What Happens If My Child Misses an IB, GCSE or A Level Exam?
Exam season is now underway for International Baccalaureate (IB), GCSE and A Level students. But sometimes, despite all the studying and revision, things don't go as planned – like missing an exam.
Missing one of these exams can add extra stress for both parents and students. But don't worry, knowing what to do can ease some of that pressure. Here's a detailed guide on how to handle missed exams, with advice from Kent College Dubai.
Why did you miss the exam?
Whether it's due to illness, unavoidable circumstances, or even extreme weather conditions, the reasons behind a missed exam can vary greatly. In case of illness or emergencies, informing the school promptly is crucial. Schools often provide opportunities for students to sit the exam at a later date, usually during the next available session.
Unavoidable circumstances, such as family emergencies or serious disruptions on exam day, may also warrant special arrangements.
However, missing an exam without a valid reason can have consequences, potentially resulting in an 'U' (ungraded) mark for that subject, which can impact overall academic results.
What should I do if I miss an exam?
Start by directly contacting your school's exams officer to explain the reasons for the absence. This starts the process for considering options such as rescheduling exams or making special arrangements.
The advice from Kent College Dubai Exam Manager Alexis Cheneau-Chateau is:
“Whilst it is extremely important to attend all of your exams so that the students get the grades they deserve at the end of the year, there can be extenuating circumstances that are outside of the control of the families and the examination boards are aware of this.
"If there is a valid reason, two options are available for the families, depending on the type of qualification it is: exam resit or special consideration.”
Can I resit the IB, A Level or GCSE exam?
When it comes to resitting exams, several factors need consideration including the shelf-life of the qualification, the availability of the next exam session, and whether the qualification is modular or linear.
Kent College Dubai Exam Manager Alexis Cheneau-Chateau has this advice for parents:
- They need to check the shelf-life of the qualification because it may happen that the awarding body decides to discontinue a qualification and that therefore it will no longer be available after that exam series.
- Then they need to check when the next opportunity to sit that exam is. For example, for most of AQA’s GCSEs and A-Levels, they only offer them once a year, in the summer exam series (GCSE English and Maths are available in January as well). However if you are doing an International GCSE or International A-Level you may be able to resit it in October-November, or January, or the next summer.
- They must also know if the qualification is modular or linear: modular means that they will be able to sit that very exam that they have missed and that’s it. They will not need to redo any other exam. However, if the qualification is linear and includes two papers; they will need to resit the two papers (even though they may have sat the first paper just fine!).
In addition, if the student decides to resit at a later time, a grade for the original qualification will be calculated based on the exams that had been successfully completed.
Each exam has a different weighting in the qualification: some papers are worth 50% of the overall qualification, some papers are worth 30%. To know exactly how much weight the paper carries you need to have a look at the specification (syllabus) of the qualification.
When can I apply for Special Consideration?
Alternatively, applying for Special Consideration is an option for candidates who faced temporary illness, conditions, or other disadvantages during the exam, including absence. However, it's important to note that Special Consideration involves a process of estimation based on the candidate's performance in other units.
Mr Cheneau-Chateau has this advice:
“If Special Consideration has been granted then the awarding bodies make an estimation on the missing mark employing a procedure known as the z-score method.
"In this process, the discrepancy between a candidate’s estimation and the overall performance of candidates on a particular unit mirrors the average variance between the candidate’s performance and the general performance on other units.
"If the candidate typically performed slightly better than others on those other units, then the projected mark for the missing score will slightly exceed the typical performance on that unit. The variance between the candidate’s performance and the general performance is assessed in standard deviations.
In a nutshell
The advice from exam boards is clear: it's best for students to make every effort to attend their exams, and being there and giving it your all is the surest way to get the result you deserve.
But if you do miss one, knowing what to do can make things easier. Talking to the school and understanding what options are available can help a lot. By keeping the lines of communication open and making informed choices, families can reduce the impact of missed exams on their child's education.
