3 Public exams on 1 day? GCSEs + AS

[Minesh]

DC has just been given statement of entry - 2 GCSEs am and pm with am. clashing with AS subject.
I understand students being kept in quarantine to preserve security of exam paper etc. etc. etc. - we all know of individuals being kept in Head's office

However the point is surely 3 heavy duty writing exams will affect performance? yes exam boards timetable nationally to avoid as best they can but tiredness/mental fatique is going to kick in after 2 exams.
What is there to be done?
Any experience or advice?

[aliportico]

If you look at the special consideration guidance, you'll see that you can apply for special consideration if you have 3 or more exams in one day AND the combined time is more than 5 1/2 hours. My dd1 had some days with 3 exams (including two clashes) last year, but none over 5 1/2 hours. I'm afraid if theirs are within the time, your child is just going to have to get on with it.

[Amber]

If you look at the special consideration guidance, you'll see that you can apply for special consideration if you have 3 or more exams in one day AND the combined time is more than 5 1/2 hours. My dd1 had some days with 3 exams (including two clashes) last year, but none over 5 1/2 hours. I'm afraid if theirs are within the time, your child is just going to have to get on with it.

Ditto. My DD had 3 in one day with a clash and resulting quarantine. I don't think it's all that unusual. She did hear of one child having to be quarantined overnight at the home of a teacher but I think that might have been urban myth. Kids can be quite resilient so try not to worry.

[southbucks3]

Remember the snow last year? A whole rake of kids got quarantined at school, not sure what their results were though, thankfully they had the boarding house to use.

Poor child, you better have a nice bath and lots if choccy waiting for their return home!

[Warks mum]

The Head at DD's school said this was going to be a particular problem for the next couple of years as the GCSE and AS/A levels are still designed for modular courses, i.e. lots of exams spread over the year, but they are all now taken at the end of the year. He hoped things would settle down eventually but that doesn't help our DCs!

[KB]

Also due to schools having pupils taking GCSE and AS exams at the same time.
If they didn't fiddle around like this it would be less of a problem.

Speak to the exams officer at the school to negotiate the best 'deal' you can.

[kenyancowgirl]

I have helped run the exams at our local state school for the last few years. All the exam boards do work together to create the timetable, however, inevitably their are clashes, due to the number of exams taken, students taking weird and wonderful combinations and schools choosing different exam boards. The actual timescale for the exam period in the summer, for example, is extremely short - 6 weeks, with the majority being taken in less than 4 weeks. Every year we have students who have a number of clashes (usually 3 exams but has been 4) and have to accommodate the needs of the student and the requirements of the exam board. I have posted a link to JCQ board - but they are all much of a muchness - for AS and A levels it is 3 exams and 6 hours in one day (ie over that then a deferment can take place) but for GCSE it is 5.5 hours. Obviously, with the 5.5 hours or 6 hours, we have to schedule breaks for meals and rest between the exams but this has to be balanced with the need to get the exams done on that day and posted back to the exam board.

http://www.jcq.org.uk/faqs/instructions ... aminations" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The overnight supervision thing is not an urban myth! It happens - rarely, but it does. Certainly even in the above situations, students are not allowed to speak to anyone, they have to be escorted on rest breaks and comfort breaks (I've even escorted a student off site for a fag break...!!) and their phones are confiscated for the duration.

[marigold]

Last year my daughter had German listening, German writing, Mandarin listening, Mandarin writing and Latin all on the same day. One poor girl in her year then had Drama at the end . I still have last year's calendar up in the kitchen and can see that in same week in May she had two exams on each of the other days. She managed absolutely fine, I was the one on the bottle.
I have invigilated for many years and many times each exam season have to look after groups of children in clash supervision. If any of your children have to do this please make sure they take a snack/lunch and some work to do. I have supervised a great number who come unprepared and have to sit for up to two hours in a room with nothing to do or eat. Very hard for them as I come extra prepared with a picnic, newspaper and a good book.

[JamesDean]

The overnight supervision thing is not an urban myth! It happens - rarely, but it does.

Yes, my two friends spent a very pleasant evening / overnight with our English and Art teachers at their house when we did our A levels. The teachers were married at the time!

JD

[Minesh]

Thank you all for your replies - very useful
Yes it's 5.5hours so DC will just have to get on with it - i presume any action possible is only when it's more than 5.5

the Listening/ reading exams in a language i consider to be 1 exam - so I don't have issues with that sort of combination neither with Units 2+3 Triple Sciences.
But these 2 exams are very different, then AS literary subject. - my expectations will just have to drop