Experiences of special consideration after a medical emergency during A levels

[Curiouscase]

Please can you tell me your experience of ‘special consideration’ in A Levels? My DS suffered a medical emergency in his A level today.

School said they will apply to exam board for special consideration for all his exams.

Realistically, what does this mean? Will exam board take into account his grades from school assessments prior to exams? Or just add 1-5% to his score (a quick google suggests the latter).

Obviously his main worry is it impacting his uni application. (Will also post on FE board)

Thank you

I think the latter is the best you can hope for. I hope everyone’s ok now and the rest of the exams go well.

Yes the most you can hope for is a % uplift. The max as I understand it is 5% which is for very serious issues. Hopefully he is OK now and it won’t impact the rest of the exams.

Former admissions tutor here.

My understanding, which you should not rely on as it is older, is also the latter. The mitigation is quite minimal.

In these times when so many degree programmes are in recruiting mode, I think it would be worth DS emailing the admissions teams at his Firm and Insurance choices. He should briefly explain the situation and attach evidence. If he can honestly say something about being fully recovered and looking forward to university, so much the better. But I would not stretch this point.

Hopefully if he does not make his offers, one or both programmes will give him a second look. It can’t hurt.

Best wishes to DS.

PS DS’ email should say the school is applying for mitigation. Everyone knows it is mingy.

DC has a friend whose mum very sadly passed away in the middle of A levels. I don’t think there was any uplift in grades BUT the uni she went to (not Russell Group but v good in the subject) agreed to offer her the place based on her predicted grades.

So I would say it’s worth contacting the uni admissions team in case they can give any leniency that end.

Thank you. He experienced a severe epileptic seizure.

@poetryandwine I will ask him to contact the unis - I don’t think he could say he is fully recovered as it is an ongoing condition. What evidence do you think could he provide? He has already stated on his application that he has epilepsy.
Thank you

Teaching Assistant in a college here. I work with adults who are retaking or taking GCSEs. We would have to provide as much detail as we could about what had occurred and the action we took and how this would have affected him.

How the exam boards saw it would depend on whether he was able to continue after the medical emergency, and how much the emergency would have affected that continuation. It is difficult to know how the exam board would see your son's case specifically. Is he likely to have medical emergencies in future exams. If so, the school could probably do an emergency application for rest breaks, allowing him to have a break in the time if an emergency occurred.

@stichguru thank you. He has already had an allowance for extra time, agreed before the start of exams.

Do both. Let school apply for mitigating circumstances and let the uni’s he’s accepted offers from know this has occurred. Provide evidence (was seizure witnessed? Did he go to hospital? Can neurologist provide a letter of support?)