Is a ten minute break between back to back GCSE papers normal?

[lrene]

Just need some advice as I don’t know really if I’m being overly neurotic or if I need to challenge the current situation

My son has to sit two GCS papers back to back with only a ten minute break. We were only told about this two days ago and the school very obviously had quite a few complaints because they then sent out an email telling us basically that it couldn’t be amended. We all knew there was a clash but nobody ever thought that the gap between papers would be so sort - it’s barely time to go to the toilet or stretch your legs. I had assumed that they might have half hour break as minimum.

Is this normal? If am struggling to find any concrete advice anywhere -
of this is completely normal I’ll just have to accept it, but it does seem remarkably unfair.

I am unsure as to how much discretion the school actually has - I am surprised such a
short break is allowed under guidelines.

Pretty sure it can be. The issue is that they have to be kept within total isolation if the exams overlap.

I think break times also depend on how long each exam is. For example if both exams are one hour there will be less time than if they are both 2 hours. It’s difficult for the school to manage complete isolation for long stretches

When I was at school we had an invigilated lunch between clashing exams with a teacher at our table.

10 minutes is nowhere near long enough - you’d be cognitively exhausted. I’d be interested how other schools handle it these days

How long is each paper?
I am an exam invigilator and have supervised students with exam clashes as they are kept in isolation. IME generally the gap is longer so that students can go to the loo, have a snack etc. we will usually hold them over lunch and start the next exam early afternoon.
You normally need longer for a break as each student must be taken individually to the loo so that can take time if you have day seven students with a clash.
However, I have students taking the IB diploma with two clashes and sat three exams back to back with only a 10 minute break between which I thought was quite unfair on the students.

First exam is 105 minutes: next is 60

I think it’s terrible. According to the guidelines they can be given up to 20 mins break but the school has chosen not do to this - I really don’t know why. It’s definitely not an issue of resources. Another ten minutes would make a huge difference I think

i haven’t said anything to the school
but I know other parents have basically been told to suck it up

How many students are affected by the clash?

Maybe the school needs the teachers/invigilators to be available for another exam starting after the second finishes, so can’t start it any later?

if you’d said the papers were 2-3 hours each, I’d see your point. But they aren’t even 3 hours combined. I remember when I did GCSE’s the papers were much longer than they seem to be these days.

As long as your child has time to go to the toilet, grab a drink, surely that’s the main thing? Make sure he eats before the first exam and takes with him a snack he can eat quickly between the two papers if he can’t go 2.5 hours without eating.

Surely he doesn’t need a snack after an hour and 45 minutes?

I thought that but then thought maybe he has a medical condition (eg diabetes) that might require a regular snack/meal. Because otherwise I really can’t see why this is an issue at at.

Pretty normal. If there are a few of them they won’t start until they have all been to the loo etc so may well be longer than 10 minutes in the end.

If he does he’ll be allowed snacks in the exam hall

My DS has extra time. With that added this is longer than these two combined!

My DC had this happen for most of their GCSEs because their extra time meant they’d get no break. I complained too. I also found out there is no requirement for a break. Which is disgusting for any child, including mine with special needs that caused fatigue.

Under the JCQ guidelines, because the total is under 3 hours, they have to take them in the same session and with a maximum break of 20 minutes which is under exam conditions in the exam room. The school may have taken the view that longer than 10 minutes won’t benefit them when they need to stay in exam conditions in that time, and they can’t revise. If the total time was longer and an exam was moved to the other session they wouldn’t be as restricted when under supervision in between, in that they could be in a different room, look at notes for the next exam and talk to each other (albeit with no phones, no contact with non clash people and with an invigilator present)

https://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/managing-timetable-clashes/
www.jcq.org.uk/knowledge-hub/intructions-for-conducting-examinations/#Chapter-7-Appendices