SPaG marks in non-language exams

[creamteas]

SPaG marks now count for 5% of Geog GCSE (and others obviously, but this the only one that matters to DD ). I'm trying to find out what happens to the marks as she uses a scribe.

Does it automatically mean that they lose all those marks?

I've tried googling the answer and it is not very clear.

JCQ says that they 'will not have access to these marks'. But on an exam board site it states that most students will have access to ⅓ or ⅔ of the marks available. Anyone know the answer?

I do hope that they have a fair plan, because to lose 5% just because you can't write (or type) seems really unfair......

I think that they can gain back the marks if they dictate punctuation to the scribe. There is a place on the accompanying cover sheet where the scribe can write that the candidate dictated punctuation. You might want to try practising with your DD as stopping every few words to say "comma" is going to be tricky. It might be easier for her to go back and put them in afterwards. I also think that she is allowed to tell the scribe at the beginning of the exam that she wants them to put a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence and a full stop at the end which will mean that she won't have to keep repeating it all the time.

In science, I believe that they have to spell the scientific words in order to gain back the marks pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis to that!!!!

I would suggest phoning the SENCO and get them to clarify.

This is also going to adversely affect my DS who has dyslexia and uses a laptop.

www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/feb/05/dyslexia-gcse-exam-spelling

Depressing to think that our kids could get 100% correct but get a lower grade than someone who didn't.

Won't they just be marked out of 95 rather than 100?

Thanks niceweather.

I'll try and remind her to give some directions for the exam tomorrow.

Tichy as far as I can find out they either lose all the marks or at least some of them unless they spell out letter by letter every word (which clearly there would not be time to do in an exam).

I'm not a lawyer, but I think that it losing these marks make a grade difference on the result then this might constitute disability discrimination, but I don't think this has been challeneged.

I saw the recent Phil & Ethics paper and the student had to answer 4 out of 5 or 6 questions. Each question was divided into separate questions which had a mark next to them and at the bottom of each section, there was a SPaG mark. From what I remember, on the paper, it said something along the lines of - the question that had the best SPaG score would be the one that went towards the final result. In which case, you might be best just concentrating on getting all the SPaG right on only one question. On the other hand, I am not at all sure if this is right so don't take this as good advice. If right, then why did each question have a SPaG mark attached to it?

Get your DD to ask her SENCO or scribe the best tactic.

Good Luck!