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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Advice please - mobile phone in AS exam

26 replies

Asterisk · 12/05/2014 20:17

A friend's DC had AS exam today, and phone was in pocket. It beeped for low battery and, of course, that was noticed. She's been called in for meeting tomorrow. Has this happened to anyone? What are the consequences?

OP posts:

HouseofEliot · 12/05/2014 20:20

They could be accused of cheating. I remember from school we had to make sure all our belongings had to be at the back of the hall.

meran · 12/05/2014 20:24

I think that she probably might get disqualified from exam.
I think that's what the exam board would expect. We had a student disqualified from an exam for taking his phone out of his pocket and playing with it after he'd finished his exam but before he was allowed to leave.

MaudantWit · 12/05/2014 21:33

I dimly remember a similar thread from last year. To the best of my recollection, the student was disqualified.

LeBearPolar · 12/05/2014 21:35

Yes, we have had a student disqualified for this in the past. They are told very clearly that they must not have mobile phones with them.

Doinmummy · 12/05/2014 21:38

DD was disqualified for this . I don't know why they don't make students put all phones in a box as they walk into the room.

Bunbaker · 12/05/2014 21:39

"I don't know why they don't make students put all phones in a box as they walk into the room."

I agree. Makes sense really.

Coconutty · 12/05/2014 21:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Roseformeplease · 12/05/2014 21:41

We had a student disqualified for this - mind you, he was cheating and boasted about it later. He lost that qualification, but not the rest (as they threaten) as it was his first exam.

MirandaWest · 12/05/2014 21:45

There are posters put up in and outside exam rooms to tell you that you may not have any phones or MP3 players etc in the exam. In some schools they will collect all the phones in but tbh it is the responsibility of the students to not have them with them.

Disqualification from at least that exam is a definite possibility.

Cataline · 12/05/2014 21:47

"I don't know why they don't make students put all phones in a box as they walk into the room."
Possibly because AS level students should be able to follow simple instructions at this stage rather than an adult having to take responsibility?

Roisin · 12/05/2014 21:47

Doinmummy - all exam rooms have signs outside about mobile phones; and a notice is read out at the beginning of every exam. They're not allowed to have phones on their person, even if they're switched off.

KristinaM · 12/05/2014 21:53

Cataline -I think it woudl be very easy for a student to forget that they had their phone in their blazer pocket. I forget where ive put mine all the time, without the stress of exam conditions.

Having a box as you go in the door is a visual reminder .

Cataline · 12/05/2014 22:00

A box as a visual reminder is different to making pupils put their phones in a box though. I like this idea more!

indigo18 · 12/05/2014 22:00

Students need to take responsibility for themselves. 100+ phones in a box... not great! Having a phone in an exam should result in disqualification from that paper, and can result in disqualification from all exams. They are told over and over at our school and I should think it is the same everywhere. They are also reminded as the rules are read at the start of each exam, so that should have triggered student to have an OMG moment and rectify the situation.

AuntySib · 12/05/2014 22:03

Happened to my son - phone was in his bag at the back of the room. Whilst it was accepted he wasn't trying to cheat, he was disqualified for that exam, but was allowed to resit next time around.

AElfgifu · 12/05/2014 22:06

It will be reported to the exam board and the exam board will investigate and make a judgement. Will be disqualified from the exam, that will be automatic. The question is whether this candidate will also be disqualified from other exams taken, or banned from future exams.

roguenight · 12/05/2014 22:07

Disqualification from the exam is likely I would have thought.

YoureAllABunchOfBastards · 12/05/2014 22:07

Likely to be disqualified. May be disqualified for all exams with the same board.

Every year this happens - we cannot be more clear at my school, but no-one sodding listens

AElfgifu · 12/05/2014 22:08

Wow! Just twigged this was an AS candidate! in that case stands to be stripped of GCSEs too! lets hope not, but what an idiot to put their whole education at risk like this. you cannot just "forget"! There are posters up and verbal reminders.

cricketballs · 12/05/2014 22:37

We have had a GCSE candidate who ended up disqualified from all GCSE exams; had a phone in his pocket, turned off but refused to not have it with him...

This issue is taken extremely seriously given how easy it is for someone to cheat. Even at GCSE, it is up to the students to take responsibility for themselves to follow the rules (also, a nightmare situation for a school to hold phones in a box)

Original poster

Asterisk · 13/05/2014 00:13

Thanks for replies. Oh dear, I think they were hoping she'd get off with a warning but that doesn't look very likely.

OP posts:

MrsRTea · 13/05/2014 00:21

Looking on the (slightly) brighter side, does it mean they can just re-sit the exam? And then their future CV would not need to show that they were disqualified? I imagine they will be required to list it on a Ucas form.

hellsbells99 · 13/05/2014 07:34

At my DDs' school they have to put their phones in a box - I am very glad after reading this thread. I knew they were not allowed phones on them but didn't realise you would get disqualified if it was in your bag at the back of the hall etc.

DeWee · 13/05/2014 10:58

When I was at school the last thing the invidulators said before they told you to turn the papers over was "Have you got anything in your pockets you shouldn't have... books, revision notes... calculator (if non-calculator paper) etc. If you don't hand them over now then you will be regarded to have cheated and may be disqualified from all exams." Then they'd collect it off anyone who had. i would imaagine now they would add mobile devices to that list.

Mind you, I did my GCSE exam on Marks Gospel with a Bible in my pocket by accident, having brought it to revise earlier, and totally forgot to take it out.
I was the only one doing the exam, so was in a little side room. I was about 10 minutes into the exam when I remembered, was about to hand it over to the teacher when there was a knock at the door, he went out briefly, I heard talking and then came back in with an official exam modulator. I was desperately hoping he wouldn't ask to empty my pockets. When he'd gone, I didn't dare then hand the Bible over because he had been out of the room for a few minutes and so I could have used it in that time.
So I can perfectly understand how it can be forgotten.

Eleanor02 · 13/05/2014 19:45

Something not altogether dissimilar happened to one of my DCs. There was a meeting, we were informed and, in the end, the school felt that they needed to tell the exam board even though they were sure there was no attempt to cheat. The school asked the exam board to be lenient and indeed we eventually got a letter saying that DC had been exonerated by the board though with the usual warnings etc.

If the school takes this further, and feels the need to tell the board, it should be asked to tell the board there was no intention to cheat, this was a mistake and would they, this time, let it go and not penalise the student.

Hope all goes well ...

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