Exam Invigilation Policy
aka Examination and Controlled Assessment Invigilator Policy
MEaP Academy Community Training & Research Institute (MaCTRI)
Last updated: April 2022

1. Examinations Policy

This policy applies to all assessments that contribute to accredited qualifications. The policy is also applied to internal assessments and invigilation where appropriate to ensure that students are familiar with the expectations for externally accredited qualifications.

2. Accountability and responsibility

The Head of Institute is accountable for ensuring that all assessments comply with Open

Awards and RQF guidelines, and awarding bodies’ subject-specific instructions. The Exams Officer and Quality Verifier are responsible for ensuring safe and secure procedures are in place for all forms of assessment.

All staff including, subject leaders, teachers & tutors, exam invigilators involved in the conduct of assessments for accredited qualifications are responsible for following the examination policy at all times.

3. Rules and Regulations

Rules and regulations for the conduct of exams will be published outside examination room according to the Open Awards.

All students will receive written copies of Open Awardsregulations, and centre regulations with final timetables before GCSE, GCE and degree level exam seasons.

All students have the regulations explained verbally before all internal examinations. In key year groups students will be additionally be informed of rules and regulations by group tutors before the exams start. Rules will be given verbally before each exam by lead/room invigilators Infringements of rules will be notified to exams office staff who will take appropriate action according to Open Awards regulations. Teaching staff will be informed by email of the regulations regarding their role in the management of exams.

EXAMINATION AND CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT POLICY

4. Invigilation

Invigilators will be recruited in accordance with MEaP’s recruitment procedures.

Invigilators will be employed as and when required and all will be asked to work within a threemonth period in order to maintain their DBS status. Invigilators will carry out their responsibilities in accordance with Open Awards and MEaP’s rules. Training will be provided as required. Lead invigilators will be responsible for the smooth running of their exam venue with the support of teaching staff in getting students into the rooms. Lead invigilators and their team will be responsible, with the exams administrator, for the packing of papers and/or online resources their return to the exams/assessment office. Lead invigilators will be responsible for reporting any issues to the exams/assessment office and taking any necessary statements from students.

5. Security of Examination Materials

All confidential packages will be received by the exams office. All external examination papers will be kept in secure locked facilities in accordance with Open Awards regulations. Papers will be opened in accordance with Open Awards regulations to allow for multiple venues to be used.

No papers will be removed from the exam rooms by teaching staff until all completed scripts are packed. Spare papers may be collected from outside the exams office.

6. Access Arrangements

Access needs of students will be identified by the SENCO in conjunction with teaching staff and other available assessments. Access arrangements will be requested for students by the SENCO in accordance with the SEN register and regulations. Access applications will be made online or on paper as required by the exams office and SENCO together.

Exams/assessment office staff will work with other staff to ensure requirements for support are met. A note including the need to share information with exams boards will be added to the Access to Fair Assessment policy.

7. Disability Support

OVERVIEW

The Equality Act 2010 extends the application of the Equality Act to general qualifications. All examination centre staff must ensure that the access arrangements and special consideration regulations and guidance are consistent with the law.

PROCEDURES

All exam rooms are accessible; chairs are available when queuing outside when required.
There is an appropriate toilet near or in all of these areas.

POLICY-MaCTRI-April 2022

Emergency evacuation procedures are appropriate for all candidates and risk assessments are carried out as appropriate prior to the examination series.
All areas have had internal risk assessments carried out.
If any candidate needs to take regular medication, invigilators will make this possible.
The Exams Officer should be notified if there are any exceptional health issues.
Any specialised equipment will be provided and an appropriate examination area selected.
Invigilators will be briefed of any exceptional issues concerning communication or other factors which may affect the candidate.
Recruitment of invigilators will follow normal centre policy with regards to disabled applicants.
All invigilators will either receive group training including disability issues or will work alongside an experienced invigilator.
The SENCo will make the Exams Officer aware of any issues concerning individuals in the main exam room.

The SENCo/Exams Officer will take the lead in making access applications based on their close knowledge of the needs of students under their care. They will produce a list of the students involved together with their concessions and this list will be available in all exam rooms in the files.
Any complaints made by candidates with disabilities should be directed in the first instance to the Examinations Officer who will initiate an enquiry.

8. Special Considerations

Students will be informed of the criteria for requesting special considerations prior to the exams and when circumstances arise. Applications for special considerations will be made on the basis of need, with the required evidence, by the exams office.

9. Examination courses

Subject leaders, or the quality assurance verifier, will be responsible for identification and recommendation of suitable accredited courses for delivery to students. All accredited courses must be approved by the Head of Institute prior to any commitment being made to teaching the course.

System of Enrolment & Support to Students

The examination Officer is in charge of enrolling students on subjects. Since most of our students are independent, they will be enrolled only on those subjects they have received tuition on and are deemed to be able to write the examinations.

Closer to the examinations, extra tuition support would be provided to students to ensure a comprehensive coverage of all relevant topics on their chosen subjects.

10. Examination entries

The exams office is responsible for making all entries for accredited courses. Entries can only be made through the exams/assessment office. Subject leaders will inform the exams office of the full details of proposed exams for the following year when requested by email.

Individual entries for all subjects will be made by the exams/assessment office in line with the instructions from the Institute Head. The exams/assessment office will ensure entry mark sheets are stored securely.

Full instructions for completion and deadlines will be sent to teaching staff by email. Any requests for changes to entries must be made by email to the exams/assessment office. Any requests for withdrawal of an entry must be approved by the Head of Institute. Entries will be checked and sent to the exam boards within their published deadlines. Re-sit entries can be made in line with the exam board regulations. Students will make re-sit requests on exams office forms with the correct fee before the entry will be made. Deadlines for requests will be published on the exams notice board and by email to staff who will inform their students. Late requests will be accepted on payment of the penalty fees. Staff requests for re-sits may be made through their subject leaders. Staff wishing to sit examinations will not be charged fees. Entries from external candidates will be accepted after a reference is received for previous place of study.

11. Examination timetables

Examination timetables are compiled in accordance with dates/sessions determined by the awarding bodies. For practical or other assessments where there is a time frame for the completion of an assessment the timing of these must be agreed with the Head of Institute in conjunction with the exams office to ensure the effective scheduling of these assessments.

Individual statements of entry and provisional timetables are given to students for checking before the entry is sent. Group tutors are responsible for the distribution of these to students. Final personal timetables are given to students prior to the timetabled exams start.

Students are informed of how exam clashes are to be managed when they receive their final timetables. Daily notices giving exam times and venues will be published to staff and students by email and on the centre website when possible. A copy of these will be placed on the exams/assessment notice board prior to the exams. Staff responsible for organising cover will liaise with exams office staff to room the exams/assessments appropriately and inform staff of their use. Rooming for accredited exams will take priority over all other activities. Room allocation procedures will be determined by the Centre Head in conjunction with the exams office.

12. Coursework

Students are informed that work must be their own and if they intend to use materials from sources directly they must be clearly acknowledged within the work. Sources must be labelled in italics – students must be able to explain their understanding of the materials, it is not acceptable to lift work and claim it as their own. Teaching staff are responsible for marking coursework and subject leaders for standardising marking according to exam board criteria. The exams office will pass on all necessary materials for the collection of marks and the dispatch of marks and samples to subject leaders. Subject staff are responsible for sending marks and work to exam/assessments boards and moderator on-line if required to do so. Subject leaders are responsible for returning top copies of coursework mark sheets, or copies of marks entered online, to the exams office for dispatch to exam boards by the deadlines set by the exams office.

13. Controlled Assessments

Subject leaders will ensure that at least 40% of overall assessment (controlled and/or external assessment) is taken in the exam series in which the qualification is certificated, to satisfy the terminal assessment requirement in accordance with the awarding body specification.

Subject leaders are responsible for ensuring that assessment tasks meet the requirements of the awarding body specifications, and for applying the relevant control requirements, only permitting assistance to students as the specification allows.

Subject Leaders will obtain confidential materials/tasks set by awarding bodies in sufficient time to prepare for the assessment(s), distribute these to teaching staff as appropriate and ensure that such materials are stored securely at all times.

Subject Leaders will standardise internally the marking of all teachers involved in assessing an internally assessed component. Subject Leaders will ensure that individual teachers understand their responsibilities with regard to controlled assessment.

Subject Leaders will ensure that individual teachers understand the requirements of the awarding body’s specification and are familiar with the relevant teachers’ notes, and any other subject specific instructions.

Subject leaders will where appropriate, develop new assessment tasks or contextualize sample awarding body assessment tasks to meet local circumstances, in line with awarding body specifications and control requirements. Subject leaders will supply to the exams office details of all unit codes for controlled assessments. Teaching staff will understand and comply with the general guidelines contained in the relevant Open Awards guidelines.

Instructions for conducting controlled assessments

Teaching staff will understand and comply with the awarding body specification for conducting controlled assessments, including any subject-specific instructions, tutors’ notes or additional information on the awarding body’s website. Teaching staff will supervise assessments (at the specified level of control). Undertake the tasks required under the regulations, only permitting assistance to students as the specification allows.

For diplomas, where an assessor will not be supervising the controlled assessment, he or she must arrange for a suitable person to do so, in line with the awarding body specification. Teaching staff will ensure that students and supervising teachers sign authentication forms on completion of an assessment. Teaching staff will mark internally assessed components using the mark schemes provided by the awarding body. Submit marks through the exams office to the awarding body when required, keeping a record of the marks awarded. Teaching staff will retain candidates’ work securely between assessment sessions (if more than one).

Teaching staff will, post-completion, retain candidates’ work securely until the closing date for enquiries about results. In the event that an enquiry is submitted, retain candidates work securely until the outcome of the enquiry and any subsequent appeal has been conveyed to the centre. Subject Leaders and other teaching staff will ask the SENCO for any assistance required for the administration and management of access arrangements.

14. Examination results

The exams office is responsible for the publication and distribution of examination results to students. Students will be notified of procedures for receiving their exam results. The exams office will not publish results to staff or students until authorised by the Head of Institute. The timescale for release of results will meet awarding body and internal MaCTRI requirements. The exams/assessment office is responsible for providing examination data to the Head of Institue to fulfil the MaCTRI exams/assessment analysis requirements.

15. Post results appeals

Students will be informed of the post results services and the deadlines for making applications on their results notifications. Staff requests for post results services must be made with the consent of the students and need to be made in writing or by email. Deadlines for requests will be published to staff by email.

Results of post results request will be given to students as soon as reasonably possible after receipt from the exam boards.

POLICY-MaCTRI 2022

16. Malpractice, plagiarism and appeals process

If it is suspected that a student’s work is not their own (and has not been sourced) then teaching staff will investigate this, including checking using the internet. If malpractice or plagiarism is suspected the MaCTRI Assessment Appeals Policy will be applied. Students may make appeals against decisions made for internally verified work in accordance to the MaCTRI Appeals Policy.

REVIEW

The effectiveness of this policy and associated arrangements will be reviewed annually under the

direct supervision of the MaCTRI Head of Institute.

Date: April 2022

Review Date: April 2023

Exam Invigilation Policy