Any GCSE markers about? Daughter in a flap!

[AChickenCalledKorma]

DD1 did her first RS GCSE paper today. She has been monosyllabic since she got home and has just had a total meltdown, because she didn't notice until after she'd written all her answers that she had to leave a two line gap between them. She's in year 10, sitting it a year early, and hadn't ever seen a proper GCSE answer booklet before.

Yes I know that she should have read the instructions properly.

The question is, is she right to be panicking? She normally sets things out very neatly, and she says she numbered her answers clearly. But she's in a total flap that the computer won't read it properly and thinks she's totally screwed up. I don't know what to say!

It will be fine. She is definitely not the first and won't be the last to do this. Good lesson to learn though on a paper like RS. Don't flame me.

And why has she not seen a 'proper GCSE paper/booklet' before? That would be an issue I would take up with the school.

I'm trying really hard not to blame the school, but it's not the first thing they have forgotten to brief this year group about. And they had to sit in purdah for three hours while the year 11s sat the same paper, because there isn't space in the hall for them all. It hasn't been the best introduction to public exams.

Thank you for being reassuring, though!

"She's in year 10, sitting it a year early, and hadn't ever seen a proper GCSE answer booklet before."

Surely she will have seen one when she sat her mock?

It's bad planning that they can't all take the exams at the same time. What happens with subjects that everyone takes like maths and English?

Also why does she think a computer will read it? Unless it is multiple choice all exam papers are read and marked and cross marked by real human beings. The double line thing may be for papers that could be used as sample answers that will need to be guillotined and presented as exemplars of each grade to the marking panel, or to ensure that the marker is aware that a new answer to a question is starting. It will be ok.

It'll be "leave two lines because it makes things clearer/easier for markers" not "leave two lines otherwise we'll ignore everything you write". She'll be fine.

It will be marked. Even if a candidate writes in blue pen rather than black as specified, it will still be marked. Just means it may not scan well and will have to be marked separately. Tell her to stop worrying.

All papers are scanned but this may be identified as 'out of clip' and therefore passed to a marker directly. We make absolutely every effort to read every bit of a response.

The two lines bit seems odd - in a proper booklet?

Another one saying it will be fine. Jesus, some of the papers I've seen including some that look like they were written in hieroglyphics!

Thank you all, lovely people! I did point out to her that an actual human being would be reading her answers at some point, and they would be capable of spotting the ends of answers. But she will be relieved to hear from some people that know more than mummy does.

I've no idea why she didn't see the answer booklet for her mock. But I intend to ask!

This is the first time that two year groups have sat the same exam. The decided to enter year 10 a year early so they could do the old syllabus and free up a bit of timetable next year. But it seems some of the practical implications weren't thought through.

My DS was worrying about this too. The invigilator said with 5 minutes to go that 'you should be leaving 2 lines between your answers'

For my DS's mock they just did it on lined paper but in the real exam they did it in the OCR-headed lined paper booklet.

I used to be a marker. I would not have reduced her marks because of this

One board does this. The invigilator will have mentioned it as it was highlighted by someone else. Happened to us last year.

Schools aren't allowed to use "official" stationery other than for the real GCSE Exams. RE is answered on an answer booklet rather than on a question paper which would explain why your daughter wouldn't have seen one before and why her mock was done on lined paper. I would be very surprised if the marker reduced the marks for not leaving 2 clear lines between answers.

She should be warned that next year if her school does different boards for different exams there may be clashes and thus she msy have periods of supervision to prevent her having access to what questions may be eg. Friends, internet etc. That is not unusual at all.

Re the 2 lines - won't be an issue.

At the beginning of the exam the chief invigilator will read out a standard script which includes the instructions to read the front page of the exam booklet and give them a couple of minutes to read it. She would be wise to get into the habit of doing this. Many candidates just look round the room smiling at their mates!

I was a marker for A levels for several years. Tell your daughter that you can only be marked positively, not negatively. If they want you to leave space it's just to make it easier for the marker. If someone's work is difficult to read then a team leader will mark it separately (ie look at the paper copy, not the scanned in copy) but the candidate still wouldn't lose marks. You start with zero and work upwards, not the other way around!