So, I was disqualified from my Maths GCSE exam

By Gnieus
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Gnieus

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So today I took my Maths GCSE exam, I had done all the revision in the world and was super prepared for the test. However, me being as forgetful as I am, I forgot to put my phone in my bag, and the exam monitors

found me with it half way through. In England, it is against exam regulations to have a phone on you during the exam, even if it's off. I wasn't using the phone, it was happily sitting in my pocket.

So, as you might imagine, they disqualified me. Now I'm worried, will they allow me to retake this exam, or is that it for Maths?

Thanks!

Grand Master

theyarecomingforyou

Posted
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You are of course allowed to retake the exam, which you really need to do given how important maths is.

With any exam you should always make sure you only take in what you absolutely need. Schools have to be strict, as otherwise it undermines the qualification for everybody. It's a tough lesson to learn but it's a mistake you'll likely never make again.

Experienced

ShMaunder

Posted
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It amazes me how people can forget about putting their phone into their bag before an exam. In most cases it isn't they forget, but more because they don't trust leaving it in their bag.

All the exams I've taken, they tell everyone at least once to check their pockets for any unauthorised material such as phones, revision notes etc.

In any case you'll be able to re-take - but not sure if it'll be funded if you're at school (i.e. you may have to pay for retake).

Grand Master

Lingwo

Posted
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You're allowed to retake.

I messed up my GCSE's :laugh: and i re-took english (i think) and maths in college a year later for free. I think it was around June.

However i am sure you can re-take it much sooner as i did the whole learning thing as well.

The maths one didn't go that well again, wrote my car off on the way to the exam. Still sat the exam, like a boss. :laugh:

Makes me glad we didn't have mobile phones back when we did GCSEs. Well we did have mobile phones but they were massive and wouldn't fit in a pocket anyway.

  • Sir Topham Hatt
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Tuishimi

Posted
Posted

I think phones have become almost a part of people... they forget about them like a body part. Sorry to hear about being disqualified... it is too bad they couldn't confiscate it for the duration.

...we did have mobile phones but they were massive...

Heh. My first mobile phone was hard-wired into my truck and was as large as, if not larger than, my home phone.

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Gnieus

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Thanks for the info, it seems I will get a retake in June. The parents are fuming at me, as you can imagine.

And yes, I completely forgot the phone was on me, I get very stressed when it comes to exams and a stop listening to everyone just before hand, I get my mind-set ready for the exam, and only for the exam. Hence the reason I forgot about my phone.

Grand Master

cooky560 Veteran

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In the UK mobile phones are allowed at school (in some cases even recommended as it's an easy way for the child to get in touch with their parents) provided they are turned off. However in the exam room everything apart from a pen, pencil, ruler, eraser (and calculator in some papers) is restricted.

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Shahrad

Posted
Posted

Its not the end of the world, I know people who have suffered the same incident.

Because of the enthusiasm shown by parents and the students, that same 20 minute window, they locked him into a room in the head masters office, and simply revoked him to do it again 5 minutes after the real exam was done, but since he was in the room, no possible line of communication, and his a paper was included in the pile with everyone else. Not sure if that's allowed, but it worked and he got his grades on time, for which he was relieved for. (No it wasn't me, word spread around my school because teachers couldn't keep their mouths closed :p)

Grand Master

-T- Member

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While you'll be able to resit the exam, how did they discover it in your pocket halfway through the exam. Was there an impromptu pocket search section of the exam paper?

  • Sir Topham Hatt
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Soldiers33

Posted
Posted

dont understand why people get so stressed over an exam just answer a few questions and finished. I have only ever revised a couple times in my whole school life. I find exams really easy, the more you stress the harder it gets.

Grand Master

Pc_Madness

Posted
Posted

However in the exam room everything apart from a pen, pencil, ruler, eraser (and calculator in some papers) is restricted.

Thats pretty harsh, in Australia you're allowed to place your phone on the floor next to you with your wallet.

Grand Master

Sir Topham Hatt

Posted
Posted

We were allowed to take our bags in, but they had to be stored at the front of the room.

Phones and wallets were supposed to be in the bags. One guy's phone went off, but they just took it off him. It was only 10 mins into the exam though.

My French exam, the examiner left the room so we all chatted and shared answers - it was awesome!

Grand Master

n_K

Posted
Posted

It depends, if you weren't caught using the phone and it was off then chances are you'll just be disqualified from that exam, then if it was on or being used the problem persists, the exam board can revoke all qualifications from you and ban you from sitting their exams for a period of time or forever, other exam boards might not allow you to take exams with them either.

Why did you even have your phone with you anyway and how did they find it?

Grand Master

cooky560 Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
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Thats pretty harsh, in Australia you're allowed to place your phone on the floor next to you with your wallet.

It's not the harshest I've taken, during the theory test for my driving License I was instructed to leave everything except for my clothing (but including my coat) in a locker until after the exam was finished.

Contributor

Gnieus

Posted
  • Author
Posted

They found it as the bottom of the device was on show, I have an iPhone 4, and my pocket wasn't long enough to cover it fully.

Rookie mistake, I know.

Mentor

Guth

Posted
Posted

While you'll be able to resit the exam, how did they discover it in your pocket halfway through the exam. Was there an impromptu pocket search section of the exam paper?

He was on google, its obvious! just kidding OP

Silly boy ;) I never even took my phone to exams with me, its just not worth the hassle and I sure as hell wasnt putting it in some box with everyone elses phones because when you were finished you could just leave and you went to the box and took your phone. I was always afraid someone would steal my phone from the box haha

edit:

Thought I'd add that last year my ex g/f was caught in class on her phone during a NAB (not an exam just like a unit test) they disqualified her from that NAB and therefore she couldn't take her sociology final exam! If she wanted to sit it, she would have to take it as an extra class at college and do the whole course again so that the NABs and exam had changed! Very harsh.

I split up with her after that though so not sure if they ever did let her sit that NAB as her Mother said she was going to appeal the decision.

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