Special consideration

Doctors note...vomiting, diarreoah...food poisoning....shivering....how many marks extra will i get? The paper is out of 90

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Reply 1

River85

I don't know for sure. Back in my day (six years ago) there was no strict procedure about mitigating circumstances. Exam boards were just expected to "take it into account". That means very little as they often ignored them.

There may be a proper procedure now. It was in the news recently that for a minor illness you get one percent extra? I'd be suprised if it was more than one or two percent (if anything at all).

Reply 2

kamie

I don't think it's a case of extra marks, it's extra percent - if they decide that what you had is "mitigating circumstances" and you get 53 (D), they may give you an extra percent or two, to take you up to a C.

Reply 3

River85

kamie

Yup. As I said, probably no more than 1%. Be grateful for that though, it's more than many got just a few years ago, some with serious problems that affected them throughout the two years. That 1% can be very useful if you fall on the borderline :smile:

But it has been five years since I last left school. I just heard that the scale works like this 1% for a minor illness (like food poisoning) going up to 5% for a death in the immediate family close to the exam period.

Could your school give you more solid advice?

Reply 4

kamie

I think the scale was the advice given by JCQ or QCA.
My grandad gave me a newspaper cutting a few weeks ago. His advice was to kill my fish :smile:

lol.

Reply 5

River85

kamie

I think the scale was the advice given by JCQ or QCA.
My grandad gave me a newspaper cutting a few weeks ago. His advice was to kill my fish :smile:

lol.

Don't talk to me about fish :smile:

When I got my results back and found out I'd missed my offer to Durham I talked with my head of sixth form about how much the exam boards really take into account mitigating circumstances. He told me that it's the fault of the privae schools. They take advantage of the system with, "I couldn't perform well in my exams as my goldfish died" :rolleyes:

So exam boards now just generally ignore these requests.

I went to a top state school which probably plays the system "whatever that is" more than any other group.

Again though OP, this was five to six years ago. Things would have changed since. I don't think you'll be ignored, not if your problems were genuine. But 1% is probably the best you'll get.

Reply 6

SamF 1990

Any idea if my gf would get anything ? Her mum did her arm in and so my gf was doing literally everything for her even cutting up her food this lasted for like 2 weeks about a week before her exams

Reply 7

hairychimpanzee

my teacher said even if youve got hayfever and you get a doctors note , you get 10% extra marks apparently,. i dunno why every doesnt do it

Reply 8

River85

1990 SamF

Any idea if my gf would get anything ? Her mum did her arm in and so my gf was doing literally everything for her even cutting up her food this lasted for like 2 weeks about a week before her exams

No. I really, really wouldn't have thought so.

Reply 9

Tommy The Cat

I can't write because I had an accident involving some glass and damaged a tendon in my hand. The exam board are giving me 25% extra time and my college is providing me with a scribe to write my answers. The board also said I would be given special consideration with my marks because of the inconvenience. Does anyone have any idea what I will get extra? I'm not just moaning but it is actually (surprisingly) highly inconvenient having to tell people what to write for you in an exam - especially an English exam, like my Unit 4 Language the other day which was 8 sides-worth of dictating! Tommy

Reply 10

hairychimpanzee

well i know of a case where someones university offer was lowered because they had an operation around exam time

Reply 11

secretmessages

It's maximum 5% for whatever illness or personal circumstances you're under. For your illness, definitely no more than 2%, probably 1%, perhaps nothing I'm afraid. Good luck though :smile:

Reply 12

River85

Grrrr. I really took my A-levels at the wrong time. I would have got 2% under the rules as I understand them now. That would have given me my two As in English and Geography.

Oh well, at least those who need the help now are actually getting it.

As for lowering a university offer my offer wasn't "lowered" as such. Durham originally withdrew my place but reconsidered after I provided them with medical evidence. they let me in eventually. I was one grade (1% in one subject) short of my offer.

Reply 13

FrancisM89

vanflyheight13

My grandmother died and my dad had a heart attack which required triple bypass surgery, and my mum is disabled so I am the unfortunate primary carer for the next month or so as my dad recovers.

I've put in for special consideration, any ideas at all as to how many extra marks (if any) I will get?

Sounds like you need a 4 leaf clover or a rabits foot :eek:

Reply 14

FrancisM89

vanflyheight13

I've thought about it, but with my luck the clover will either be the world's first gamma ray emitting clover, or it will spontaneously combust, sending me screaming around the exam hall :biggrin:

Might get your classmates extra marks though, through distraction, or something like that :biggrin:

Reply 15

River85

vanflyheight13

Crikey, reallly? :frown:

Under the rules as I understand them you'll get four or five percent extra for a death in the immediate family or major family illness. It depends on how recent it was though.

I hope your father gets well soon.

Reply 16

snaude

Well I am eligable for 3% but am not applying for it...

Also if you have hayfever you get 2% extra...with a doctors note

http://www.jcq.org.uk/attachments/pu...%2007%2D08.pdf

Page 51.

2% Probably the most common category of allowance. The majority of cases might fall within this category:

• minor illness at the time of the assessment;
• broken limb on the mend;
• recent viral illness;
• concussion;
• effects of pregnancy (not pregnancy per se);
• hay fever on the day of an examination;
• extreme distress on day of examination;
• allowance on last paper taken in a day when candidate has exceeded 5 hours 30 minutes at GCSE or 6 hours at AS/A Level.

Extreme distress gets you 2% extra???

Reply 17

River85

snaude

Well I am eligable for 3% but am not applying for it...

Also if you have hayfever you get 3% extra...with a doctors note

Oh that was it hayfever. First of all don't get me wrong. Hayfever must be a very unpleasent thing and, for a good number, will have some affect on their performance. But isn't 2% a bit much? I had epilepsy, bipolar disorder and dyspraxia (although when at sixth form I hadn't been diagnosed with the final two and the epilepsy was only under investigation with no definite diagnosis). Anyhoo, I got nothing :frown: