Can I only sit one exam?
Okay, so my mum is terminally ill with cancer and she is in a hospice currently and we think that she only has between a week and two weeks left to live. I’ve self taught myself maths during this year because I want to go and study engineering and my school before wouldn’t allow me to study more than 2 stem subjects because of my GCSEs.
Would it be possible for me to only sit my first exam (33% of my a level) so I can spend more time with my mum for these next two weeks?
Or is there any other way? Please I don’t want to spend her last two weeks alive with me hardly seeing her because I need an A* in maths to go to imperial.
Would it be possible for me to only sit my first exam (33% of my a level) so I can spend more time with my mum for these next two weeks?
Or is there any other way? Please I don’t want to spend her last two weeks alive with me hardly seeing her because I need an A* in maths to go to imperial.
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This might not have been the best thread to post this on; so if anyone sees this and knows someone that they think would know the answer could you please @ them. Thank you.
Sorry to hear that you are in that situation 
I would speak with your school, as they should be able to recommend a plan and liaise with the exam boards as appropriate. If you have already applied and are holding offers, I would recommend contacting those unis to inform them of the situation.
Then I would just not focus on the exams and spend time with your family. You can figure out when or how you will do those exams after as needed - that stuff can wait, focus on the important things
I would speak with your school, as they should be able to recommend a plan and liaise with the exam boards as appropriate. If you have already applied and are holding offers, I would recommend contacting those unis to inform them of the situation.
Then I would just not focus on the exams and spend time with your family. You can figure out when or how you will do those exams after as needed - that stuff can wait, focus on the important things
I’m an independent candidate. Could I ask my school last year or my exam centre now?
Imperial seem pretty apathetic tbh when I mentioned that my mum had terminal cancer a couple of months ago.
I dont know what to do. I just want to spend time with my mum.
Imperial seem pretty apathetic tbh when I mentioned that my mum had terminal cancer a couple of months ago
. I dont know what to do. I just want to spend time with my mum.
I mean the school that I went to last year. They know a bit about my situation from last year
Original post by Anonymous
I’m an independent candidate. Could I ask my school last year or my exam centre now?
Imperial seem pretty apathetic tbh when I mentioned that my mum had terminal cancer a couple of months ago.
I dont know what to do. I just want to spend time with my mum.
Imperial seem pretty apathetic tbh when I mentioned that my mum had terminal cancer a couple of months ago
. I dont know what to do. I just want to spend time with my mum.
You'll need to talk to whoever you are sitting the exam with - as they're the ones registering you for the exam. If you're an independent applicant then they may be a bit less good at providing pastoral support but can hopefully help with some of the admin processes around extenuating circumstances etc.
I would suggest reaching out to Imperial and advising them of the change in the situation and asking what your options are as it's happening right in the middle of your exams and you would like to spend what time you have left with her and your family.
Even if either/both of the above aren't especially helpful I'd suggest just then withdrawing from the exam entries (or not attending) and taking the time to be with your family. You can go through all the extenuating circumstance bits after the fact if you end up taking them next year instead for example, and I doubt they would consider it a "resit" given the circumstances if you went that route. And that's probably the most "drastic" and hopefully least likely route anyway!
I really don’t want to do a resit I can’t have another gap year and paper 1 went okay (I think) so it would be a total waste. But also not spending time with my mum during her final days would more of a waste.
Wouldn’t doing the extenuating circumstances thing after be risky?
Okay, but I don’t whether i am currently in the right state to phone imperial and explain my circumstances because I would just break down. Would an email be okay? The thing is when I told them last it seemed like they didn’t really care, they still gave me an offer condition of an A* despite me getting A*A*A last year and just said they’d consider it. I thought that maybe given my circumstances maybe they could’ve dropped it down to an A. They didn’t even tell me about any support that would be available if I join the uni like Bath did.
Could I go through my old school as i feel like they’d be more empathetic than my current independent exam centre. And then they could talk to my current exam centre? Or shall I just email my current exam centre?
Wouldn’t doing the extenuating circumstances thing after be risky?
Okay, but I don’t whether i am currently in the right state to phone imperial and explain my circumstances because I would just break down. Would an email be okay? The thing is when I told them last it seemed like they didn’t really care, they still gave me an offer condition of an A* despite me getting A*A*A last year and just said they’d consider it. I thought that maybe given my circumstances maybe they could’ve dropped it down to an A. They didn’t even tell me about any support that would be available if I join the uni like Bath did.
Could I go through my old school as i feel like they’d be more empathetic than my current independent exam centre. And then they could talk to my current exam centre? Or shall I just email my current exam centre?
*dont know whether i am currently
Could i get a 'Z score’? where they base my grade off my first exam?
Could i get a 'Z score’? where they base my grade off my first exam?
Original post by Anonymous
Okay, so my mum is terminally ill with cancer and she is in a hospice currently and we think that she only has between a week and two weeks left to live. I’ve self taught myself maths during this year because I want to go and study engineering and my school before wouldn’t allow me to study more than 2 stem subjects because of my GCSEs.
Would it be possible for me to only sit my first exam (33% of my a level) so I can spend more time with my mum for these next two weeks?
Or is there any other way? Please I don’t want to spend her last two weeks alive with me hardly seeing her because I need an A* in maths to go to imperial.
Would it be possible for me to only sit my first exam (33% of my a level) so I can spend more time with my mum for these next two weeks?
Or is there any other way? Please I don’t want to spend her last two weeks alive with me hardly seeing her because I need an A* in maths to go to imperial.
You might be able to resit if your school allows you 2
I dont want to resit.
Original post by Anonymous
Okay, so my mum is terminally ill with cancer and she is in a hospice currently and we think that she only has between a week and two weeks left to live. I’ve self taught myself maths during this year because I want to go and study engineering and my school before wouldn’t allow me to study more than 2 stem subjects because of my GCSEs.
Would it be possible for me to only sit my first exam (33% of my a level) so I can spend more time with my mum for these next two weeks?
Or is there any other way? Please I don’t want to spend her last two weeks alive with me hardly seeing her because I need an A* in maths to go to imperial.
Would it be possible for me to only sit my first exam (33% of my a level) so I can spend more time with my mum for these next two weeks?
Or is there any other way? Please I don’t want to spend her last two weeks alive with me hardly seeing her because I need an A* in maths to go to imperial.
I am a gcse student myself so I may not be much help to you, but my advice would be to talk with your school and explain to them the difficulties you are facing, you could also email the specific exam board. You can do it. Stay strong 💪
Original post by Anonymous
I dont want to resit.
I understand you don’t want to resit but you can’t retake A Level exams until the next May/June time. I think your priorities should be your mum, and so that you can focus on spending time with her without the stress of exams. I know this is hard, but I think the time with her will be very precious when you have the opportunity to do your exams again. Many people take a year out or two to earn some money before going to university so It wouldn’t be just you with having some time out either. As you’ve attended the first exam, You can phone in sick as long as you have a doctors note but I’d only recommend doing this for one of your exams if any. You may have to pay £30 for the doctor note as it must be written on the same day as the exam and sent to the exam board, but I don’t know too much about this.
Also to add to this, is Imperial really the place for you when they don’t seem to be very supportive of situations like this? It may be something to weigh up, as universities like Bath also have high respectable reputations.
Original post by Anonymous
I understand you don’t want to resit but you can’t retake A Level exams until the next May/June time. I think your priorities should be your mum, and so that you can focus on spending time with her without the stress of exams. I know this is hard, but I think the time with her will be very precious when you have the opportunity to do your exams again. Many people take a year out or two to earn some money before going to university so It wouldn’t be just you with having some time out either. As you’ve attended the first exam, You can phone in sick as long as you have a doctors note but I’d only recommend doing this for one of your exams if any. You may have to pay £30 for the doctor note as it must be written on the same day as the exam and sent to the exam board, but I don’t know too much about this.
I have a letter from the hospice a couple of days ago from one of their doctors which explains the situation that my mum could die any minute and that they believe that i should not sit any exams this spring and summer and that i would be ‘near impossible’.
My exam centre has kindly put together evidence and details of my situation and has sent them to my exam board and they are currently considering it (I think). They also believe that I should not sit any of my final exams.
I am in no state to sit this next exam as days like today I have been sent in immediately from a phone call because my mum wanted me and my brother there to be with her because she thought that her end was very near. Situations like these really negatively impact my emotional and physical health.
I cannot risk going into the exam and not being able to leave to see my mother.
If I don’t get the grade I need on exam day I will resit it next year. However, there is no point me sitting the next two exams as the marks I get in the next two will be considerably lower than my first one because I am in no state to sit it. Nor would I even want to sit because I can’t leave the exam to see my mum.
I am left with no other option.
Original post by Anonymous
I understand you don’t want to resit but you can’t retake A Level exams until the next May/June time. I think your priorities should be your mum, and so that you can focus on spending time with her without the stress of exams. I know this is hard, but I think the time with her will be very precious when you have the opportunity to do your exams again. Many people take a year out or two to earn some money before going to university so It wouldn’t be just you with having some time out either. As you’ve attended the first exam, You can phone in sick as long as you have a doctors note but I’d only recommend doing this for one of your exams if any. You may have to pay £30 for the doctor note as it must be written on the same day as the exam and sent to the exam board, but I don’t know too much about this.
Like this: You can phone in sick as long as you have a doctors note but I’d only recommend doing this for one of your exams if any.
Like yes ik you should really only miss one exam (in most situations like someone is ill) but because of my complex situation i can’t sit the next two because even if she dies between the next one and the one after. It would be very soon after my mums death and tbh I don’t know about you but I’d not want to sit it. And I can’t sit the next one because I may be called in to say my final goodbye.
Original post by Anonymous
Also to add to this, is Imperial really the place for you when they don’t seem to be very supportive of situations like this? It may be something to weigh up, as universities like Bath also have high respectable reputations.
But I prefer the course at imperial and I’d get a large bursary which would actually make it cheaper to go to imperial than Bath (weird ik).
But I am playing with the idea of another gap year because idk if I’m going to be in the correct state to go to uni this year. What do you think? I might also then apply to Cambridge because I’ve never tried to get into Oxford/cambridge despite having the grades.
Original post by Anonymous
Yeah, true.
But I prefer the course at imperial and I’d get a large bursary which would actually make it cheaper to go to imperial than Bath (weird ik).
But I am playing with the idea of another gap year because idk if I’m going to be in the correct state to go to uni this year. What do you think? I might also then apply to Cambridge because I’ve never tried to get into Oxford/cambridge despite having the grades.
But I prefer the course at imperial and I’d get a large bursary which would actually make it cheaper to go to imperial than Bath (weird ik).
But I am playing with the idea of another gap year because idk if I’m going to be in the correct state to go to uni this year. What do you think? I might also then apply to Cambridge because I’ve never tried to get into Oxford/cambridge despite having the grades.
I think based on your situation maybe go to these exams anyhow give them a wack if you can’t figure a way around it, either this or no show. If you decide to do them, just don’t revise and see what results you get on the day then you can decide wether to do another gap year or redo the a level again if it’s not good enough for imperial. If you miss the exams though It’s not guaranteed you’d get the mark through an average etc as extenuating circumstances are applied for but it’s not always very lenient with what percentage you will get given in terms of marks. I’m not sure how it is done because usually schools do this but online states ‘If you miss one, or more than one, of your exams or assessments in a subject, for an acceptable reason, your school or college can apply to an awarding body for special consideration’ however with you doing this independently i’m not sure how this would work. Maybe you could contact your last school/college to do this for you?
Original post by Anonymous
I think based on your situation maybe go to these exams anyhow give them a wack if you can’t figure a way around it, either this or no show. If you decide to do them, just don’t revise and see what results you get on the day then you can decide wether to do another gap year or redo the a level again if it’s not good enough for imperial. If you miss the exams though It’s not guaranteed you’d get the mark through an average etc as extenuating circumstances are applied for but it’s not always very lenient with what percentage you will get given in terms of marks. I’m not sure how it is done because usually schools do this but online states ‘If you miss one, or more than one, of your exams or assessments in a subject, for an acceptable reason, your school or college can apply to an awarding body for special consideration’ however with you doing this independently i’m not sure how this would work. Maybe you could contact your last school/college to do this for you?
Are you trying to lower the grade boundaries by asking me to complete the exams?
It works in the same way as a school. They apply through ‘centre services’ on the exam boards website. Then they either approve or not approve it. My independent exam centre seems very empathetic and understanding and is doing all they can do make sure that I am treated fairly.
Original post by Anonymous
are you a student or a teacher? Because some of the information you give out seems a bit false.
Are you trying to lower the grade boundaries by asking me to complete the exams?
Are you trying to lower the grade boundaries by asking me to complete the exams?
https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/FAQs-–-Providing-qualification-grades-when-exams-are-missed-for-acceptable-reasons.pdf
Not at all but you’ve said you don’t fancy really staying out another ye
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