One of Britain's largest teaching unions is calling for stricter guidelines to prevent parents from exploiting the examination system.
John Bangs, the head of education at the National Union of Teachers (NUT), has said that teachers need more defined guidelines to fend off pushy parents.
He said: "The occasional pushy parent will put teachers under pressure.
"I think actually having a proper code of practice which teachers can actually show to parents and say, this is the guidance, this has been worked out with schools, we have been consulted on it, it's entirely reasonable, and that's as far as I can go".
GCSE and A-level students can have extra marks or time awarded for a range of mitigating circumstances including headaches, noise in exams and family bereavement.
There are fears that the system is being exploited, as evidenced by a sharp increase in the number of appeals from 250,000 in 2005 to more than 300,000 in 2007.
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) reported a 9% increase in successful claims last year.
The official rules allow candidates one week after their final exam in a subject to make a plea for extra marks.
GCSE and A-level pupils in England can get an extra 5% on their marks if a parent dies close to exam day or 4% if a distant family member dies. They are also given special consideration for things like witnessing a distressing event on exam day (3%) or having a headache or hay fever, which entitles them to an extra 1% mark.
John Bangs, the head of education at the National Union of Teachers (NUT), has said that teachers need more defined guidelines to fend off pushy parents.
He said: "The occasional pushy parent will put teachers under pressure.
"I think actually having a proper code of practice which teachers can actually show to parents and say, this is the guidance, this has been worked out with schools, we have been consulted on it, it's entirely reasonable, and that's as far as I can go".
GCSE and A-level students can have extra marks or time awarded for a range of mitigating circumstances including headaches, noise in exams and family bereavement.
There are fears that the system is being exploited, as evidenced by a sharp increase in the number of appeals from 250,000 in 2005 to more than 300,000 in 2007.
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) reported a 9% increase in successful claims last year.
The official rules allow candidates one week after their final exam in a subject to make a plea for extra marks.
GCSE and A-level pupils in England can get an extra 5% on their marks if a parent dies close to exam day or 4% if a distant family member dies. They are also given special consideration for things like witnessing a distressing event on exam day (3%) or having a headache or hay fever, which entitles them to an extra 1% mark.
