We explain how Wendover takes the pain out of formal examinations
Students at Wendover Online School are spread across a wide geographical area, and include individuals at Year 11 and 13 studying towards GCSE and A-level qualifications.
Whilst they study online, these pupils must take GCSE and A-level exams in person. How does this work, and what does Wendover do to smooth the way?
Choosing the right Exam Board
Schools have a choice of examination boards to follow for GCSE and A-level courses and exams. Wendover gives careful consideration to which is the most suitable exam board for each pupil, bearing in mind details such as the availability of overseas access, and whether there are alternatives to practical papers or field study.
In practice, the best choice will often be the Cambridge IGCSE, “the world’s most popular international qualification for 14 to 16 year olds.” It is a highly reputable exam board, and many private schools make this choice. The Cambridge IGCSE exams take place in May/June, catering for different hemispheres whilst also offering the option to sit exams early (or resit if needed).
Selecting the right Exam Centre
Unlike other online schools, Wendover takes the stress out of finding and securing a place at the most suitable exam centre for each pupil.
Usually in the Autumn Term, our administrative team finds the Exam Centre most local to each student and makes enquiries to ascertain that they offer the right subject and specification (by numeric code). We establish a relationship with the most suitable Exam Centre and set up the entry for each candidate for the appropriate examinations. All the parents then have to do is pay the examination fee and test centre fee.
Preparing for external exams
Wendover aims to de-stress education. We know that the first public examinations in Year 11 can be challenging for students, so we familiarise them with exam procedures through gradual changes to our internal testing.
All our pupils have weekly progress tests to acclimatise them to answering questions under timed conditions, and written exams at the end of every term. As we extend the length and complexity of the tests, and progress from known questions to unseen questions, pupils learn to take these in their stride and perform with confidence.
Mock exams
Mock exams help both pupils and teachers prepare for GCSE and A-evels. No teaching takes place in Mocks Week; instead, we issue an exam schedule and pupils sit their mock exams in a quiet space at home.
Parents help us by printing off the exam papers and presenting them to their student under ‘exam conditions’ without access to external help. Pupils write their answers with their video cameras focussed on their work, to provide some extra assurance that there is no interference.
It is a system that both pupils and their parents find helpful in preparing properly for the final examinations.
Exam days
Each student is sent an exam schedule direct from their Exam Centre and will be responsible for making their own way in good time on the day of each exam.
‘Open Exam Centres’ are usually schools which are running exams for their own pupils at the same time; whilst ‘Dedicated Exam Centres’ will be running exams for external candidates as a business. In either case, pupils usually sit exams with other students in the same way they would at a normal school.
As usual, throughout this time parents have a clear channel of communication with teachers (largely through email and WhatsApp) so they can seek reassurance or ask any questions, whilst pupils will often receive supportive morale-boosting messages from their teachers.
What happens if exams are cancelled
Recently, schools have been asked to provide predicted grades to authorities when physical examinations have not been possible. Thanks to consistent testing and communications at Wendover, we are always confident in our assessments of pupil progress and share this regularly with pupils and their parents. We therefore have the evidence available to provide reliable predictive grades to external bodies such as Examination Boards, or to universities and other schools, if needed.
Exam success
IGCSE and A-level grades will be sent direct to the student by the Exam Centre, and every year we look forward tremendously to hearing from our pupils about their achievements.
If you would like to hear more about taking formal exams with the support of Wendover Online School, please contact us on +44 1604 213 477 or email on enquiries@wendoverschool.com. Alternatively, download our GCSE or A-Level prospectus.
