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?

Tbh I think the exam protocol is much stricter now that back in the 1980s when I sat my O and A levels. School are ime pretty hot on not disrupting the exam hall and some will not allow anyone to leave early or allow any toilet breaks in the last 15 minutes to minimise disruption.

Yep, I remember TAs who were invigilating with me trying to talk to me in stage whispers about stuff not pertinent to the administration of the exam. Or teachers coming in halfway through and talking at the front. I mean, where the hell is their professionalism?.

There'd be kids wearing blazers with obvious pieces of paper in their pockets, something obviously purposely ignored by some senior teachers present in the room.I gave up trying to raise that sort of thing with them as they often weren't bothered. They just used to say "oh it won't be anything, it's probably just their exam timetable or something." Shocking

Also teachers are not supposed to be invigilating. There shouldn't be any teachers in the room once the exam has started except for Art and possibly other practical exams where materials might be needed.

The exam should not end before the allocated time, even if all pupils appear to have finished. Please do complain in writing to the exam person in school, and request mitigating circumstances for this paper.

That is strange behaviour from the invigilator. They should not ask if a child has finished the exam.

Teachers can invigilate, but not their subject and must have undertaken the invigilator training. We sometimes have teachers to help invigilate if it’s a very large cohort 440 plus candidates, but this would be in addition to 10+ external invigilators.
For art exams, especially where equipment is being, used there may be support from a member of staff but an external invigilator is also present to ensure that the member of staff is not helping the student. I invigilate three d design and a member of staff is always present for health and safety reasons.

That’s incorrect.

The invigilator should not have asked the question.

They should not have finished the exam early.

Make a formal complaint.

I am currently an invigilator too - although in Scotland where the exam boards are different.

The exam board sets the rules about how the exams are run, in Scotland candidates are not allowed to leave within the first 30 minutes of an exam, and latecomers are admitted within the first 30 minutes. Nobody leaves in the last 15 minutes and we give 15 minute and 5 minute warnings before the end of the exam.

However, the school I am in operates differently and they do not allow candidates to leave AT ALL. They believe it's disruptive and unfair to have people getting up and leaving at various points through the exam and it certainly makes my life easier - everyone stays to the end. For candidates with additional time, they have to stay until the end of the timetabled exam, but do not have to use their extra time if they do not wish to do so.

It is not my place to ask a candidate if they have finished. Totally inappropriate. Whoever manages the invigilators in your centre should be made aware and put this person in the hall with other invigilators rather than on their own with candidates in a room. Rules in Scotland are 1 invigilator per 35 candidates so yes, you can often be with multiple people in a room and yes it's a nightmare when one of them decides they need the loo - I have to phone the office who send someone along.

This needs to be reported to the exam board by the school (or you). Formal exams should never finish early even if students have supposedly finished. In addition, if extra time is for an additional learning need, she should have hsve received this even if others have completed their exam and left.

I have never heard of this happening. It’s absolutely not something they are allowed to do.

What have the school said? Fobbing you off? Who did you speak to? You need to take this further. I can’t believe they did that.

Woah serious breach of rules! I’m a high school teacher. If I were you I’d write to the Headteacher & Govenors. JCQ is the body which oversees exams in England and they have rigorous rules for a reason. I’d be writing to them also. It doesn’t matter if your child finishes, the exam was 1hour 45mins and absolutely should not have finished before.

whoops, I was responding to the person who said the invigilator was an idiot.

It doesn’t matter if your child finishes, the exam was 1hour 45mins and absolutely should not have finished before.

Yes, I have sat in a room before with 20 minutes to go and six or seven candidates who have clearly finished and are sitting with their arms folded but even then you don't just say fuck it, let's call it a day.

You can't just finish an exam early! They shouldn't be asking anyone if they've finished. If you're in extra time and you've finished then you put your hand up and say so.
We sometimes have a few students in small rooms who are allowed to leave after an hour because otherwise they become disruptive/meltdown but this is not the norm at all and doesn't happen randomly. It only happens on the exam officers say so for very specific students.

The timing of the start and end of the exam is recorded.
If there was time left it will show up.

Even when someone finishes early we would usually say go back and check you have answered everything and there are no pages stuck together. Then we would take the paper.

Some exams do finish early if everyone has completed everything.

Ensure you have made a written complaint which may only have impact if the child is under a threshold by a point or 2. That would be my assumption.

I work in a secondary school and have a lot of knowledge/ experience in exams. The invigilator could only have asked if the exam paper was shut. As your daughter said yes that’s also consent to finish. So whilst it might feel unfair I don’t think complaining would get you anywhere unfortunately. How did the exam go otherwise? (I’m assuming it was GCSE biology and I’m head of science in a school but currently on mat leave so interested to know)!

Definitely report.

I am currently an invigilator and all students must have the allotted time. They can leave after a certain period for the exam to count but no invigilator should be taking the paper away before the end of the stated time on the paper from the exam board. It is different for mocks and end of year exams as they are not set by exam boards and don’t have the stringent rules that GCSE and A levels etc have.

It's actually something that they're allowed to do if everyone has finished. Your DD said she'd finished she should have said no!

Can the posters slagging off invigilators stop it please!! I started in the exam hall at 8:15 this morning, I had one break of exactly 20 minutes at 1pm, finished at 5:30 pm. I had one wee in all that time! We are not idiots and we work bloody hard!

I suspect OP's DC chose not to use her extra time. She needs to use it in future.

Follow the school complaints procedure, if the initial complaint wasn’t listened to, then escalate it further up the complaint chain

Invigilator has discretion - if everyone in the exam are sitting with pens down for at least 10 minutes, then the invigilator can ask. If someone is still pondering an answer then they say not finished yet and everyone stays put…

Retired teacher here, this is definitely NOT allowed. Complain to exam’s officer and head of school. If you have no joy write to the exam board for that specific exam.

Here here!