Scribe for English Language GCSE

[TeenPlusCat]

We've probably missed the boat, but thinking about re-retakes.

Can you use a scribe for English Language GCSE, but only for questions with no SPAG marks, and then handwrite those? DD has limited stamina with her handwriting (typing diabolical, so that is an even worse option). She already gets extra time and rest breaks.

Any sits, the rules are the same. Whatever access arrangements she gets, she should get them in mocks etc too.
Scribes are less common these days in my experience as more students word process. But the limitations on marks for those who use scribes are not as great as some people think.

Using a scribe without dictating any SPAG would only lead to a deduction of a maximum of three marks per paper though (two if she dictated the punctuation), because while there are 16 marks for SPAG in each piece, those are across four bands. She'd go to the bottom of the 4 mark band rather than lose the whole lot. That's assuming she'd get a mark at the top of the band independently. The adjustments are minimal.

She wouldn't get top marks on either spelling or punctuation anyway. Her P is basic, and her S is variable.

Definitely worth looking at getting a scribe then if it's possible.

Honestly if you can get away with it at this stage, she might as well just use the scribe for the whole paper.

@TeenPlusCat

Forgot, she also has an electronic reader.

I am hoping that adrenaline will see her through when the time comes.
She'll have missed the deadline for this year anyway won't she?

Deadline for AA applications for summer is 31 March

DD has a Q5 to do over half term, so we'll give it a go with her doing the punctuation and me the spelling. Thank you all so much for giving me the confidence to give it a go.

Should've said: the reason it's worth her dictating the punctuation is that there are marks for range and variety. So if she gets in a question and a simple sentence and some commas in a list, then she'll get credit for it.
Good luck!

I got a response. Roughly speaking it was:
'she can't have a scribe as she doesn't use a scribe'

A bit more too-ing and fro-ing got me a slightly more sensible answer, and they are going to consider things a bit more. If the answer is no then I don't mind so much, as long as it has been thought about.

I'm a senior marker for English and I agree with @MrsHamlet that it's well worth doing some dictation of punctuation as that's pretty quick to do. It only affects the mark for qu5 so if you're using a scribe, use it for the whole paper if that will help. There are a lot of misconceptions about use of scribes amongst teachers themselves and even exams officers, so it's worth pursuing. If you want to look up the guidance yourself it's all on jcq.org.uk.

If stamina with writing is the problem and you have no luck with the scribe consider asking for supervised rest breaks. She could take breaks to recover and the time taken can be added on to the end of the exam....