Exams at All Saints Academy
All Saints Academy aims to make the examination experience as stress-free and successful as possible for all students.
The examination boards set down strict criteria which must be followed in ‘The Instructions for Conducting Examinations’ and All Saints Academy is required to follow them precisely. You should therefore, pay particular attention to the JCQ Information for Candidates and Warning to Candidates included in the attachments at the bottom of this page.
If you have any queries or need help or advice at any time before, during or after the examinations please contact:
Mrs Patricia Gourley
Exams Officer
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01752 705131 (ext. 242)
Individual Timetables
Individual exam timetables will be issued in assemblies by Miss Tombs. Please keep them safe as you will need to refer to them daily during exam seasons.
This timetable will show your specific examinations with details of date, time, duration of the exam, venue and seat number. It will also show your candidate number, which is a four-digit number you will need to write on all of your exam papers. Please make sure you check this timetable before each exam so that you know your venue and seat number.
Personal Details
Please check that all of your personal details are correct on the laminated ID card you will receive before exams. You will need to look after your ID card as you will need it for every exam so that invigilators can identify you. You will need to place your ID card on your exam desk in each exam.
Clashes
Your timetable will be carefully checked to make sure that there are no clashes. (A clash is when you have two or more exams timetabled at the same time).
Where there is a clash of subjects, the Exams Officer will re-schedule exams (on the same day). Candidates will normally sit one paper followed by a break during which they will be supervised by an Invigilator. During this time, candidates must not communicate with other candidates or access the internet. They will then sit the second subject paper.
Rescheduled times will be on your individual candidate timetable. It may be necessary for you to bring a packed lunch as you will have to remain under supervision until both exams are completed.
Practical Subjects
Exam dates for Art, Photography and all Foreign Language Speaking exams, will be agreed with your teacher and therefore will not be on your individual timetable.
THE DAY OF THE EXAMINATION
Examination Start Times:
9.15am for the morning session
1.10pm for the afternoon session
These are the usual start times, but candidates are responsible for checking their own timetables and arriving at school on the correct day and time, in school uniform and with the correct equipment. Candidates must arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the examination unless instructed to arrive earlier. Please make sure you have used the toilet facilities prior to the exam.
Bags are not allowed with you in the exam, so these need to be dropped off at the front or back of your designated exam room. Invigilators will instruct you on where to leave your bags as you enter. Please make sure that any equipment you need is on your person before entering the exam room and dropping your bag off.
If you are in the YMCA you need to line up in front of the corresponding letter of the row in which you are to be seated. Please wait quietly outside your exam venue as other exams may already be taking place.
Once you enter the exam venue you are under exam conditions. You must not speak to other candidates.
Sit in the seat indicated on your individual timetable and place your laminated ID card so that it is visible to Invigilators on your desk. If you cannot find your seat, raise your hand quietly and an Invigilator will come and assist you.
Do not attempt to communicate with or distract other candidates. Looking around and smiling at other candidates is classed as communication. Please sit and face the front at all times. You are also not permitted to put your head down on the desk as your face must be visible to the Invigilators at all times.
MOBILE PHONES MUST BE TURNED OFF BEFORE ENTERING THE EXAMINATION ROOM. You must put these inside your bag or hand it to an Invigilator. Your wristwatch must also be removed and placed in your bag. If any devices are handed to invigilators they will be returned at the end of the examination.
If a mobile phone/smartwatch (or any other type of electronic communication or storage device) is found in your possession during an examination (even if it is turned off and in your pocket) it will be taken from you, and a report will be made to the appropriate exam board. This could result in disqualification from the examination. No exceptions can and will be made.
Food is not allowed in the examination room. Only still water in a clear plastic bottle is allowed (any labels should be removed). Queries regarding medicines, etc, should be addressed to the Exams Officer.
You will be asked to check that you have the correct exam paper on your desk - check the subject and that you have the correct level i.e. Foundation or Higher. If something is wrong, put your hand up and wait for an invigilator to come to you. Do not open the paper or write anything until you are told to do so.
Read all instructions carefully and number your answers clearly. Listen carefully to instructions and notices read out by the Invigilators – there may be amendments to the exam paper that you need to know about.
Please do not write on examination desks or your ID cards. This is regarded as vandalism, and you will be asked to clean the desks or even pay for the damage. Do not draw or graffiti on examination papers as the examination board can refuse to accept your paper.
Candidates must stay in the examination room for the duration of the exam and may not leave early. If you have finished the paper use any time remaining to check over your answers and ensure that you have completed your details correctly.
At the end of the exam, all work must be handed in – remember to cross out any rough work. If you have used more than one answer book or loose sheet(s) of paper, slip them inside your main answer booklet in the correct order, and ensure your details are written on each booklet/sheet of additional paper.
Invigilators will collect your exam papers before you leave the room. Absolute silence must be maintained during this time. Remember you are still under exam conditions until you have left the room. Remain seated until told to leave the examination room. Please leave the room in silence and show consideration to other candidates who may still be working.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- What to do if I am ill before the exam and unable to attend? If you are ill before an examination and therefore unable to sit the paper please telephone the Exams Office to inform us on 01752 705131 (ext.242). It may be possible for the school to apply for special consideration on your behalf if you have supporting medical evidence.
- What is an appeal for Special Consideration? Special consideration is an adjustment to the marks or grades of a candidate who is eligible for consideration. The allowance of special consideration is from 0% (consideration given, but addition of marks considered inappropriate) to 5% (reserved for exceptional cases). Students and Parents should be aware that any adjustment is likely to be small, and no feedback is ever provided. Candidates will only be eligible for special consideration if they have fully prepared and covered the whole course, but performance in the examination or in the production of non-examined assessment is affected by adverse circumstances beyond their control. Examples of such circumstances may be illness, accident or injury, bereavement, domestic crisis. The Exams Office must be informed immediately, so that necessary paperwork can be completed (within 7 days of the last exam session for each subject) and the candidate will be required to provide evidence to support such an application.
- What to do if you are ill during the exam? If you are taken ill during an exam you should put up your hand and tell an invigilator. They will then draw this to the attention of the Exams Officer.
- What happens if you are late or miss an examination? Candidates who arrive late for an examination may still be admitted if they arrive within an hour of the official start time, once agreed by the Exams Officer. Please wait outside the room for an Invigilator to seat you. If you are absent from any examination without good reason you will be asked to pay for the whole exam fee. Please note that misreading or not checking your timetable will not be accepted as a satisfactory explanation of absence.
- Can I take the exam on another day? No. Timetables are published by the exam boards, and you must attend on the stated date and time.
- Why can’t I bring my mobile telephone/electronic devices (including watches) into the exam room? Being in possession of a mobile phone/smartwatch/wristwatch (or any other electronic device) is regarded as malpractice and is subject to severe penalty from the Exam Boards.
- What is meant by the term Malpractice? Malpractice is when a candidate fails to comply with the JCQ regulations.
- How do I know how long the exam is? The length of the examination is shown on your individual timetable under the heading ‘duration’. The invigilators will tell you when to start and finish your exam. They will display the finish time of the exam at the front of the exam room. There will be a clock in all examination rooms.
- What do I do if I think I have the wrong paper? The invigilators will ask you to check before the exam starts. If you think something is wrong, put your hand up and tell the invigilator immediately.
AFTER THE EXAMINATIONS
Examination Results will be available to collect from School:
Thursday 22nd August 2024 9.00am – 11.00am
If you are not able to collect your results in person you can nominate someone else to collect them on your behalf. However, you must provide them with your written permission to do so, without this we are not able to release your results, even to a parent.
Any results not collected on the day will be posted to your home address.
Exam Certificates will be available to collect from School:
December 2024 – From Reception
Again, if you are not able to collect them in person, you can nominate someone else, but they must have your written permission to be able to collect them on your behalf.
All certificates must be collected by July the following year. Please collect your certificates as they will be needed as proof of your qualifications for future employers.