Timing, watches, knowing when to guess

[UmSusu]

Just seeking clarification: whether the children take in watches or not, do we know for sure whether they let the children know when there is only one minute left? My son missed a tonne of questions during his mocks and didn't even try to guess - a 1 minute warning might get him to at least guess the rest.

Also, for those whose DCs have sat exam before, is there a chance to read the comprehension passage before they begin to answer the questions, or is it included in the time?

[um]

My ds1 says they were warned right at the end, he cannot remember whether it was a '30 second' warning or a '1 minute' warning. He then just marked in all the rest as fast as he could.

Remind your child that if they keep on writing after the end, they could/should be disqualified.

He did take a simple watch but said he didn't really have time to look at it.

The time for comprehension includes reading it.

I wouldn't rely on a wall clock being there - I remember in the BV exam (it was separate then) he said the clock was broken (exam was in a comprehensive in North Birmingham, not in BV) and this actually confused him, as he thought time wasn't passing very fast

[UmSusu]

Thanks um. I think watch will be useful but I doubt he will bother looking once the nerves set in - he gets so anxious, poor thing.