EXAM PROCEDURES & REGULATIONS

Examination Schedule

Examination Timetables and Regulations are posted on the student notice boards several weeks in advance of the examinations,  You are reminded to familiarise yourself fully with their content.

Preparation for examinations
In preparing for examinations, you should:

• Know the building, starting time and room number of the examination. 
• Plan to arrive at the examination hall at least twenty minutes before the scheduled start time.
• Make sure that you have your student card with you, as it will be required for identification purposes during the examination.

What to bring/not to bring

• You are required to bring your student card as the agreed form of identification.  If you forget to do so, you must notify the college Registrar prior to the start of the examination.
• You must leave all personal belongings (e.g. coats, bags, hats, etc) in the cloakroom provided.  The location of the cloakroom will be posted on the general notice board before the examination.
• You are not permitted to bring pencil cases, mobile phones, personal stereos, programmable calculators/dictionaries, computer hardware, software, lecture notes, texts or paper into the examination hall (unless by prior agreement with the module lecturer).

Conduct during the Examination

• Carefully follow the instructions of the senior invigilator given prior to the start of the examination.
• If you require assistance during the examination, please raise your hand and an invigilator will deal with your query.
• Communication with another student, and any other irregular practice, which could be construed as offering or receiving assistance, is not permitted once you have entered the examination hall.  Any candidate found to be communicating with other candidates during the examination time will automatically fail and will only be allowed to repeat at the next available sitting.
• All rough work must be entered in the answer booklet provided and clearly marked “rough work”.  Invigilators will issue continuation answer books on request should you require them.
• You are not permitted to take answer books out of the examination hall.
• If you are found with any unauthorised material in your possession, it will be construed as cheating.  The sanction if caught in possession of material is that the candidate will be suspended from the college for one academic year.

Entering/Leaving the Examination

Given the importance of the examination process, all students are advised to be present in advance of the examination and to remain in the examination hall for the full duration of the examination.  In particular:

• You should plan to arrive at least 20 minutes before the examination is due to start
• You will be allowed take up your seat several minutes before the scheduled start time for the examination,
• You will not be permitted to enter the examination after the first hour has elapsed.
• You will not be permitted to leave the examination hall during the first hour of the examination nor during the last 30 minutes.

Examination Results

The results forwarded to you by post will indicate:

• The overall grade you achieved in each module
• Where appropriate, a recommendation to discuss with college staff any implications your results may have for your progression/award classification.
• If required, arrangements for reassessment

All results released in relation to January examinations remain provisional until external examiners can review the results of the complete stage in their entirety at the Examination Board in July.  External examiners may alter (increase or decrease) the results at the Examination Board.

Extenuating Circumstances
Students who fail to attend for examination, or who fail to submit an assignment on schedule, are advised to notify the college of any extenuating circumstances that might apply to their situation.  Such exceptional circumstances are limited to certified illnesses, family bereavement or other similar significant adverse influences.  In such cases, the college may permit the student to resubmit the assignment(s) or retake the examination at the next available sitting as a first attempt.  Supporting documentation must be submitted to the Course Director in respect of all such applications.

What happens if I fail?

The prevailing regulation of the validating body
(i.e. HETAC/Edexcel) approving your course and/or college regulations determine the consequences of failing a module. 

You are required to make yourself fully familiar with these regulations before sitting any examination.  The regulations are available from the Administration Office.

In general, students who fail modules in the first or second semester (January or June) will be required to retake the examination or  resubmit coursework (or both), for consideration by the exam board meeting (or repeat exam board meeting held in the  Autumn).  However, two consequences are worth particular attention:

• For first year HND students, failure to pass a sufficient number of modules may mean that you will not be permitted to progress to the next stage (second year) of the award.
• A failure in the first attempt at assessment in any module automatically results in the grade for the repeat assessment being capped at a Pass grade.