Examinations Policy Prepared by: Vice Principal (Learner Services and Support) Policy Approved by: Shadow Board Minute No: 33 01/07/13 Impact Assessed: August 2013 AOS Aim 1 Policy Implemented: August 2013 Review Date: July 2014 1
Contents Page 3 Preamble to the Policy Page 4 Page 4-6 Introduction to the Policy Policy Purpose Exam Responsibilities Page 6 Page 6-7 Page 7 Page 7-8 Page 8 Page 8-9 Page 9 Page 10 Qualifications offered Exam Series Timetable Entries, entry details and late entries Registration & Certification Policy Exam fees Disability Discrimination Act Access arrangements Contingency Planning Estimated Grades Page 10-11 Managing Invigilators Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Malpractice Exam Days Candidates Internal Assessment Marks and Appeals Appeals against internal assessments Results, Enquiries about Results (EARs) and Access to Scripts (ATS) EARs (Enquiries about Results) Certificates Page 13-14 Processing of Results Receipt of Examination Results 2
Preamble to the Policy Equal Opportunities The College shall comply with all statutory duties in respect of equal opportunities in the areas of sex, race, age, disability, sexual orientation, transgender, religion, belief, pregnancy, maternity and paternity, marriage and civil partnership and the rehabilitation of offenders. The college shall also comply with the Human Rights Act 1998 and any subsequent enactments or modifications. Sustainability The college will comply with all statutory duties in respect of sustainable development by seeking to improve the long-term economic, social and environmental wellbeing of people and communities. This needs to be done in ways which promote social justice, equality of opportunity and which enhance the natural and cultural environment while respecting its limits. Welsh Language The College will comply with its Welsh Language Scheme, which is a statutory document, in all of its activities. This includes conducting Welsh Language Impact Assessments for all new and revised policies and initiatives. 3
Introduction This document has been produced to ensure that all staff involved in the administration of examinations complies with College and examination board policies. The document will also provide a clear policy statement for learners undertaking examinations and assessments at the College Policy Purpose The purpose of this exam policy is to ensure the: planning and management of exams is conducted efficiently and in the best interest of candidates operation of an efficient exam system with clear guidelines for all relevant staff. It is the responsibility of everyone involved in the centre's exam processes to read, understand and implement this policy. The exam policy will be reviewed in July 2014. This policy should also be read in conjunction with Joint Council for qualifications Suspected Malpractice in Examinations and Assessments Policy and the Joint Council for Qualifications Instructions for Conducting Coursework and the JCQ Regulations and Guidance on Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments and Special Considerations plus JCQ ICE (Instructions for the Conduct of Examinations). Exam responsibilities The Registrations and Assessments Manager under the direction of the MIS and Examinations Director: has overall responsibility for the college as an exam centre and advises on appeals and re-marks is responsible for reporting all suspicions or actual incidents of malpractice. The Registrations and Assessments Manager and exams office staff at each campus: manages the administration of public internal exams advises the subject and class tutors and other relevant support staff on annual exam timetables and application procedures as set by the various awarding bodies oversees the production and distribution to staff and candidates of an annual calendar for all exams in which candidates will be involved and communicates regularly with staff concerning imminent deadlines and events 4
ensures that candidates are informed of and understand those aspects of the exam timetable that will affect them consults with teaching staff to ensure that necessary coursework is completed on time and in accordance with JCQ guidelines provides and confirms detailed data on estimated entries receives, checks and stores securely all exam papers and completed scripts liaises with Student Support to administer access arrangements and makes applications for special consideration using the JCQ publications Access arrangements, reasonable adjustments and special considerations. identifies and manages exam timetable clashes. authorises invoices relating to entries/registrations. Arranges with Campus staff invigilation and training for invigilation. submits candidates' coursework marks, tracks despatch of coursework to appropriate awarding bodies. Returned coursework is held in the relevant department. arranges for dissemination of exam results and certificates to candidates and forwards, in consultation with the Assessment and Registrations Manager, any appeals/re-mark requests maintains systems and processes to support the timely entry of candidates for their exams. Checks the receipt of examination papers, either from external or internal sources, ensuring the accompanying paperwork has the correct amounts of papers and that the correct paper topics have been received; Thereafter, the exams officers will separate the papers to date/time, and secure them in the lockable examinations cupboard/room; Ensure that staff returning completed question papers and scripts to the examinations office ensure that they sign the appropriate documentation to confirm return; Directors of Faculty, Heads of Schools and faculty area staff are responsible for:- guidance and pastoral oversight of candidates who are unsure about exam entries or amendments to entries involvement in post-results procedures accurate completion of coursework mark sheets and controlled assessment forms and declaration sheets by external deadline dates adherence to deadlines as set by the Exams Officer accurate completion of entry and all other mark sheets. Notification of access arrangements requirements (as soon as possible after the start of the course) submission of candidates' names and details of Examination to Exams Officer Inform Exams officer of Access arrangements for individual learners and exams submit details of learners name, ID number, date of Birth and particular examination codes, subject detail etc to Exams Officer for registration, examination entries and claims. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is responsible for: 5
identification and testing of candidates, requirements for access arrangements the provision of additional support with spelling, reading, mathematics, dyslexia or essential skills, hearing impairment, English for speakers of other languages, IT equipment to help candidates achieve their course aims. Advising exams officer when administering access arrangements and providing relevant evidence for exam officer s file. Invigilators are responsible for: Signed collection of exam papers and other material from the exams office before the start of the exam collection of all exam papers in the correct order at the end of the exam and their immediate signed return to the exams office. Completion of exams register. Appropriate conduct of examinations as per JCQ requirements. Candidates are responsible for: confirmation and signing of entries understanding coursework/controlled assessment regulations and signing a declaration that authenticates the coursework as their own. Qualifications offered The qualifications offered at Coleg y Cymoedd are decided by the Principal and Vice Principal for Teaching & Learning. The qualifications offered are varied and cover a range of general and vocational qualifications which are housed on the MIS system and are specific to individual learners. The subjects offered for these qualifications in any academic year may be found on the Management Information systems existing in the College. If there has been a change of specification from the previous year, the exams office must be informed. Informing the exams office of changes to a specification is the responsibility of the campus staff. Decisions on whether a candidate should be entered for a particular subject will be taken in consultation with the candidates, parents/carers, SENCo, subject teachers and head of subject. Exam series Internal, External exams and assessments are scheduled throughout the academic year, subject to timetabling by the Awarding Bodies, internal scheduling and on demand. 6
The Principal and Deputy Principal (Academic) decides which exam series are used in the centre. On-demand assessments can be scheduled only in windows agreed between the exams officer and the senior leadership team. Exams department to be informed by faculties regarding exam requirements at beginning of academic year when possible. Timetable Once confirmed, the exams officer will circulate the exam timetable for internal exams and external exams. The campus staff will allocate rooms and invigilators. Entries, entry details and late entries Candidates are selected for their exam entries by subject teachers. Candidates can request a subject entry, change of level or withdrawal. The college does not accept entries from external candidates. Entry deadlines are circulated to campus staff via email, notice board and other communicating devices within the campuses. Late entries are authorised by a manager in the campus but must be paid for by department or individual learner. GCSE re-sits will meet the GCSE terminal rule and re-sit requirements. Re-sit decisions will be made in consultation with candidates, subject teachers, and campus staff. Individual candidate statement of entry and timetables will be given to the campus staff for distribution. A copy will be posted to candidates. The exams office will accept withdrawals (using the appropriate withdrawal form) amendments and changes of tier up to the date set by the awarding body. Learners sitting on-line examinations will be given pin numbers so that they are able to unlock the examination at the time indicated. Registration & Certification Policy The College will: Register individual learners within 40 days from course commencement. Claim valid learner certificates within agreed timescales. Construct a secure, accurate and accessible audit trail to ensure that individual learner registration and certification claims can be tracked to the certificate which is issued for each learner. 7
In order to do this, the centre will: Register each learner within the awarding body requirements. Provide a mechanism for programme teams to check the accuracy of learner registrations. Make each learner aware of their registration status. Inform the awarding body of withdrawals, transfers or changes to learner details. Ensure that certificate claims are timely and based solely on internally verified assessment records. Audit certificate claims made to the awarding body. Audit the certificates received from the awarding body to ensure accuracy and completeness. Keep all records safely and securely for 13 15 years, certificates 5 years. Exam fees Learners will be made aware of examination fees prior to enrolment and will be included in their enrolment fee; Learners who are entitled to exemption of payment of tuition fees for enrolment will also be entitled to free examination entry, provided that their personal circumstances have not changed since enrolment. Re-sites of particular exams will, however, be charged at the time of entry irrespective of status. Reimbursement of fees will be sought from candidates who fail to sit an exam or meet necessary coursework/controlled assessment requirements unless there is supporting medical evidence or evidence of other mitigating circumstances. Learners will be invoiced. Late entry or amendment fees are paid by whoever is responsible for the need to make the change. Examination re-sit fees are paid by the candidates. Staff retain the right to refuse to sign any examination entry if they believe that the learner does not stand a realistic chance of passing the exam. Learners may enter themselves for examinations subject to making payment themselves. Their fees will be refunded if they are successful in those examinations. Disability Discrimination Act All exam centre staff must ensure that they meet the disability provisions under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), extended in 2005, and the Disability Equality Duty (DED), introduced in 2006. The DDA introduced measures aimed at eliminating the discrimination often faced by disabled people. The main provisions of the Act give protection to disabled people in the areas of employment and education. 8
A person has a disability for the purposes of the DDA if s/he has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on her/his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. The College will meet the requirements of the DDA by ensuring that each exams centre is accessible and improving candidate experience. This is the responsibility of the Registrations and Assessments Manager, together with the head of Centre, exams Officers and all other teaching and support staff. Access arrangements Candidates who may require access arrangements are identified during the admissions process. For these candidates the learning support manager sends an exam concession application to the head of school for completion. Course tutors identifying candidates should complete an exam concession application form at the earliest opportunity. It is the course tutor s responsibility to ensure arrangements are made as soon as possible after the start of the course. Making access arrangements for candidates to take exams/controlled assessments is the responsibility of both the SENCo and exams officer. Submitting completed access arrangement applications to the awarding bodies is the responsibility of the exams officer and learning support officer. Rooming for access arrangement candidates will be arranged by the SENCo with the exams officer. Invigilation and support for access arrangement candidates will be organised by the SENCo with the exams officer. In most cases candidates will only receive Access Arrangements for exams that match their normal day-to-day working. Deadlines for submitting applications for access arrangements and modified papers online for GCSE and GCE qualifications will be issued to the campus staff. Reference should be made to Chapter 6 of the JCQ Access Arrangements booklet for more detailed information on how to use Access arrangements online. Contingency planning Contingency planning for exams administration is the responsibility of the exams officer and Registrations and Assessments Manager. 9
Estimated grades Heads of subject and subject teachers are responsible for submitting estimated grades to the exams office when requested by the exams officer who will then send on to the Boards. Managing invigilators Internal staff and/or appointed trained invigilators are used to invigilate examinations. These invigilators will be used for internal and external exams. Recruitment of invigilators is the responsibility of the Registrations and Assessments Manager. Securing the necessary Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance for new invigilators is the responsibility of the person appointing the invigilator. Invigilators are timetabled and briefed by the Registrations and Assessments Manager. Invigilators' rates of pay are set by personnel. Invigilation Arrangements The Registrations and Assessments Manager must ensure that suitably qualified and experienced staff carry out invigilation. Any relative of a candidate in the examination room is specifically not eligible to serve as the sole invigilator. The invigilator is the person in the examination room responsible for the conduct of a particular examination session in the presence of the candidates. Invigilators must give their whole attention to the proper conduct of the examination. Invigilators are not to perform any additional tasks in the examination room. At least one invigilator must be present for every 30 candidates or part thereof for written exams. At least 1 invigilator must be present for every 20 candidates for online tests and practical examinations. Invigilators may be changed provided that the number present does not fall below the prescribed number. A teacher who has prepared or taught the candidates for the subject of the examination during the academic year of the examination must not be the sole invigilator at anytime during a written examination in that subject. For practical tests, there must normally be one invigilator to every 20 candidates or part thereof. In these examinations it is essential that a teacher of the subject should be present in the examination room at the start of the test and as necessary thereafter to deal with technical difficulties that may arise. Supervision of assignments to be taken under controlled conditions e.g. art may be undertaken solely by the teachers of the subject. 10
If questions or passages are to be read to the candidates, it is essential that an invigilator is present in addition to the reader. If a scribe is required, it is essential that an invigilator is present in addition to the scribe. A scribe may also be a reader Candidates should be arranged in the examination room so that they can be seen by an invigilator at all times. These instructions must be made available to each invigilator in the examination room and invigilators must be familiar with the Notice to Candidates, the warning to candidates and any specific regulations relating to the subject being examined. Centres must keep signed records of the seating and invigilation arrangements for each examination session. The seating and invigilation records may be required by the awarding body at any time up to the publication of results. These should be signed by the invigilator. Malpractice The Registrations and Assessments manager is responsible for investigating suspected malpractice. Exam days The exams officer will book all exam rooms after liaison with other users and make the question papers, other exam stationery and materials available for the invigilator. The Estates Team is responsible for setting up the allocated rooms. The invigilator will start all exams in accordance with JCQ guidelines. Subject staff may be present at the start of the exam to assist with identification of candidates but must not advise on which questions or sections are to be attempted. In practical exams subject teachers may be on hand in case of any technical difficulties. Exam papers must not be read by subject teachers or removed from the exam room before the end of a session. Copies of the exam papers are allowed to be given to subject teachers 24 hours after the published finishing time. A relevant subject teacher may be available to read out any subject-specific instructions and start the exam, if required. Centres must keep signed records of seating and invigilation arrangements for each examination session. These may be required by the awarding body at any time up to the publication of results and should be signed by the invigilator. 11
Candidates JCQ rules on candidates use of mobile phones and electronic devices apply at all times. Normal centre rules on dress and behaviour apply. Candidates' personal belongings remain their own responsibility and the centre accepts no liability for their loss or damage. Disruptive candidates are dealt with in accordance with JCQ guidelines. For exams longer than one hour, candidates will not be allowed to leave the exam room until at least one hour after the published starting time. They will not be allowed to return until the end of that session, when all candidates have completed. Candidates may only leave the exam room for a genuine purpose and are required to return immediately to the exam room. They must be accompanied by a member of staff at all times. For clash candidates, the supervision of escorts, identifying a secure venue and arranging overnight supervision is the responsibility of the Registrations and Assessments Manager. Should a candidate be ill before an exam, suffer bereavement or other trauma, be taken ill during the exam itself or otherwise disadvantaged or disturbed during an exam, then it is the candidate's responsibility to alert the centre, the exams officer, or the exam invigilator, to that effect. The candidate must support any special consideration claim with appropriate evidence within three days of the exam, for example, by providing a letter from the candidate's doctor. The exams officer will then forward a completed special consideration form to the relevant awarding body within seven days of the exam. Internal assessment It is the duty of campus staff to ensure that all internal assessment is ready for dispatch at the correct time. The exams officer will assist by keeping a record of each dispatch, including the recipient details and the date and time sent. Marks and appeals Marks for all internally assessed work and estimated grades are provided to the exams office by the subject teachers and head of school Appeals against internal assessments must be made known to the exams officer. 12
Appeals against internal assessments The process for managing appeals against internal assessments is detailed in a separate appeals policy, available from the exams office. Results, enquiries about results (EARs) and access to scripts (ATS) All individual candidate statements of results along with the centre candidate statement of results letter will be available to collect from the exams office on results day, any not collected are posted to candidates the same day. Arrangements for the centre to be open on results days are made by the exams officer. The provision of staff on results days is the responsibility of Registration and Assessment Manager and the MIS/Examinations Director. Results cannot be collected on behalf of a candidate unless they provide written evidence from the candidate with details of that candidate s personal details. EARs (Enquiries about results) EARs may be requested by centre staff or candidates if there are reasonable grounds for believing there has been an error in marking. The candidate's consent is required before any EAR is requested. If a result is queried, the exams officer, teaching staff and Registrations and Assessments manager will investigate the feasibility of asking for a re-mark at the centre's expense. When the centre does not support a candidate or parent s request for an EAR, a candidate may apply to have an enquiry carried out. If a candidate requires this against the advice of subject staff, all EAR s will be charged. Certificates Certificates are either presented in person or collected and signed for. Certificates cannot be collected on behalf of a candidate by third parties, unless they have been authorised to do so. The centre retains certificates for five years. Processing of Results All examination results will be entered onto the MIS system upon receipt from the Examination Board. Once entered, a printout will be produced and the entries will be checked by a third party. Examination results will be collated for the following purposes: 13
Presentation to DfES for attainment funding purposes and quality assurance; Presentation to the Corporation Board, SMT and Academic Board; and Use by Internal College Management. Receipt of Examination Results Results for A Level, GCSE, WBQ, Counselling, results will normally be made available to learners on the Thursday of the second and third weeks of August respectively. Results on these days will be available to learners from 0830 hours. All other results will be made available promptly to learners once received. 14