask questions during an exam. The other day I was in a small room, so anxious students unlikely to speak up. I saw a pupil was having an issue. Asked if ok, he said what he thought was wrong but he was ok. I then checked if he could have an emergency rest break to go out and deal with the issue. I went back and told him he could leave the room and add on the time. He said he would be fine (but issue was clearly still troubling him). I told him to put his hand up if he wanted any more help.
What if I hadn’t spoken to him, someone would be on here moaning that no one noticed he was having an issue. This way there is a note in the log with the issue. If it really impacted him maybe he could apply for special cons at a later date.

There's a fairly obvious difference between dealing with an obvious issue and speaking to a student out of the blue because the invigilator fancies knocking off early.

Many years ago I broke my leg just before first year university exams. I took them in my room in Hall of Residence with no-one invigilating as such, but occasionally someone would come in to check. It was quite off-putting because I could hear them lurking outside the door before they came in, not sure if they were peering through the keyhole to see if I was cheating. The upside was that they brought me cups of tea etc. But as those weren't exams that contributed to my final degree I guess they could be more relaxed.

That's not the same as asking someone if they'd finished. Students often finish early, have a nap or stare into space, then suddenly remember something.

We had an issue once with a girl who burst into tears during a maths exam. One invigilator took her out until she calmed down. I was Leading and when they came back I quietly told the girl and the other two invigilators I was allowing her 4 minutes extra time. A different student's father later complained about us talking and we were all asked about it separately and said the same thing, it was just what was necessary. It was a very difficult maths exam apparently so there was a lot of stress. (She didn't actually need the 4 minutes in the end but I thought it would make her feel less stressed).

I did Home Economics A Level in a room on my own with just the secretary sitting outside at her desk. 1973 - different times.

@CAMHShelp

Complain in writing to the school, governors & exam board - it's a HUGE rule breach to end any official exam before the allotted time - even if all the kids say they've finished & put their pens down! It's a big deal. (I work in a school).

The combined science foundation paper is 1hr 15 on aqa?