Length of GCSE exams - Do DC with extra time cope?

[TeenTimesTwo]

We've just had GCSE options evening for DD2, DD1 having done GCSEs 5 years ago under the old system of CAs, but with terminal exams.

Not only does it look like DD2 will have considerably more exams than DD1 (20 instead of 13), but the average length of exams seems to be longer too. Many more at 1:30 or 1:45 compared with 1hr exams DD1 had.

That's OK, I think. But one English Lit paper is 2hr15mins. Even that isn't unreasonable as a one off.

But: DD2 qualifies for extra time. (Yes I know this is a good thing and I shouldn't complain). With the extra time, the English Lit paper comes in at 2hr47min, which seems massive, and the 1:30 papers come in at 1:52.

I'm really concerned how on earth she is going to cope. Hopefully her stamina will build up over the next 2 years? Is that to be expected? Can anyone (teacher or parent) reassure me?

I had extra time allowed when I did my GCSEs (admittedly in early 00s) and was allowed to leave when I felt I had completed the exams. Hopefully this is still the case as I think if I had been sat at looking at my answers/essays for all the extra time I would have driven myself mad and started to doubt what I had written. Hopefully someone will have some current info for you though!

I forgot to say, DD1 had extra time, and was OK, but the exams were shorter and she had considerably fewer of them! She took a lot of 'nurturing' through GCSEs, so I am really wondering how on earth DD2 (who is generally less resilient) is going to manage.

Not that there's really anything I can do about it anyway I suppose.

I'd be making sure that your DD gets her extra time in all mocks to make sure that she gets used to it. I got 25% extra time and yes some exams were long but when you are doing it it tends to be ok. Get her to think of the exams in sections. Also when I had a very long exam (Advanced higher English) 3 hours normally, became 3hrs 45. I took a biscuit in and asked if I could eat it half way through. The examiner was fine with it.

As for the resilience aspect it is tough. Exams are exhausting enough but add in the extra time and whatever the underlying condition is it can be very hard. I think being very supportive during them/ any mocks accepting that afterwards she'll be exhausted and probably won't want to do revision in the evenings. Get her into a good revision routine from now so that she doesn't need to cram at the time.

Merge Thanks. She has been having extra time since y7 and school are good at ensuring it for all formal tests. She is exhausted after just a normal day at school as it is (doing any homework in the week is a struggle, and pointless to even attempt maths then). We are trying with revision routines for tests.

I really like the idea of biscuits part way through - hadn't thought of that. I did resort to Coca-Cola for DD1 at one point during GCSEs, for the caffeine hit.

Those exam times are the same as when DD took her GCSEs three years ago. However, they are still shorter than when I took my O levels many moons ago. She took 23 exams in total, but she did 2 GCSEs in year 10 and took maths 6 months early, so she only took 17 exams in the summer of year 11.

I think the suggestion of using the extra time for the mocks is a good one. DD had extra time for her A levels, and it was a massive help, but it meant that some of her exams were over 3 hours long.

It does make the exams more tiring, but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. My students generally use every minute of their extra time in the essay subjects, less so in subjects like maths. IME the only students who complain are the ones who haven’t done sufficient revision to use the extra time effectively.

So far DD has needed & used the extra time in all her tests.
So Small are you saying that some complain they are bored and have too much time, but that the ones who do use it effectively have built up the stamina / generate the adrenaline to cope?

the ones who do use it effectively have built up the stamina / generate the adrenaline to cope

^This. Even motivated students with 50% extra time plough on through.

A 1hr 30 mins paper gives 23 mins extra time. Teach your dd how to best use this. It could be to spend an extra 5 mins planning each long answer plus 4 mins to proofread her answer or an extra 2 mins to really read the question plus 5 mins proofing, or whatever works for her. For English, History or other papers with extensive writing, allocate time per question and build her extra time into that so she's not faced with a yawning chasm of 23 extra mins.

Use the extra time only if needed do not stay in the exam if you are finished.
The worst is when you will have 2 exams in one day. So make sure they get lots of sleep. No cramming the night before.
Stay hydrated (water not Coca-Cola), it is hard to remember when in exams but I think it did relieve unneeded stress after several hours of exams.
You can also get a break (15 mins) in the middle of an exam (if eligible, I think it was just essay subjects), I know because 1 of my DC had it last year.
They will cope GCSEs are a one off.

You could enquire about supervised rest breaks.

Some students can pause the clock as it were, step out of the exam room, go to the toilet and then restart the clock.

Not everyone qualifies but if you can prove this is beneficial and becomes her normal way of working then she might.

Not just for using the toilet. Just an example!

Speaking on a personal level, DD needed lots of TLC and sympathy about the general unfairness of it all. I often discuss this with my students- they do have to work harder than their peers to acheive the same results. I do think that needs to be acknowledged.

You are right AvoidingMarking you can have rest breaks during exams (if eligible). My DC had them up to 15 minutes for SEN reasons.

Pmd you

I work with students with access arrangements and the ones who are doing their best will do slow and steady. Encourage them to use it. I know a few will give up just to go at the end of the exam rather than extra time.

If there’s any potential for rest breaks then they’re good for perking students back up.

Thank you all, I am feeling a bit better about it.

I will continue to encourage good use of extra time, and will definitely go for snacks (better check with school first), and ask generally re rest breaks to see what the score is.

I don't think our school lets pupils go early and I would firmly tell DD not to do this anyway. How awful to get out of the exam and 2 minutes later realise you know the answer to something!

As someone who had extra time and this equated to 4 hour exams at university. One of the key things is to plan how you will use the time to be most effective. For exam 1.5 hour exam that is 3 essays you give 30 mins to each essay, 3 mins planning, 23 mins writing/typing and 4 mins proof reading.

The added advantage is that it ensures that you always get the first 'easy' marks for each question. As I understand it GCSEs have very structured papers you know there will a 16 mark question, 12 Mark question and 5 6 mark questions, so all the planning can be done before hand and practiced in mocks.

I would not expect her to be allowed snacks in the exam room unless there are specific medical conditions. Similarly cocoa-cola won’t be allowed- clear liquid (water) in a clear, unlabelled bottle.

Rest breaks are a specific access arrangement and I’ve known very very few students granted them. Those that have been granted them have to stay in the exam room whilst taking them.

Students don’t have to use their extra time however it is in their best interests to so.

Students with extra time are allowed to leave the exam any time after the end of standard time.

DD was allowed rest breaks due to a back injury last year. She had 22 exam papers in total. She found that the time flew by and the rest breaks were useful to allow her to refocus between sections of the paper.

In my own career, I had a student who was entitled to double time, meaning that he had 8 hours to complete a 4 hour exam with comfort & meal breaks. Now that is a long time!

KittyMcKitty - they muat be rules that your school have imposed.

Snacks are allowed, liquids do not need to be clear as long as they are in transparent unlabelled bottles. Also rest breaks do not need to be taken in the exam room as long as the student is supervised by an invigilator for the period of the rest break.

I have invigilated people with all sorts of adjustments including 100% extra time and rest breaks where they were allowed to sleep due to medical conditions.

Every candidate is assessed according to their own individual needs but some schools do impose their own rules which is fine as long as it complies with JCQ Regulations

DD had extra time for her A levels this year. I have just asked her whether she was allowed snacks and drinks other than water, and the answer was no.

(The Coca-Cola I mentioned for DD1 upthread was before and exam, not during it. I may have misled the conversation here a bit mentioning it.)

I'm sure all the O level exams I took ages ago were at least 2 hours. It's definitely the case that all my university exams were 3h long, often two in a day. I cannot quite believe how short some GCSE papers are now, having seen the mocks my son is doing. Personally I think a bit of recalibration of what is "long" is needed here - if extra time still has it below 3h I can't see the problem. Irrespective of the length, staying till the end and checking and looking how to do questions you could not do the first time through is well advised. I have banned my son from leaving any exam early.