To ill to sit GCSE

[andwhy]

My daughter has woken up this morning with a high temperature and a headache. She has GCSEs today we've been told to keep her at home and send in a doctors note but my daughter doesn't want to miss her English exam, she's worked so hard. Does anyone know what actually happens if she doesn't go in? School says they will be in touch later, but it may be too late by then...

There is an illness and misadventure procedure for missing exams that your school should have made you aware of, you need to follow that for the best outcome.

Thank you. They have given us the procedure, but not actually explained what that means in terms of her grades. They have said they will be in touch later, but I was just wondering if anyone on hear had prior experience, because right now she wants to go in even though she's very ill.

She shouldn't go in. She could pass it to other students who would also miss exams. She'll likely be offered a resit in November ish, she can do that alongside her sixth form/college/apprenticeship at level 3.

If you miss one exam then your grade for that subject will be based on the marks for the exams that you actually sat.
This often works out much better than attending the exam where the marks added on for illness are very small typically 2 %.

They have said they'd give her her own room if she really wanted to sit it. So she wouldn't need to pass it on. I think it's too late now anyway. I was just hoping someone might have been able to let me know how she would be graded if she misses it

Her grades will be based on the other papers she sat for those subjects. No need to resit.

Thank you. That does sound like a fair plan. I will let her know.

As long as she has a couple of other papers they will calculate a result for the missing paper. However she may want to take it if possible.

Can I ask why? This is our concern she has a high temperature and a headache but she says she wouId be able to manage to write something, but it wouldn't be near her best. But we just don't know is it better to write something or to not go and let the exam board decide. I think it's too late for this exam but she has another one this afternoon and more tomorrow

She could claim Special Circumstances and it might have been a relatively stronger paper for her than others.

She would only get an extra 2% for special consideration and if she is feeling really terrible then her exam would be affected worse than that.

If really ill it’s better to stay away. Avoid passing it to others, and recover better for the next exams.

The instruction is very clear for this year - she should not go in to school with a temperature. School is likely to (should) send her home if she attempts to go in.

You should request a self certification form the exams officer and complete sections 2 and 3. For this year, you do not need to get a doctors note to receive special consideration- but include all the information/proof you can with the form. The school will apply for special consideration from the exam boards (grade based on exams completed) and would need a really strong reason/evidence not to support your claim.

My son is also ill (positive lateral flow covid test). He cannot sit exams until 3 days minimum after the test. He is having to miss 4 exams and it is absolutely gutting as he has worked so hard. We are hoping he feels well enough to sit English language on Friday.

I hope your daughter feels better soon - it is horrible for them.

Every subject has spaced out their papers as widely as possible this year, to minimise the chances that a student with covid would miss more than one paper. This is so that grades can be based on one paper alone.

don’t stress about it. It’s out of your control and hers. It will all be ok in the end xx

Thank you so much. She is so so gutted, she's worked really hard for these exams. There is so much conflicting information out there we just don't know what to do. School have advised not to come in but have said we have to have a doctors note. I can't even get through to the doctors at the moment. She is so upset and it all feels very uncertain. I'm trying to tell her it will be alright and that there will be others in the same boat, but that doesn't make it any better.

www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/A-guide-to-the-special-consideration-process-202122-–-General-and-Vocational-qualifications-Updated-8-April-2022.pdf

The appendix at the end has all the info you need. I hope it puts your minds at rest.

we are in same boat. DD feeling nauseous and not eaten since Sunday breakfast. She missed yesterday's exams and when still unwell today the school asked us to take her in, which we did. She had some water which she brought up in the street. We had telephone consultation with GP yesterday and he says he will write a letter. After looking at her and asking her to wait until exam started the school agreed she wasn't well and suggested she go home to recover. marking will be awarded on basis of exams she has sat.
she has a history (and diagnosis) of anxiety - hence school wanting to see her, I suspect. We have no idea if this is anxiety (DD says not and she completed two weeks of GCSEs before half-term with no hitches) but I confess i am worried. Today is English lit, one of her best subjects - we've watched Macbeth so many times and she's worked hard - all to no avail. it is heartbreaking and stressful.

I hope your DD feels better soon but school were keen to stress the main thing is to recover and not get stressed about missed exams, which will add to their anxiety. Good luck.

The marks will be based on the other English exams she has taken so she'll be fine grade wise

I'm sorry to hear that others are in the same situation, it's so rubbish for them when they've worked so hard. I think it was / is probably best that she doesn't go in for this afternoon either. But she just feels she's leaving her destiny to the discretion of the exam board.

They've been pretty clear this year that if they miss one paper, they will be given a grade based on their other paper(s). That means that they'll predict from her other paper how she would have been likely to do on today's, so unless she is much better at one paper than the other, she should get roughly what she was expecting to.
Much better to stay off than go in and do poorly, as far as I can see. If she still has a temperature this evening, I think I would be assuming that she stays off tomorrow too.

It's gutting to have done all that work and then not actually sit the exam, but it can't be helped.

It is so gutting. She's been asleep all day so definitely couldn't have managed exams today. The doctors are wanting to see her in order to write a note so I will have to get her up to go in there. I can't believe of all the weeks to be ill it's happening this week. School have suggested that the grades given by the exam board will be lower than she may have got herself, has anyone had previous experience of this?

Potentially, unfortunately. If the ones she has sat/will sit are relatively lower scores than her potential score on a missed one she may be graded lower accordingly. She needs to sit at least 25% of the papers in each subject. Is that still possible?

We hope so. I guess it depends how quickly she gets better. This week is a busy week 4 more exams to go. If she'd been ill any other week she wouldn't have missed so many !