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Urgent help needed!!

Hi everyone,

so basically I am an external candidate and I am looking to go to uni this year. I have both my offers.

Unfortunately yesterday, during my LAW03 exam I had a total melt down. After writing literally 2 paragraphs my brain shut down entirely. I went into a sort of frenzy and started panicking. This resulted in a panic/anxiety attack.

I had a similar situation last year that resulted in me missing my offer. I had visited the doctor and they had prescribed me some medication and counselling. (Which I never received). I am planning on making another appointment to see my GP on Monday because I have 2 exams left and do not want to screw them up!!

I am now 20 and fed up of A-Levels. On top of everything I have a full-time job because I live in a single parent household where my mums income is not sufficient. I am severely stressed from work and regularly fall into depression.

I could apply for special consideration, but here is the tricky part. For one of my exams in May (for the SAME subject) I actually had food poisoning. I had to leave the exam to vomit. I visited my GP who gave me a Doctors note which I passed on to my Exams Officer.

If I make another application for Special Consideration, I think AQA might get suspicious. But these are all genuine circumstances. I am going out of my mind with worry!! Please can someone advise me on what to do??????!!!!!!!
Bump.
If you apply for special consideration, you will have to do it immediately - these things don't operate on hindsight. If you get a doctor's note, the examinations officer will process it for you, but it isn't any part of their duty to decide on the merits or otherwise of the case. It's up to the exam board to decide what they will do. If you have a doctor's note, it will be assumed that the doctor is using his/her professional judgement and they won't be looking back to see what happened last time. They don't have the time. Be aware that special consideration is on a sliding scale and the maximum allowance is 5%. I am sorry you have had these problems.
Original post by carnationlilyrose
If you apply for special consideration, you will have to do it immediately - these things don't operate on hindsight. If you get a doctor's note, the examinations officer will process it for you, but it isn't any part of their duty to decide on the merits or otherwise of the case. It's up to the exam board to decide what they will do. If you have a doctor's note, it will be assumed that the doctor is using his/her professional judgement and they won't be looking back to see what happened last time. They don't have the time. Be aware that special consideration is on a sliding scale and the maximum allowance is 5%. I am sorry you have had these problems.


Thank you for your reply.

What about in instances when a grade is required to meet your university offer?

Also, I was wondering, is it worth actually contacting the university to make them aware of the situation?
Original post by entirelyconfused
Thank you for your reply.

What about in instances when a grade is required to meet your university offer?

Also, I was wondering, is it worth actually contacting the university to make them aware of the situation?


The exam board will not take into account what grades you need for university - it won't know, for a start. It will apply its scale of allowances according to the view it takes of your case, and how much it affects the grade depends on how well you had done anyway.

It's up to you whether to contact the university, but bear in mind that it has much more validity if the school or exams officer does it on the candidate's behalf, as I'm sure you can see how easily such a situation could be manipulated by an unscrupulous candidate. In your case, it's made more complicated by the fact that you are an independent candidate. Is there anyone at the centre in a head of sixth type capacity who knows you and can vouch for you? Otherwise, not much can be added other than what is on the doctor's note, which you could send a copy of to the university of course.

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