November gcse resit query

[ycbs]

My ds failed his maths AQA functional skills and we wanted him to resit it in Nov. I found info on the AQA website at the time that indicated that pupils could resit core subjects in November - i.e. English and maths. I can't seem to find that page now though.

The exams officer states that pupils can't resit exams any more and he has to wait till June.
Is this correct?

[titchy]

AQA November exams timetable here - clearly November resits DO exist for Maths and English...

AQA

[titchy]

Entry deadline 4 October.

[ycbs]

Thank you

[ycbs]

Dh has been sent an email stating that there are no resits....

[Roisin]

Functional skills is different from GCSEs. Did he pass his GCSE Maths?

[ycbs]

No he didn't pass GCSE.
He was entered for AQA linear maths - I think 4365 so the resit in on that link ( working at levels F-C, so the highest grade he could have got was a C )
Is that the same as functional skills?

[ChillySundays]

Know english and maths GCSE can be taken in November with the Y11 controlled assessments grades used. Don't know about functional skills. Could you approach your local college for advice?

[Roisin]

4365 is Maths GCSE. The exam you describe is the Foundation GCSE paper.

Functional Skills is a relatively new qualification and is a separate and distinct qualification. Its "value" is as yet to be determined.

I would concentrate on getting him through the GCSE. Is his school/college supportive? Can you get a tutor?

[ycbs]

Thanks. It's the AQA linear he needs to retake and there definitely seem to be resits on that link.
I will ask some colleagues who work in secondary schools next week if they can help.

[Roisin]

And yes, he can re-sit in November. If his school/college are not putting on exams in november (they don't have to), he could sit as a private external candidate at another exam centre. But you'd need to organise it quickly as the closing date for entries is soon.

[ycbs]

Thanks Rosin.
So he did the GCSE foundation paper - that's great. Do you know if there are resits in Nov for that?

Yes he has a brilliant tutor.
School are not being particularly supportive, but that's a very long and bizarre story...

[ycbs]

Okay so he can sit as external candidate - I will look into that with a local college.

School aren't refusing to put on resits - they are insisting that there are no resits at all.

[Roisin]

School are wrong.

[ycbs]

Thankyou Rosin - I thought that I was going mad for a while!

Now I just need to convince school that they are wrong....

[Roisin]

The exam boards used to offer Nov or Jan exams in some subjects, primarily focused on re-sits; but more and more schools used this as an early entry opportunity. Then if pupils failed, they put them in again in June.

This is now not allowed and the November sitting is for re-sit candidates ONLY.

But they are definitely available and definitely happening.

It can be an admin pain for schools/colleges to accept external candidates, so I would get a move on with this if that's your plan, and be prepared to be assertive, as well as to pay the exam entry fee and an external candidate admin fee as well.

[ycbs]

Thankyou.
So we need to know for certain from school on Monday whether they will enter him, so that we can get a move on with entering him elsewhere if needs be.

Is there a cost for his school to re-enter him?

[Roisin]

Yes, about £30 I think. They will also need to employ invigilators (minimum of 2 even if there are very few candidates); plus someone has to do the admin to enter the candidates, lock up the exam papers, send off the exam scripts, etc....

[ChillySundays]

Presumably the exam officer deals with the admin

[ycbs]

Thanks so much Rosin.
We don't mind paying. We just want it sorted.
We have been asking about this since the results came out, and no-one bothered to get back to us until today. So frustrating.