Live Life Team
By the time you reach your GCSE exams you should know whether you are a candidate for extra time, and if you are not you may be wondering why some students do get extra time – surely this isn’t fair,
You cannot just get extra time, you have to have a need, which is supported by the teachers who have a vast amount of experience in this area and will have methods for determining which students qualify for extra time. There is always a reason why. For example, if you struggle with your writing, finding it hard to form letters and keep your work legible, but not enough to require you to have someone writing for you, then you may be offered extra time; this means you can slow down slightly and concentrate on you work. Similarly if you find reading problematic – you can read but it takes you a lot longer than most people – you could be offered extra time. This means that you will normally be removed from the main exam hall and taken to a smaller room, with others in the same situation. Strict exam rules still apply, and breaking these leads to the same consequences as for any other candidate, but it means you will not be disrupted at the end of normal time when the other students leave.
If you feel that you should be considered for extra time, make sure your parents see someone at the beginning of year 10; don’t leave it to the last minute.
