Do you think extra time in exams is fair?

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Given the circumstances of the person, and proof to show that it is genuine to give the individual more time in exam conditions, yes it fair.

Reply 41

abitpissy

It's always been something that irked me. I realise this may be a bit selfish but I get annoyed with "extra" time. I just don't think it's fair at all. I think it should be reserved for only the more extreme cases and not just for people that are barely dyslexic . In those cases, I believe it's fair.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 42

Squishy•

Original post by claireestelle

Yes it is. To get extra time you generally need something which is a proven disadvantage, it is literally there to level the playing field and as far as i know they've made it harder to get since i did gcse's . For me, I write at half the speed of most people and process information more slowly so if I didnt have it my grades would have been lower than what I m actually capable of.

How do you get extra time??

Reply 43

DiddyDec01

Original post by claireestelle

You can get reasonable adjustments under the equality act in employment?

If you work in a service industry you will get very little. The client wants results, not excuses.

Reply 44

claireestelle

Original post by Squishy•

How do you get extra time??

I have a coordination disorder so write incredibly slowly (between 15-20 words a minute) and it's quite painful after half an hour or so (sometimes quicker than that) so the time made up for having to stop every so often and how much longer it generally takes me to write. I m dyslexic on top of that too.

Reply 45

Squishy•

Original post by claireestelle

Okay, sorry I didn't mean to be that personal I was actually referring to how you were able to get extra time rather than why you have it.

Reply 46

claireestelle

Original post by Squishy•

Okay, sorry I didn't mean to be that personal I was actually referring to how you were able to get extra time rather than why you have it.

In school, through great difficulty had to show evidence to the senco and then had to do a reading test and a writing test every so often. My teachers could barely read my work sometimes at that point so they eventually agreed to it. At uni, just went to student support, got updated evidence and they agreed to it without much fuss.

Reply 47

Squishy•

Original post by claireestelle

Oh right thanks!

Reply 48

Certified

Original post by Abstract_Prism

If you had extra time in your exams, (for those who don't already have it) do you genuinely think you would get significantly better grades?

I run out of time in exams. Most people do. That 10 minutes can get you up to the next grade

Reply 49

Tinka99

Thanks for so many responses guys I never expected to get this many.

Reply 50

Abstract_Prism

Original post by Certified

I run out of time in exams. Most people do. That 10 minutes can get you up to the next grade

Perhaps you should look into applying for extra time then! You might need it. As I understand it, most people are done when their time runs out.

Reply 51

xylas

Original post by Abstract_Prism

Perhaps you should look into applying for extra time then! You might need it. As I understand it, most people are done when their time runs out.

Yeah I see an obvious paradox here, extra time is given for disabilities such as slow writing speed so they can finish the test. However only a small proportion of people who can't finish the test actually get extra time...

My opinion is that the intention of extra time is fair, but the execution isn't. I don't agree with the real world argument since exams are not supposed to prepare you for work, they are meant to test understanding.

Reply 52

Compost

Original post by claireestelle

I have a coordination disorder so write incredibly slowly (between 15-20 words a minute).

The average writing speed for a 16 year old is taken as 16.9 wpm.

Extra time for slow handwriting is only meant to be given for students not able to use a word processor.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 53

username2174765

I know people who are eligible for extra time that don't have a disability at all, they were just allowed it because they were off school for like a week? and apparently they get extra marks added on too? like 10%... I thought that was extremely unfair as she is extremely capable and got like all A*'s in her mocks in normal exam conditions....

I feel that if someone has a disability they have a right to use it, but too many people are using it who dont even have anything wrong with them and are just trying to get free time, I dont finish exams but i dont think i would get free time and my hand writing isn't even eligible

Reply 54

Tiger Rag

Original post by chrlhyms

I feel that if someone has a disability they have a right to use it, but too many people are using it who dont even have anything wrong with them and are just trying to get free time, I dont finish exams but i dont think i would get free time and my hand writing isn't even eligible

And how would you know they don't actually have a disability? You have to provide evidence. You can't just ask for extra time because you fancy it. I get extra time because I have a disability which means as well as being partially sighted, I'm a slow reader and I need rest breaks because reading is physically tiring. That's even with modified (large print) exam papers.

You can't get extra time just because you run out of time in your exams. You have to prove that you have a disability which means you're at a disadvantage in exams.

Reply 55

William Pitt

Depends what the basis for that extra time are. One of my friends here at Oxford gets extra time in PPE exams because of Asperger or dyslexia or both, but it is only 15 minutes per question so I do not think it makes that much difference. For GCSEs it does because sometimes you only have like 20 minutes to answer a question right? Or an hour for a math exam etc

Reply 56

mizzsnazzter

For severe disabilities yes. But they're letting far too many people abuse the system and get extra time when its not needed. It's also allowing young people to use excuses like 'I write too slow' as a way to excuse their actions rather than taking accountability and work damm hard to get faster and better. If you keep being lenient they're never going to learn.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I'm one of those people who gets extra time, but I don't really feel I need it. I genuinely tried to persuade my teacher that I didn't need it, but she said I had better take it 'just in case'.

But honestly, I really don't think having extra time makes the slightest difference to grades, not for me anyway. If you haven't put in the work, you haven't put in the work. It annoys me that some people will try and use this as an excuse as to why they failed.

Reply 59

Tiger Rag

Original post by Tarte Tatin

But honestly, I really don't think having extra time makes the slightest difference to grades, not for me anyway. If you haven't put in the work, you haven't put in the work. It annoys me that some people will try and use this as an excuse as to why they failed.

I had extra time and you're right - it made no difference to my grades. If I didn't understand the work, I wasn't going to understand it with extra time. The extra time just gave me more time to read and wouldn't me so tired by being forced to read at the same speed as everyone else. It meant I could take my time to read and understand the question. (one problem for me is how I understand language)