Do you think extra time in exams is fair?

I have ADD and severe slow processing. This means it takes me longer to write, harder to concentrate for a long period of time on one thing and basically longer to transfer knowledge from brain to paper which is a side effect of having mild cerebral palsy. This was diagnosed two months into year 13. Throughout my GCSE's and AS's, teachers were completely puzzled as to why I was getting C's, D's and E's despite having a high IQ and getting top grades in untimed questions. For example, in my ICT paper, we were given 2 hours and 15 minutes (plenty for an 80 mark paper), and the questions were fairly short, I finished on time and achieved an A, however, on my politics paper, a mark a minute, a missed out a 40 mark question because I didn't have time to finish it, yet I achieved nearly full marks in the questions I did complete resulting in low grades. Does this mean I am any less intelligent than the person who completed the paper within the time frame?

I now have 50% extra time in my exams, this doesn't give me an advantage believe me, it puts me at the same level as the reasonably competent student and allows me to get the grades that I am capable of. I get why people don't think that extra time is fair, but how frustrated would you be if you spent months revising for exams that you were well capable of acing only to be stopped half way through.

I find that the 'work life' argument is rather weak. Yes we are all given deadlines to some extent, but how often are employees sat down and told to reproduce a year or two's worth of revision in a tight time frame? It cost my parents £400 to 'diagnose' me which is there to try and deter students from abusing the system (although I am aware it still happens) and my mother was also diagnosed despite being in her 50's with a six figure salary so there is a prime example of how unrealistic your argument is.

So, to entertain your point of view, maybe a career based on strict deadlines and high concentration for long periods of time isn't for me,but guess what, theres thousands of careers out there and I'll choose one that suits my working style, however education in this country does't work like that and considering I applied to russell group universities, I gathered A-Levels would be the most realistic option.

Standardised testing has it's flaws and with my conditions, I suffer as a result of those flaws. Extra time shouldn't be awarded to those who don't need it, that is a kick in the face to me and those who work incredibly hard to finish in the snappy time frames. However, the ignorance about extra time is appalling, and maybe you ought to face the realisation that standardised testing is the problem and not extra time. Shouldn't exams be about knowledge rather than speed of completing the exam?

Thank you. I would also agree exams, and potentially the education system itself, needs to be reformed.

My opinion is very controversial and likely to be bashed by many, but getting good grades does not necessarily make you intelligent. I'm not saying people who do well aren't intelligent because the majority are, as well as hardworking ect. But school now seems to be what you regurgitate rather than what you can build upon or add to what we know. It also doesn't really prepare you for real life and true independent thought and creation.
There are a lot of people who fail school who are incredibly intelligent, but simply do not test well, have differing interests or specialist areas than the curriculum or have a different learning style to the mainstream. A better education system could feed those minds and better so many more young people in various areas and have a huge global benefit.

I think the saying 'you can't judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree' is very relevant here. There needs to be more acceptance that everyone is good at different things and has the capability to improve the world via their contributions to them. You can't say someones talents are more valid than someone elses dependant on what field they're in. There needs to be more support for varying attributes and not just english/math/science. It think it is a shame BTEC has so much stigma because they can be very valuable to certain areas such as sport that are more practical.
What I'm getting to is that there is a difference between equality and equity; it is the latter that will benefit society but our current education system doesn't really allow for that. Extra time is a movement in that direction...

at the end of the day extra time allows people who struggle to express themselves as quickly as others to show that that they ARE intelligent and have useful knowledge, points, opinions and arguments which deserve to be valued and recognised as much as anyone else's in society. These people can make just as valuable contributions as any of us, they just need longer to express it. In the real world, when it comes down to the most important things in life, nobody cares if it takes you an hour or a day to come up with a point, they care who makes the better point.
Yes people abuse the system and get extra time when they don't deserve it, but that means there is a fault with the means testing, not the principle itself... Stop being bitter toward your peers and be bitter toward the system.

Antidepressants (and other medications) do cause some pretty unpleasant side effects, including concentration difficulties.

Not generalizing to all people that take antidepressants, however I've known a lot of people on antidepressants and I've never met one who has unpleasant side effects. Mood stabilizers and anti psychotics are usually the ones that produce nasty side effects. Obviously they need to put every possible side effect that has have ever been claimed or has even a tiny chance of happening on the leaflet that comes in the box but generally most of these don't happen in regards to SSRI's.

I've been on a few anti depressants and have had some pretty unpleasant side effects from both. Had to come off both (including one pretty quickly) because of the side effects. Certainly couldn't have sat exams on either.



And with work, your boss would take into consideration your disabilities. So, if your processing speed is slower, they'll give you less work than your colleague with no such problem.

Stop being passive aggressive about 'The It Man's' spelling and grammar. It doesn't mean that their views are less important just because they may have difficulties in these areas, or that your views should automatically be listened to because your posts are more articulate.

Students with dyslexia? They deserve extra time, but only for exams where their dyslexia would significantly slow down the time they'd comprehend and answer the questions. Admittedly that is most subjects, but I don't think they should get extra time for Maths..

No, it's completely unfair. That's not even counting the thousands of people who are perfectly capable but get extra time!

so..? are you going to be able to ask for more time later in life? If you were working to crack a code or hand in a project that needed to be done urgently, you can't just get extra time

Curious about your thoughts.

Yes I do think that extra time in exams are fair!

Not every young student is the same. Some may be disabled for example. When I mean disabled I mean both physically and mentally. What happens if someone so young has only one arm - yet they have to by law go to school until the age of 16?This in theory means that they need to get GCSE qualifications and a lot of them do want to get them with pride. What about those with a mental disability like dyslexia or autism. Some of the most success and greatest individuals on this planet such as Tommy Hilfiger and Richard Branson had dyslexia and look at where they are. What I am trying to say that individuals with a mental disability also have a great mindset and we should not discriminate against them. They have every right in taking the same exams as yourself and just because it takes them longer to come up with the right answer doesn't necessarily make them daft.

What I am trying to say is that everyone should be given a fair chance in taking the exams and that the approach should be tailored to ones' needs. It is fair for people with physical and mental disabilities to take the extra time in exams. I did since primary school and still did at university! The extra time meant a lot to me and I am always very grateful for it!

Here are my thoughts:

MENTAL DISABILITIES

Students with dyslexia? They deserve extra time, but only for exams where their dyslexia would significantly slow down the time they'd comprehend and answer the questions. Admittedly that is most subjects, but I don't think they should get extra time for Maths.
Students with dyscalculia? Same as above. So they should only get extra time for Maths (and maybe Physics, but that's pushing it).
Students with ADHD? There is medicine for that. Take it. You do NOT deserve extra time.
Students with autism? They should not be taking standardised tests. Still, if your condition is such that you genuinely need extra time, have it by all means.
Students who are simply less intelligent? They do NOT deserve extra time.

PHYSICAL DISABILITIES

A kid with a crippled hand who writes very slowly? They deserve extra time.
BUT a kid who has no disability but claims they deserve extra time because they write more slowly anyway? Learn to write faster, bub.
On a related note, my father, who is left-handed and writes like a snail, got through school just fine with As - then went on to receive not one, but two bachelors' degrees, a masters' and a PhD all in FIVE YEARS. How? By condensing all the information needed into short and handy paragraphs. They didn't have extra time in his day.