SQA English Folio Writing

[revitalised]

Does anyone know if it is a REQUIREMENT that when a Folio piece is being typed up that the typing has to be witnessed/supervised by a teacher? My DD has written one piece - partially during lessons and partially as homework - but when it has come to typing it (during the drafting stage) she has spent 6 out of the last 9 English lessons sitting in front of the computer at school typing the essay in. Another school in the area allows the kids to type essays up at home. When I challenged DD's school that this was a waste of lesson time I was told that it was a 'requirement' that the typing be done under supervision.

Hi my DD did Int 2 English last year and her folio pieces were initially done first draft in class time and then she was given some steer by teacher, who photocopied her first draft and final draft was typed up at home. Here is what it says on the SQA website:

"The pieces of writing submitted in the folio must be produced under conditions which ensure reliability and credibility. This need not entail formal, timed and supervised production of the pieces of writing, but at all stages of the preparation for and the production of the pieces of writing there should be careful monitoring to ensure that they are entirely the candidate?s own work.
 Candidates will be required to sign a declaration that the work in the folio is their own and unassisted other than by legitimate support from, for example, a teacher or lecturer."

So I think that the phrases "Conditions which ensure reliability and credibility" and "careful monitoring to ensure that they are candidates own work" are open to interpretation. In my DDs school I guess they think they achieved this my looking at the final draft compared to the first and being aware of the usual standard of that childs work- the teacher would have expected enhancement of original idea where necessary and proper grammar and spell check, but I assume a completely different piece of work, of a higher standard than usual would have been "rejected". Your DDs school is clearly taking the view that the only way to achieve this is to do it all in school. However I think there was very strict word limit- I remember my DDs PC corrupted and she wanted to make a couple of changes so she had to retype on my laptop both piece and it only took her an evening ( 2 hours) and she got an A, so not sure why it is taking so many class lessons!

Sorry for late response. Just checked w DD who says that both at standard grade and higher she has typed her folio pieces at home. She looked totally when I suggested it should be done in school only.
Hope that helps.

Definitely not.

Thanks so much for your responses. I have now gone back to the school with quotes from the SQA website guidance for the Standard Grades and await their response. It may be interesting - it seems the Head of School was specifically told (by the Head of English) that it was a 'requirement' to type up the folio in school in specific response to my query.
I think I will just sit back and watch the fireworks!