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Letter to Year 13 Parents - Examination Rules
Dear Parents,
As we approach the start of the exams proper, it is important that we again relay to you the examination rules for students. At the bottom of the letter, you will find a document the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) has produced for students taking exams. Please read this carefully with your child so that you and they are confident around the rules contained within.
We will publish this document daily during the exam season within ‘the daily plan’. The daily plan is a document we will e-mail to you and your child as well as publish on our website. The plan will tell you: -
- What exams are on the following day
- Special requirements for any exam
- Breakfast Revision clubs running each day
- The afterschool revision offer
- Interventions running each day
- Sources of help and support
Once examinations begin, we will ensure that we modify your child’s timetable to ensure that we have the best interventions in place. As one exam finishes, they will have support and teaching in the examinations they have yet to sit. We will publish details of timetable alterations in the ‘daily plan’.
New, roomed exam timetables will be issued today via student emails. Please check these carefully. Please note that the end times displayed on these timetables are not necessarily indicative of when an individual student will finish a particular exam, they provide a time when the examination room is active until.
We cannot emphasise enough the importance of students maintaining the highest level of attendance to all of their lessons right through and up until the end of the examination period.
Breakfast clubs have already begun in some KS5 subjects. As the exam season progresses more breakfast sessions will be added. We will alert you to these as when we have confirmation.
The afterschool programme continues to run. Please encourage your child to attend as many of these as possible. The programme is shown below.
If you are looking for guidance in how you can support your child through this exam period, Young Minds.org offers some useful tips for parents. These can be found on their website: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/parents-a-z-mental-health-guide/exam-time/
There are also pages for your child to access for advice on coping with exam stress: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/coping-with-life/exam-stress/
JCQ EXAMINATION RULES
This document has been written to help you. Read it carefully and follow the instructions.
If there is anything you do not understand, especially which calculator you may use, ask your teacher.
- Regulations – Make sure you understand the rules
- Be on time for all your exams. If you are late, your work might not be accepted.
- Do not become involved in any unfair or dishonest practice during the exam.
- If you try to cheat, or break the rules in any way, you could be disqualified from all your subjects.
- You must not take into the exam room:
- notes;
- an iPod, a mobile phone, a MP3/4 player or similar device, a watch, AirPods, earphones/earbuds.
Any pencil cases taken into the exam room must be see-through.
Remember: possession of unauthorised material is breaking the rules, even if you do not intend to use it, and you will be subject to penalty and possible disqualification.
- If you have a watch, the invigilator will ask you to hand it to them.
- Do not use correcting pens, fluid or tape, erasable pens, highlighters or gel pens in your answers.
- Do not talk to or try to communicate with, or disturb other candidates once the exam has started.
- You must not write inappropriate, obscene or offensive material.
- If you leave the exam room unaccompanied by an invigilator before the exam has finished, you will not be allowed to return.
- Do not borrow anything from another candidate during the exam.
- Information – Make sure you attend your exams and bring what you need
- Know the dates and times of all your exams. Arrive at least ten minutes before the start of each exam.
- If you arrive late for an exam, report to the invigilator running the exam.
- If you arrive more than one hour after the published starting time for the exam, you may not be allowed to take it.
- Only take into the exam room the pens, pencils, erasers and any other equipment which you need for the exam.
- You must write clearly and in black ink. Coloured pencils or inks may only be used for diagrams, maps, charts, etc. unless the instructions printed on the front of the question paper state otherwise.
- Calculators, dictionaries and computer spell-checkers
- You may use a calculator unless you are told otherwise.
- If you use a calculator:
- make sure it works properly; check that the batteries are working properly;
- clear anything stored in it;
- remove any parts such as cases, lids or covers which have printed instructions or formulae;
- do not bring into the exam room any operating instructions or prepared programs.
- Do not use a dictionary or computer spell checker unless you are told otherwise.
- Instructions during the exam
- Always listen to the invigilator. Always follow their instructions.
- Tell the invigilator at once if:
- you think you have not been given the right question paper or all of the materials listed on the front of the paper;
- the question paper is incomplete or badly printed.
- Read carefully and follow the instructions printed on the question paper and/or on the answer booklet.
- Do not start writing anything until the invigilator tells you to fill in all the details required on the front of the question paper and/or the answer booklet before you start the exam. Do not open the question paper until you are instructed that the exam has begun.
- Remember to write your answers within the designated sections of the answer booklet.
- Do your rough work on the proper exam stationery. Cross it through and hand it in with your answers.
Make sure you add your candidate details to any additional answer sheets that you use, including those used for rough work.
- Advice and assistance
- If on the day of the exam you feel that your work may be affected by ill health or any other reason, tell the invigilator.
- Put up your hand during the exam if:
- you have a problem and are in doubt about what you should do;
- you do not feel well;
- you need more paper.
- You must not ask for, and will not be given, any explanation of the questions.
- At the end of the exam
- If you have used more than one answer booklet and/or any supplementary answer sheets, place them in the correct order.
Place any loose additional answer sheets inside your answer booklet. Make sure you add your candidate details to any additional answer sheets that you use.
- Do not leave the exam room until told to do so by the invigilator.
- Do not take any stationery from the exam room. This includes the question paper, answer booklets used or unused, rough work or any other materials provided for the exam.
This information must be made available to all candidates in advance of their examination(s) for each series. It may be provided electronically to candidates or in hard copy paper format.
