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There has been a sharp rise in the number of pupils being given extra marks due to "special considerations" on the day of their GCSEs or A-levels.

Figures from England's exams watchdog show 329,119 requests were approved in 2008, compared to 255,200 in 2005.

Special consideration can cover issues such as bereavement, but also headaches, stress or hay fever.

There was also a doubling in the number of pupils being awarded extra time for exams because of other special needs.

The figures from Ofqual detail how many candidates have been given special consideration in their final marks to reflect "temporary injury, illness, indisposition or other unforeseen incident immediately before or during the exams period".

The most a candidate can be given is an extra 5% of the maximum mark for the question paper.

This is given in more extreme cases, for example, in the case of terminal illness of the candidate or parent or a bereavement in the immediate family.

Candidates suffering from more minor complaints - illness, hay fever, effects of pregnancy, concussion, extreme distress, ongoing noise, illness of another candidate in the room, stress or anxiety, minor ailments or a headache - would typically receive an extra 1 or 2% of the maximum mark.

The statistics for "access arrangements and special consideration" relate to public exams set by the examination boards AQA, Edexcel and OCR.

Prompters and bilingual dictionaries

The statistics also give details of special arrangements given prior to the day of an exam.

For example, a growing number of candidates needed assistance to stay focused during exams.

A prompter - "a responsible adult who may sit beside the candidate in order to keep his or her attention on the task in hand" - was requested in 383 cases in 2005, compared to 2,926 in 2008.

The number of pupils being given pre-arranged extra time in exams was 78,570 last year, more than double the 35,319 cases in 2005.

The figures also show a rise in the number of candidates using bi-lingual dictionaries in exams.

In 2008, 9,716 arrangements were made for pupils to use a dictionary and have extra time to complete the exam. In 2005, the figure was 4,083.

In 2008, 4,660 entries used a dictionary without extra time, compared to 1,680 three years earlier.

Transcripts were requested in 2,553 cases in 2008, compared to 485 in 2005.

Monitoring

Chair of Ofqual Kathleen Tattersall said it was important that all candidates had fair access qualifications to enable them to show their knowledge, skills and understanding.

"The number of candidates with access arrangements has risen again this year," she said.

"There are a number of reasons for this increase, including more awareness amongst teachers and parents and more information about the types of arrangements that are available.

"In addition, examination officers in schools and colleges work very hard to ensure that candidates get the fair access they are entitled to.

"We will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure that the system remains fair for all."

John Bangs, assistant secretary for the National Union of Teachers, said the union was not worried about the rise in applications for special considerations.

But he said it was important to ensure that all schools were aware of the necessary procedures.

"It's Ofqual's job to ensure a level playing field between all schools," he said.

Source: BBC News / Education

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Last Edited Date : March 25 2009 9:36 am