Exam applications for online GCSE courses and online A-level courses can be stressful, as many online schools expect parents to make all the arrangements for their children’s external exams. At Wendover Online School, we take this problem away from parents. We use our skills and educational expertise to ensure that students on our online courses can take the right exam at the right place, at the right time, and in the right way for them.
In this blog, we explain how our students take GCSE, IGCSE, A-level and other exams after online courses, and what steps we take to smooth the logistical arrangements that can otherwise be a nightmare for parents!
Planning for exams in online GCSE and A-level courses
Exams season can be a difficult time for students and parents alike. At Wendover, we work hard to ensure that your child has the best chance of success – and do everything we can to minimise stress for parents, too.
Who normally makes exam applications for online GCSE and A-level students?
In traditional, physical schools it is standard for the school to make all the arrangements for their students’ exams. Online schools can be far more flexible in the exams they offer, but the downside is that this can lead to complex arrangements for actually sitting the exam – which most online schools pass on to the parents. Would you know how to:
- Find the right external examination centre for your child’s courses?
- Understand how to apply for any special access arrangements, such as more time?
- Book practical exams, orals or coursework?
- Register for each individual exam on time and before your chosen centre reaches capacity?
Wendover takes care of exam applications for online schooling
At Wendover Online School, we plan carefully for each exam so that parents are not forced to navigate what can be a complicated system, and keep parents informed at every stage. For example, we recently held a webinar for parents of students in our Year 10 online GCSE courses and Year 12 online A-level courses about upcoming public exams, giving them the opportunity to meet key people including our Heads of GCSE and A-level, Exams Officer and SENDCo, and to find out how exams work at our online school.
Where will my child take their exams?
Choosing the right examination centre can be complex for online students taking GCSE or IGCSE exams, A-level exams, fundamental skills exams or practical endorsement exams for A-level subjects. Fortunately, our Exams Officer, Rosie Barron is on hand to recommend the right centre and to make all the arrangements – or support any parents who prefer to do so themselves.
Rosie is experienced at working with parents to make the best choices for exam entries, having arranged exams for her four home-educated children, as well as in her role as Exams Officer at Wendover.
“Choosing the right exam centre for your child is important because it can have a real impact on their success,” confirms Rosie. “We take into account a whole range of factors, including the location, what access arrangements are available, and even whether different choices will be more relaxing for the child – for example, if online exams are available in the right subject, you can choose this option without having to show any special need.”
Exam boards offered at different exam centres
It is important to choose an exam centre that works with your chosen exam board and offers the subject you want to take. This detail must be correct, or the exam application will be rejected. Wendover ensures that only the right exam centres are considered. However, you can choose to take different subjects at different locations if this better suits your needs.
Overseas, we can also check which exam centres offer the selected exam boards (such as Edexcel International GCSEs or Cambridge International A-Levels) and find the best location for our overseas students to take their exams after their online education.
Exam centre location
Ideally, an exam centre will be near to the student’s home, or somewhere they can easily access. Since the pandemic, some schools and exam centres have closed to external students, so it can be difficult to find a centre within easy reach. Fortunately, Wendover has strong relationships with relevant exam centre providers such as Tutors & Exams and Maidenhead College, so Rosie is able to explore the options and make recommendations that will suit your family.
We also have students taking exams overseas every year, so can advise on local exam centres anywhere from Europe to the Middle East, Australia to Brazil.
Taking online IGCSE exams at home
It is now possible to take a limited range of Edexcel IGCSE exams online from home, in an initiative that may see the rollout of more online exams over the next few years. From this year, Wendover Online School can arrange for students to sit specified GCSE subjects such as sciences and maths online at home. There are several aspects to consider, including:
- You must be able to provide a suitable environment – for example the student must be able to share their screen, and remain on camera with an invigilator throughout the exam.
- Taking online exams can be a costly choice, as an additional fee of around £400 is charged (in part to offset the cost of the centre providing an online invigilator).
- This choice also imposes some restrictions – for example, the exam must be taken at the same time across the world, which can be tricky for students in some time zones.
Online exams may suit students who are used to an online education. If your nearest GCSE exam centre is far away, or you have specific access arrangements such as a need for an individual room, online exams can be a practical and effective choice.
Extra considerations and access arrangements
Some students require extra considerations and access arrangements to give them an equal and fair chance in public examinations like GCSE and A-levels. These may include up to 25% extra time, rest breaks, a smaller or quieter room, enlarged papers, help with reading or writing, a prompt, or home invigilation. Our Exams Officer works closely with our SENDCo to apply for any appropriate access arrangements.
“I work with teachers, students and parents to identify help that might be needed for exams,” says Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator, Anne Powell. “To apply for extra considerations and access arrangements, we must show that the student has a specific medical, physical or emotional condition, and provide further evidence of need and a normal way of working.”
Parents and teachers help to see whether there are any arrangements we can make at Wendover to help our students complete their work, and these will help Anne to identify what will evidence a ‘normal way of working’ to the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). Not all students with additional needs will require special arrangements, but where an application is made, Anne must complete forms and supply supporting evidence to the exam centre, which then makes an application to JCQ for the specific arrangements. JCQ will ask to inspect some of the evidence held on file to supplement applications.
Choosing an exam centre with access arrangements
It is important to make sure that the chosen exam centre can offer suitable accommodations for students who have been granted special considerations. For example:
Using a word processor: If a student needs to use a word processor for completing their exam, it will be important to check that the exam centre has a suitable room. This may be a separate room, or one shared with a few other students.
Most centres will supply the laptop to be used as they must ensure that it is cleared of any information and not connected to the internet. If the exam requires candidates to sit at a computer to complete their exam, the exam centre must have the right facilities and not be limited to handwritten papers.
Extra time and supervised rest breaks: This requires arrangements for invigilation, so not all exam centres can accommodate the extra time allowed for some pupils to take exams or provide supervision for rest breaks.
Private room for exams: Similarly, some exam centres do not have the necessary facilities to allow students to take exams in a separate room.
Fieldwork and Practical Endorsement for online GCSE and A-level courses
In some subjects, students who have taken online GCSE courses or online A-level courses are required to take short practical courses over a few days to support their exams. As part of our exams preparation with your child, we advise on and recommend suitable courses.
For example, Geography and Environmental Studies students may attend a fieldwork course through the Field Studies Council or Tutors and Exams whilst Chemistry, Physics and Biology students may take a Practical Endorsement course to ensure that they can apply their theoretical knowledge in a practical setting, demonstrating mastery of both academic and practical skills. Wendover can help arrange these.
Trust our expert Exams Officer and SENDCo
Our Exams Officer, Rosie Barron, and Anne Powell, our SENDCo, make a great team, helping to ensure that every student has the best chance of success in examinations following our online GCSE and A-level courses. Working with students and their parents, and with our Heads of GCSE and A-level, they collaborate to ensure that:
- Exam entries are made on time
- Applications are made for extra help where needed
- Appropriate exam centres are chosen
- Practical and coursework exams to support online GCSE and A-levels are selected and booked.
“We effectively hold parents’ hands throughout the exams applications process,” says Rosie. “The system can seem full of challenges, but we make it as smooth as we possibly can by identifying what their child needs and how best to make that work. Wendover parents are very relieved that they don’t have to sort out exam centres and applications themselves!”
If you would like to know more about how our online school helps secondary students take GCSE exams, IGCSE exams, A-level exams, CPAC and practical coursework exams, please get in touch with our Exams Officer Rosie Barron at exams@wendoverschool.com
