A 16-Year-Old Student Took Four Months to Complete His Exams — and Passed All Seven

When most students finished their GCSE exams this summer, Patrick McCabe still had work ahead of him.

The 16-year-old student from Cheshire, England, had spent four months completing his exams using eye-tracking technology that allowed him to communicate and answer questions.

Patrick has cerebral palsy and uses an augmentative and alternative communication device. Rather than writing with his hands, he controls technology with his eyes.

His exams began on February 2 and continued until June 5. Some questions that would normally take a student a fraction of an exam could take Patrick several hours to complete.

It was physically and mentally exhausting. He needed additional breaks, but he remained determined to demonstrate what he knew.

That determination paid off.

Patrick passed all seven of his GCSEs and achieved the grades he needed to continue his education. He has now started A-level courses in French, business and media studies at Fallibroome Academy in Macclesfield.

Patrick has always wanted to study alongside other students in mainstream schools. He says one of the most important parts of school has been having the same opportunity to learn and develop as his older brothers.

But his experience also exposed how difficult traditional examinations can be for students who use communication technology.

His mother and teachers spent months working with examination boards to make sure he could demonstrate his knowledge fairly. Teaching assistants and CandLE, an organisation supporting students who use communication technology, also helped him throughout the process.

Patrick says revising for the exams required extra time and effort, and that communicating what he knew could be more difficult than understanding the subject itself.

Now he is looking ahead rather than back.

Patrick hopes to study media at university and eventually work in the industry. He is considering universities far from home and says he is excited about the independence that university life could bring.

His story is not simply about exam results. It is about a teenager finding a way to make his abilities visible when the usual methods of testing were not designed for him.

After four demanding months, Patrick did what he had set out to do: he showed exactly what he had learned.

Sources

• The Guardian
• Fallibroome Academy
• CandLE