Exams!@!@!!: Hi, i have a gcse science... - Asthma Community ...

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Exams!@!@!!

25 Replies

Hi, i have a gcse science exam thursday and my asthma is getting bad. What is the procedure. What do i need to do?

25 Replies
angievere profile image
angievere

Check with the school, but I think you will need to get a doctor's note saying you are unwell and unfit to sit the exam. You cant just not turn up. Ring the school today to check asap.

Thanks. Im not that bad i am still going to school its just im afraid that the stress will make it worse during the exam.

yaf_user681_30355 profile image
yaf_user681_30355

I believe you can get a dr's note to cover you and still take the exam. I did this at Uni many years ago for my maths exam. In the end I didn't need to use it as my grades were fine but perhaps they can take that into consideration then. It might take the pressure off you too and help your asthma because of less stress.

Edit: I had a chest infection at the time.

Sorry to hear you are not too well. I am a teacher (PE but off with another silly chest infection at the mo grrr) and at my school you can take the exam in a smaller room with support. Get parents to phone and see if they can get something form the doc and you should be able to have concessions.

Hope this makes sense I am trying to type between coughs :-(

Take care and ggod luck.

Unfortunately there's not a lot you can do! The only way that you don't have to sit it (but still get a grade) is if your in hospital. Though often they just make you sit it in there, I had to do that and didn't get any special dispensation. If your really worried speak to your exams officer, though it's going to be very difficult if they don't actually know it's asthma.

Good luck, they sound like modules, so you can always retake!

Xx

yaf_user681_27480 profile image
yaf_user681_27480

Hi

when i sat my GCSE's I had a note from my doctor explaining that I would occasionally need to get up and around due to recent surgery and pain levels. I understand this is not asthma but they did make allowances and allow me to sit in a different area when I could move around without disrupting the rest of my school year.

As people have said it may be worth talking with your exam officer or school year head and if necessary for official purposes get a letter from your GP.

Good luck with the exams.

yaf_user681_2584 profile image
yaf_user681_2584

you should be able to apply for extenuating circumstances with a letter from your dr. also speak to your school as i used to do most of my exams in a seperate room so i could take medication/cough/wheeze without disturbing others! good luck!

B x

Hi all and thanks for the feedback. I spoke to head of science and he said that if i am really bad on the day then i can do it in another room.

Thanks for all the support! These forums make me feel that i am not alone 10/10 for asthma uk!

angievere profile image
angievere

Good that you spoke to head of Science. If you do sit the exam, make sure you take your inhaler with you (and a spare if you have one), also a bottle of water if that is allowed. Good luck!

yaf_user681_30355 profile image
yaf_user681_30355

That's really good to hear, good luck on Thursday!!

good luck for thursday Rhudson. science is my major so i know how important it is to you! well done for talking to your head of science. you are very sensible and should be congratulated for thinking ahead and having the courage to mitigate any risks to your health and your education.

please make sure that in all the nervousness you take your regualr medication and remember your reliever on the day.:)

you'll do great. got my fingers crossed for you for a good lung day and for all the answers to just be there ready to put on paper. take care. xx ><>

Glad you got something sorted out and they know it could be a problem!

Best of luck on Thursday and like everyone has said don't forget your inhaler! I took an exam in January and halfway through realised mine had run out...oops.

I'll leave you with a poem in case this helps - or at least makes you laugh, in a twisted kind of way:

Jimmy was a little boy,

But Jimmy is no more.

For what he thought was H2O

Was H2SO4.

I tell you what my asthma has been pretty bad today but that has honistly made my day!

lol glad to hear it, though not about the asthma!

Here's another one I found - I have no idea what's on the syllabus these days but maybe it will help ;)

I'm such a geek!

Johnny, finding life a bore,

Drank some H2SO4.

Johnny's father, an MD

Gave him CaCO3.

Now he's neutralised it's true,

But he's full of CO2

Lol! Im a geek to with computers. I will have to show my science teacher that one!!!!!

Just remember - if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

I should really stop now. This could just go downhill from here until I clutter up your thread with appalling geeky jokes. ;)

love the chuckles Philo! what on earth are you doing in publishing when you appear to be a scientist!?

not to put the dampers on, but i think maybe you should stop now as Rhudson doesnt feel too good tonight after evening meal with friends. laughter may be best medicine but not if it kicks us all off!!! :) LOL

take care all who are doing exams at the mo, good luck. xx ><>

oops yes I should - sorry rhudson (and everyone), I just read your other post about bad symptoms and forgot laughter not good for asthma - why, I don't know as it often sets me off too. Be careful (see other post) and think solemn thoughts! (I hope one of the poems might actually help as well as being funny - if you need to remember that reaction).

spiritedstream, what it doesn't say on my profile is that on Mondays I have a secret life as a mad brain scientist (I'm doing a part-time masters in cognitive neuroscience). Though I've always liked science and really awful science jokes lol. What was your field (I saw from your profile you're not directly in science at the moment)?

Good luck to all the exam people as well - I swear there are more than when I took them.

Thanks for cheering me up but i had a worse night last night and couldnt stop coughing. Also yea i agree why are u in publishing?

Oh no, sorry to hear that :( Hope it wasn't me making you laugh! Have you managed to get an appt with the GP yet?

lol I think I have a split brain - I like humanities as well! Hence the working in publishing but secret mad brain scientist thing...

Oh i see. No dont worry it wasnt you but i think i got about 3 hours total last night and i felt bad at school today soon. My mum is trying to get me in friday. She has just realised the urgency when i told her i think i have like 10-15 puffs left. If i were to run out and i needed it what do you suggest i do?

angievere profile image
angievere

rhudson - do you mean you are running low on your inhaler? If so, get your mum to ring surgery tomorrow first thing (if possible) and ask for emergency prescription for inhaler.

Get an early night tonight, and Good Luck with exam tomorrow.

Angievere got in before me! If you need it tonight urgently then I think you'll need to ring out of hours and explain. Or it may be possible to get one from the pharmacy on credit if you have ID and a slip proving you've been prescribed it before (or if you go to the pharmacy where you got the first one you should be on their database).

Here is the NHS Choices page with some info (you may need to remove some extra spaces before pasting) nhs.uk/chq/pages/1011.aspx?...

You may have to pay for the inhaler up front if you have to get it from the pharmacy but should be able to claim this back - as you're 15 you presumably don't pay for prescriptions.

Thanks for the replys, no i am not yet on repeat and my mum is calling up tomorrow to get an appointment for friday (dont matter if during school or not) but speaking to my mum she said that she can call in the morning and see if she can get me one before my appointment. She also said though that it might not work because of no repeat and they are quite tight where we are. If my mum cn get one then she is gonna bring it to school for me. Hopefully i wont run out its just i have had it for a while and when i shake it sounds like there is just a drizzle left.

Ayesha421 profile image
Ayesha421

I faced a similar problem immediately before my IES exams. I did some research that most examinations have rules and regulations. In my case they were something on these lines.

Candidates could be eligible for ''special consideration" marks if they were fully prepared for an examination but performance was affected by something beyond their control such as a recent bereavement, serious accident or illness.

Five per cent

•Terminal illness of student

•Terminal illness of a parent

•Recent death of a member of the immediate family

•Serious and disruptive "domestic crisis" leading to acute anxiety about the family

Four per cent

•Incapacitating illness suffered by candidate or family member

•Major surgery near the examination

•Severe illness

•Severe car accident

•Recent death of extended family member.

Three per cent

•Recent traumatic experience such as death of a close friend or distant relative

•Recent serious illness

•Severe congenital conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes or severe asthmatic attack

•Recently broken limbs

•Organ disease

•Physical assault before an examination

•Witnessing a distressing event on day of examination

neostencil.com/ese-ies-exam/

Two per cent

•Minor illness

•Broken limb on the mend

•Recent viral illness

•Concussion

•Effects of pregnancy

•Hay fever on day of exam

•Allowance for last paper taken in a single day (if candidate has already exceeded five hours 30 minutes at GCSE or six hours at A-level)

One per cent

•Noise during examination which is more than momentary

•Illness of another candidate in exam room

•Stress or anxiety for which medication has been prescribed

•Minor ailments

•Headache

•Minor upset due to administration problems, such as wrong time allocated

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