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Extra-time, reader, scribe etc. - Is it fair?

I have recently noticed there is a huge number of people in my school, whom have the ability to sit their exam in a completely different hall and gain extra time, scribes and readers. Also some people are able to do their exam on the computer instead! Should all exams not be done in the same conditions to make it a 'fair test?'
Also surely with some exams ie. English language - testing your READING SKILLS should mean you should not be able to have a reader!
A friend of mine made a comment saying 'surely if you need a scribe (not having recently damaged your arm) or reader in an English exam then you have already failed' - I partially agree. What are your comments?

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One of my friends is very dyslexic and in his GCSE language exam he got given a laptop and they forgot to turn off autocorrect spelling!

I understand extra time and in reality I don't think time makes a huge difference to how well people do, but unless you have serious issues I don't really think as much help should be given out so freely.
They should allow the use of computers for everybody then. This will make it fair.
Original post by A*Will
Also some people are able to do their exam on the computer instead! Should all exams not be done in the same conditions to make it a 'fair test?'

A friend of mine made a comment saying 'surely if you need a scribe (not having recently damaged your arm) or reader in an English exam then you have already failed' - I partially agree. What are your comments?


It's not like you have the internet enabled or anything, you literally just have a rudimentary version of Wordpad (with everything disabled except from the word processing functionality). Simply having a computer won't help you at all if you don't know what you're talking about.

Not at all. Exams are to text intelligence, not how neat your writing is or how fast you can get stuff down.




Admittedly, some people may just appeal for extra time despite not having any real provision to, but that's more of a problem with the testing system than anything else. If the conditions for extra time were stricter, less people would manage to blag extra time when they don't really need it.
(edited 9 years ago)
In some circumstances, (medical mainly) then extra time should be granted etc.
It's when people bend the system, with ''depression'', ''exam anxiety'' etc that really irritates me.
Reply 5
Original post by Arithmeticae
It's not like you have the internet enabled or anything, you literally just have a rudimentary version of Wordpad (with everything disabled except from the word processing functionality). Simply having a computer won't help you at all if you don't know what you're talking about.

Not at all. Exams are to text intelligence, not how neat your writing is or how fast you can get stuff down.

Admittedly, some people may just appeal for extra time despite not having any real provision to, but that's more of a problem with the testing system than anything else. If tests were stricter, less people would manage to blag extra time when they don't really need it.

Totally understand what you mean. But I know for a fact in some circumstances in my school, people using computers are able to use word with internet connected and can use a thesaurus etc. Maybe it is just the exam board that need to realise they are being mugs!
Reply 6
My school is a bit biased when it comes to giving out free time... one girl in my year got more time as her mum is a parent governer?! She claims her daughter has 'exam anxiety' but in reality she doesn't and loves to brag about the fact we all have to finish the exam before her. She hasn't got anxiety- her friends and teachers have made that clear lol. It irritates me because some people have genuine problems and the school doesn't give them extra time, how is that fair?
Exam boards need to clamp down on schools that don't give the right people extra time.
Original post by A*Will
Totally understand what you mean. But I know for a fact in some circumstances in my school, people using computers are able to use word with internet connected and can use a thesaurus etc. Maybe it is just the exam board that need to realise they are being mugs!


Wait, whaaaat!

That definitely shouldn't be happening, whenever I use it everything's been taken off and there's also people watching, so if by some coincidence any curious student does manage to access the internet, they'll almost definitely be found out!
Reply 8
Okay I'm not gonna lie but I'm allowed to use a computer and I just use Word with internet and everything. Although I have never ever taken advantage and cheated. But then also spelling and grammar is turned on.

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Reply 9
Some body at my school gets 25% extra time for all of their exams because they write slowly..... I honestly have no idea what the test to determine this was.. surely you could so easily fake it!
I have Aspergers, Dyslexia, anxiety and a load of other things that hinder. So me having 25% extra time, a reader and being able to use a PC is what really helps me through the exams. The reason people with Aspergers have extra time is because we have a hard time focusing on things - trust me it SUCKS. If i didn't need the extra time i would gladly do the exams with out it. Also i have severe dyslexia, in other words my hand writing speed is 8 words a minute, so i need the pc in order to make up for lost time. And lastly for the reader, i need them sometimes because if i read a question it just doesn't sink in.

Trust me, most people who need extra time, readers etc. wish they didn't have to use them. it's very demeaning for us, but we accept the fact that we wouldn't be able to pass our exams with out the help.

Like with any thing people are going to exploit it when they don't really need, but just because a few people are abusing it doesn't mean the rest of us are.

Oh and by the way, your not allowed to use spell check (good luck to the people marking my paper understanding half of what i was saying lol) or the internet.

p.s you would not believe how many times i had to use spell check while writing this! :smile:
(edited 9 years ago)
I have Epilepsy and the cause of it is unknown. I have the type of seizures which look like I'm staring/daydreaming, but really I'm having a seizure. I had an external cognitive assessment and it found that my thought processing SUCKED. Before the assessment, I got 25% extra time plus supervised breaks, but now I get 50% extra time.

50% extra time is great now, but my hand REALLY hurts after the exam. I had 2 History exams on 2nd of June and including my break in between the papers, the total time was 3 hours and 53 mins! I started at 1pm and finished Exam 1 at 2:53pm, had a break until 3pm then finished Exam 2 at 4:53pm! After that exam event, I told myself I wouldn't be revising until Wednesday and I did just that.

I like the fact that most of my exams are in my school's smallish Conference Room and we have an A/C!


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Laptops are definitely unfair IMO. I type at around 120WPM so if I had a laptop in an English Language/Literature exam... I could write so much more. :c

Let the kids with broken hands write with their broken hand. :L
Original post by Parallex
Laptops are definitely unfair IMO. I type at around 120WPM so if I had a laptop in an English Language/Literature exam... I could write so much more. :c

Let the kids with broken hands write with their broken hand. :L


Well as stated above by other people some of us do need the the help? so why do you think it's unfair when people wouldn't be able to do the exams with out it?
(edited 9 years ago)
My friend uses a laptop in some exams due to poor handwriting, and I feel that it is totally fair as he is way smarter than be, and it would be unfair to mark him down and prevent him from getting the grades he needs due to handwriting. Although he does want to be a doctor so the handwriting fits! XD I agree tho that in a reading exam that you shouldn't have a reader, unless you need one due to disability.
Original post by TheBigJosh
In some circumstances, (medical mainly) then extra time should be granted etc.
It's when people bend the system, with ''depression'', ''exam anxiety'' etc that really irritates me.


You would get extra time for that?
Reply 16
Original post by AlphaNick
They are there for a purpose but things like extra time should not be given out so freely. Someone I know was given extra time privileges because he has asperges... and he is definitely one of the smarter people in the school...

Also when people get laptops ^_^ ... if I had a laptop I would finish the exam in about a third of the time


Given extra time due to aspergers? Why would one need more time due to that?
Reply 17
Original post by AlphaNick
apparently it affects attention span


Huh, I've never heard of that before, oh well - I suppose it affects people in different ways.
Posts like this seem to demonstrate ignorance about certain disabilities.

A person's grade shooting up to the very top of the cohort just because they have an extra 30 minutes to write an exam is unlikely. The reason why they're given extra time is because their disability puts them at a disadvantage in comparison to the rest of the students taking the exam. It's not like they're completely fine but just given extra time. Of course some people will get such provision when they're not meant to but that isn't enough to say whole provisions like a reader and laptop should be removed.
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 19
I only use a computer cause my teacher complained about my handwriting but it does not make a lot of difference because although I type fast I write just as fast- which is probably why I have bad handwriting lol. But I'll give you that its nice to not put so much strain on my wrist as I can type up the longer questions and Editting is much easier but they disable spell checker and stuff like that

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