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I had my phone in my pocket during my exam?! Help?

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I highly doubt youd be disqualified, they wouldn't have let you continue the exam if they thought you were cheating with it and the fact that you raised your hand and turned it in further backs up that you were genuine.
Don't worry about it. They probably won't do anything. The same happened to a boy in my year last year and they didn't do anything.
Original post by noor.m
I honestly feel like such an idiot, today during my english lit exam I felt a vibration in my pocket and when I put my hand inside I realised that my phone was inside!
I got really worried so I immediately put my hand up and apologised to the examiner saying I didn't realise it was in my pocket, I saw the examiners talking at the front but they didn't say anything to me when they gave me my
phone back.
I'm really upset because instead of focusing on my lit exam I was too worried about getting penalised because of my phone and I can't get to sleep now because of it :frown:
I made so many mistakes in the exam,
I didn't write a conclusion, I rushed so many points and for the unseen poem I didn't write an equal amount for all the bullet points as I did with all my past papers :frown:


According to the rules, they ought to report this as malpractice. If they do then they are obliged to tell you that as soon as possible after the exam finishes and give you the opportunity to write down your own version of events. I have always spoken to the candidate before the end of the day, generally it is as they leave the exam hall.
If they have not contacted you then I presume that it was decided that you gave it in voluntarily so close to the start of the exam that you your intentions were good and you cannot have cheated so they will let it go (and save themselves the considerable amount of time that reporting malpractice properly takes).
I'm sure I don't need to say that you can save yourself suffering this angst again by always handing your phone in.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by PinkAcid
I highly doubt youd be disqualified, they wouldn't have let you continue the exam if they thought you were cheating with it and the fact that you raised your hand and turned it in further backs up that you were genuine.


You always let the candidate continue the exam if you can as it is not the exams officer's decision whether the paper is cancelled but the exam board's. You allow the candidate to continue with as little fuss as possible so as to leave options open.
Ive read the Offqual repprts and sanctions lists. Mobile phone and other electronic devices were down to 790 offences in 2015.
The penalties fall into three types. Bringing a phone into the exam area, which will get you a warning, having a mobile phone on you, but no sign of usage will get mark deductions and usage which gets you varying degrees of disqualifcation.

Still find it a bit baffling why you dont check as you will get asked plenty of times about what you can and cant have with you. I would have a ziplock bag with everything in, that I could pick up in the morning and take with me, knowing it contained everything. Pupils should be well enough drilled at doing exams by the time they come to GCSEs, so not much excuse really. That said and I said it already thing happen and I hink the OP as soon as she realised reacted in the best way possible.
Reply 45
Original post by HamzahPatel
Well there's nothing you can do now, but at least from now on you'll always check your pockets before walking into the hall. Btw you're so lucky your phone was on silent because if the invigilators heard the ring, you would've been disqualified.


Zain in the hall during mocks. "I know when my hotline blings":biggrin:
Original post by HamzahPatel
Well there's nothing you can do now, but at least from now on you'll always check your pockets before walking into the hall. Btw you're so lucky your phone was on silent because if the invigilators heard the ring, you would've been disqualified.


Thats so true, as once in a mock exam, someones phone went off, and so they were going to check everyone, but luckily the person whos phone went off admitted it was theirs, but as it was only a mock the invilagtor let them off, but warned them in the real exam they would have been disqualified.
Original post by CrazyFool229
Hi there,

https://youtu.be/SvzzdKhkQoI?t=8m23s

Please refer to that video made by Cambridge International Examinations. The procedure is pretty standard across all boards. As you can see the guy is not removed from the exam hall and carries on.

Yeah but the invigilator didn't catch me using my phone, I noticed my phone was in my pocket and then straightaway put my hand up during the first five minutes of the exam
Original post by Compost
According to the rules, they ought to report this as malpractice. If they do then they are obliged to tell you that as soon as possible after the exam finishes and give you the opportunity to write down your own version of events. I have always spoken to the candidate before the end of the day, generally it is as they leave the exam hall.
If they have not contacted you then I presume that it was decided that you gave it in voluntarily so close to the start of the exam that you your intentions were good and you cannot have cheated so they will let it go (and save themselves the considerable amount of time that reporting malpractice properly takes).
I'm sure I don't need to say that you can save yourself suffering this angst again by always handing your phone in.

Thank you so much, so if they fill in this malpractice form will I have been contacted, so if I haven't been contacted I won't get any marks deducted. no?
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by noor.m
Thank you so much, so if they fill in this malpractice form will I have been contacted, so if I haven't been contacted I won't get any marks deducted. no?


I should think that you can now assume no further action will be taken.
I've felt the same panic as you before. During a state test my phone fell out of my pocket and onto the floor, directing everyone's attention to me. I thought I put it in my locker before the test as we were supposed to do, but I guess I didn't. Luckily the person administering the test was my teacher, and he knew I was a student with academic integrity.
I've felt the same panic as you before. During a state test my phone fell out of my pocket and onto the floor, directing everyone's attention to me. I thought I put it in my locker before the test as we were supposed to do, but I guess I didn't. Luckily the person administering the test was my teacher, and he knew I was a student with academic integrity.

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