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Secondary education

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Original poster

DD fallen ill during GCSEs - don't know what's going on

14 replies

ChristinaAlber · 16/05/2023 15:06

Any advice appreciated

DD has four GCSES today, owing to an unlucky bit of timetabling, meaning some time spent in isolation as exams clash. Missed a call from school a couple of hours ago. Dh missed it too. No message left. DH called the switchboard (you can't see which department is calling) who said it wasn't the medical centre so we relaxed a bit. Now have had an email saying the thing dd dreaded has happened and she was stuck with a migraine during one of her exams and might be home later than expected.

Not clear what is happening now .. will she be allowed after a gap to go back into the exam where she fell ill and then sit the others later in the day or tomorrow? Will there be mitigation in the marking? DD is an extremely stressy child and this has always been her worry. What happens in these situations?

OP posts:
BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 16/05/2023 15:09

4 exams in a day sounds rough at gcse level! No wonder she has a migraine. I wish exam boards would consider number of exams in a day when timetabling. Sorry to hear she js poorly. I honestly don't know how they will proceed.

LookOutBandits · 16/05/2023 15:12

Four exams in one day is ridiculous! Poor kids.

My dd had a clash in her A levels and had to be chaperoned for the day. But this is different as your dd won't be able to do them with a migraine.

LIZS · 16/05/2023 15:20

Depends when it affected her. She may have been allowed a later start time for one of the papers if she felt well enough to sit it after a break. School can apply for special consideration if she missed any or was taken ill during a paper. Hope she feels better soon.

Igmum · 16/05/2023 15:24

Four exams in one day? No child would perform their best under those circumstances. Is the school signing up to a range of exam boards? So sorry your daughter isn't well

Tittyfilarious81 · 16/05/2023 15:26

How on earth can they fit 4 exams into 1 day , my DS has days where he is sitting 2 1 in the morning and 1in the afternoon

andwhy · 16/05/2023 15:33

Four exams! That's ridiculous. Poor thing no wonder she has a migraine. My youngest was too I'll to take some of her GCSES last year so we had to get a doctors note and then the exam board used the papers she sat to give her a grade. I think they have to sit half of the papers for that subject or something. I'm sorry I can't remember the exact details. She didn't do as well as perhaps she could have, but it certainly wasn't the disaster that we were expecting. (Someone told us she would get nothing if she didn't sit them, but that wasn't true)

SeasonFinale · 16/05/2023 15:38

There is a limit of 5 and a half hours of exams in one day for GCSES so it sounds very much like she only has short papers today otherwise one would have required moving to tomorrow and overnight supervision.

I suspect she is currently sleeping it off in the medical room and they will start the other papers later. If she isn't well enough to continue the school will be asking you to get a sick note from the GP if she ends up having to miss any papers. As long as in terms of papers taken she takes 25% then they calculate what her grade may be based on what other students who got the same grade as her on that paper get on the others she misses. However to do this she needs medical evidence.

If she does miss papers speak to the exams officer as to when you need to get the medical evidence to her by.

Original poster
ChristinaAlber · 16/05/2023 15:54

Thanks all for the kind wishes, don't really want to go into the rights and wrongs of four exams - of course it is too many. She should have been doing exactly 5.5 hours so on the limit. Thanks @SeasonFinale, useful advice. No one has responded to my email. If she does much worse than expected can she retake any exams in the autumn? If so, I might tell her this to comfort her as she is a total perfectionist and will be distraught.

OP posts:
SeasonFinale · 16/05/2023 15:55

@ChristinaAlber unfortunately only Maths and English are available in the autumn sitting

Original poster
ChristinaAlber · 16/05/2023 16:09

DD just called under supervision in the exam officer's office. She fell ill after the second exam, lay down for an hour with painkillers and then was allowed to start the third one late, now she'll sit the final one in about an hour. Luckily, the two hardest exams came first and the two exams she's done since feeling ill are in subjects she's good at and which also don't require too much creativity, so that's a relief! She won't be home until quite late and rightly says it's been a horrible day but sounds like it could have been a lot worse. Fortunately, she has no exams tomorrow.

OP posts:
Lougle · 16/05/2023 16:12

I'm glad there's a solution but your poor DD!

TokyoSushi · 16/05/2023 16:16

Gosh, poor DD and the school as well who must have to manage all sorts of things during exam periods. Glad there's a solution, even if it isn't ideal, sounds like a nice dinner and an early night is in order!

andwhy · 16/05/2023 17:21

Well done to her. She must be a very determined young lady. You just be very proud. I bet she will be exhausted this evening

Skodacool · 13/07/2023 20:35

SeasonFinale · 16/05/2023 15:55

@ChristinaAlber unfortunately only Maths and English are available in the autumn sitting

This is correct. You would be best speaking to the examination off. They should put in an appeal for special consideration.

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