What if I forget to come for an exam ?
You can only take an exam at the set time, so if you forget to come, you have missed the exam.
If you miss a GCSE exam you will be charged a minimum of £35.
What if I am late?
If you arrive after the published start time you must report to reception and wait to be escorted to the exam room by the exams officer. Each candidate who arrives between 5 – 20 minutes late will be considered on an individual basis regarding late entry to the exam room. Anyone arriving late without good reason will NOT BE ADMITTED. Candidates will only be allowed into the room after 20 minutes have passed in exceptional circumstances. You are entitled to have the full time allowed.
What if I am ill?
If you are ill, you must try to sit the exam. Your parents must telephone the school by 8.30am on the morning of the exam if you are not going to attend.
If you are unwell, but attend the exam, your parents must write a letter to the Examinations Officer explaining the situation, accompanied by a doctor’s note.
Special Consideration
The School can write to the exam board to ask for special consideration in exceptional circumstances, as long as you produce a letter from your doctor.
It is your responsibility to ensure that the exams officer is fully informed as to which exams you wish to make an application for special consideration. However, this will have very little effect on your final grade, as the MAXIMUM amount of consideration given is only 5%.
Candidates will only be eligible for special consideration if they have been fully prepared and have covered the whole course but performance in the examination or in the production of controlled assessment/ coursework is affected by adverse circumstances beyond their control at the time of assessment.
Remember
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION IS ONLY APPLIED FOR IN EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
Exam Timetable Clash
It is not unusual for candidates to find they have a clash on their exam timetable. If there is a clash of two papers it is normal for the candidates to sit one paper, and then have a short break in the exam room (5mins) and then continue with the next paper. Where there is a clash of 3 or more papers throughout the day, we will arrange supervision for breaks and create an individual time table for such candidates. Please speak to the exams officer straight away to initiate the arrangements. It will be essential for the candidate to bring a packed lunch with them on the day; this will be kept secure until the specified lunch break.
For the scribblers!
Graffiti on exam desks is not good!! All the desks are scribble free and we would like to keep it that way. If you are found scribbling or scratching on your desk you will be charged for the cleaning or repair. You will also be charged for the removal of chewing gum from the chairs, tables or carpet so make sure you dispose of it in the bin prior to entering the exam room.
We have detailed seating plans and we will know WHO YOU ARE!
When you are caught, you will be charged with the cost of the desk - £20 - SO BEWARE!
What is the EBacc (English Baccalaureate)?
The EBacc refers to a combination of subjects that the government thinks is important for young people to study at GCSE and is favored by many universities
It includes:
• English language and Literature
• Mathematics
• the sciences
• Geography or History
• a modern foreign language.
What is Progress and Attainment 8?
Progress and Attainment 8 are now the main measures by which the schools are held to account for exam results.
Progress 8 was introduced in 2016. It aims to capture the progress a pupil makes from the end of primary school to the end of secondary school. It is a type of value added measure, which means that pupils’ results are compared to the actual achievements of other pupils with similar prior attainment.
Attainment 8 measures the achievement of a pupil across 8 qualifications including mathematics (double weighted) and English (double weighted), 3 further qualifications that count in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) measure and 3 further qualifications that can be GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or any other non-GCSE qualifications on the DfE approved list. Each individual grade a pupil achieves is assigned a point score, which is then used to calculate a pupil’s Attainment 8 score.