Exam disqualification help

[jazzyfazzy766]

Having a bit of a panic as my DD sat a BTEC exam today and at the end if the exam she asked what to do with her research notes and the invigilator said just yo take them home. Fast forward an hour and she is on the train home before starting work and school phone to say she needs to take back the notes ASAP as the invigilator made a mistake and if she doesn't get them back to school she could be disqualified. She had no time as was due at work. A couple of her friends went back as they were still in the vicinity.

What happens now? I have sent 2 emails and left 2 messages but no one has got back to me. Can she really be disqualified for an invigilators mistake?

She really should have went back, work can wait whilst an exam disqualification is permanent and just not worth the risk. If they do attempt to disqualify her then I would definitely be heavily challenging the school/college on this as it was the invigilator’s wrong doing, not hers. Ask to speak to the exams officer ASAP as they will be the most clued up on this

The invigilator needs to own up and sort it

She should have gone back.

Take them back first thing tomorrow. She should have called work & gone back to school instead but what's done is done. As the school could have said the materials were only out of the supervision of the school for X time.

Exam papers are collected in a morning & afternoon slot

As long as the exam officer can prepare them for posting in the morning it should be fine.

However leaving the exam room with exam materials is the problem here & that isn't resolved by returning the papers, it is still malpractice. The exam officer will be able to advise. I appreciate it isn't your DD's fault but there will be processes to deal with it.

I'd guess that the centre will report itself for malpractice (in that they let her leave with the notes) but that the penalty will simply be a warning to the centre. She must take the paperwork to the exams office first thing in the morning though.

Could she be disqualified? Yes.
Is it likely? No.