Purpose
The purpose of this exams policy is:
To ensure the planning and management of exams is conducted efficiently and in the best interests of candidates.
To ensure the operation of an efficient exams system with clear guidelines for all relevant staff. It is the responsibility of everyone involved in the centre exam processes to read, understand and implement this policy.
The exams policy will be reviewed annually in line with awarding organization amendments. The exams policy will be reviewed by the IQA of the Markhor Shield Security Services.
Exam Materials
The following instructions apply to all confidential materials in order to ensure the integrity and security of the examinations. This includes question papers in any format.
- Awarding bodies must be informed immediately if the security of the question papers or confidential supporting instructions is put at risk. This includes any natural disaster, fire, theft, loss, damage or other circumstance which places the existing accommodation or secure storage of examination materials at risk.
- Centre must be able to demonstrate the receipt, secure movement and secure storage of question papers and confidential materials.
- Centres must ensure that envelopes and boxes containing confidential materials are signed for. A log must be kept at the initial point of delivery of confidential materials. Each awarding body’s deliveries and the number of boxes received must be logged.
- The head of centre must ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place so that confidential examination materials are only handed over to authorized members of staff. Care must always be taken to ensure the security of materials.
- On receipt, the question paper packets, still in their dispatch packaging, must be moved immediately to the secure room/lock cabinet for checking and transfer to the centre’s secure storage facility. It is for the head of centre to set out the appropriate terms of authorization for members of centre staff.
- Only persons authorized by the head of centre and the exams officer must be allowed access to the centre’s secure storage facility.
- Examination materials must only be accessed in accordance with the awarding body’s specific instructions.
Any Error
The awarding body must be informed immediately if there are any problems, error e.g.
- it appears that the parcel or one of the packets has been opened during transit and therefore there may have been a breach of security;
- there are any differences between the material received and the dispatch/ delivery note;
- the material has been significantly damaged in transit or upon opening; d) the material appears not to meet the centre’s requirements; e) the material has been received in error.
Conditions for storing question papers and any other confidential material
Question papers and pre-release materials issued by the awarding bodies must always be stored at the centre’s registered address in a secure room with a secure storage facility, e.g. safe, security cabinet. The secure room must solely be used for the purpose of administering secure examination materials, with access restricted to two to three key holders only. This is commonly referred to as ‘a box within a box’.
The centre’s secure storage facility must only contain current and ‘live’ confidential material. Past examination question papers, internal tests and mock examinations must not be kept in the centre’s secure storage facility and should be destroyed according to the awarding organization’s rules and regulations.
Handling encrypted secure material on the day of an examination/assessment
Encrypted question papers received via e-mail or downloaded from an awarding body’s secure extranet site on the day of an examination and subsequently printed, must be stored as indicated by the awarding organization. The integrity and security of the electronic question paper must be maintained during the downloading, printing and collating process. Printing must be carried out in an area that can be controlled to prevent unauthorized personnel accessing live assessment materials.
Only authorized members of centre staff must have access to electronic question papers.
Removing question papers from secure storage
In order to avoid potential breaches of security, care must be taken to ensure that the correct question paper packets are opened. A member of centre staff, additional to the person removing the papers from secure storage, e.g. an invigilator, must check the day, date, time, subject, unit/component and tier of entry, if appropriate, immediately before a question paper packet is opened.
The question papers must not be left unattended. Care must always be taken to ensure the security of the question papers.
Invigilation arrangements
Invigilators are the people in examination rooms responsible for conducting examinations in the presence of the candidates. CCTV cannot be used for the purposes of invigilation. Invigilators have a key role in upholding the integrity of the external examination/ assessment process. The role of the invigilator is to ensure that the examination is conducted according to these Instructions in order to: a) ensure all candidates have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their abilities; b) ensure the security of the examination materials before, during and after the examination; c) prevent possible candidate malpractice; d) prevent possible administrative failures.
End of the examination
At the end of the examination invigilators must: a) tell candidates to stop working and remind them that they are still under examination conditions; b) allow candidates who arrived late and were allowed the full working time to do their examination, to continue after the normal finishing time. Tell them to stop working after the full working time allowed has passed; c) instruct candidates taking written examinations to: • make sure they have put all the necessary information on their answer booklet and any additional answer sheets, e.g. candidate name, candidate number, centre number; • make sure their answers are correctly numbered; • make sure they have put any loose additional answer sheets inside the answer booklet. Paper clips or staples must not be used. Treasury tags should only be used if permitted by the awarding body marking the papers.
After the examination
Centres must: a) check that they have enough large plastic envelopes to dispatch all the scripts. Contact the relevant awarding body if more will be needed; b) use the plastic envelopes provided by the appropriate awarding body regardless of the number of scripts that need to be dispatched; c) ensure that every script or objective test sheet from the examination has been included. Scripts for each unit/component must be packed in a separate plastic envelope; d) ensure that all scripts/objective test sheets for a unit/component are collected together, including those for any candidates who have been accommodated separately; e) enclose the relevant attendance register(s) with the scripts or objective test sheets. Scripts and objective test sheets must be in the same order as candidates appear on the attendance register. The attendance register must still be completed and sent even when there are no scripts due to all candidates being absent or withdrawn; f) ensure cover sheets accompany scripts where appropriate, for example where a candidate has used a scribe. The cover sheet must be placed inside the script; g) use the pre-addressed labels provided by the awarding body. Ensure the correct label is used for each unit/component and that the most up to date label is always used – photocopied labels should not be used; h) always use only one label per package; i) always use the whole address label, stick it securely to the largest face of the package and ensure it is flat and crease free. The address label must be visible and legible; j) fasten envelopes securely, but do not use staples, string or tape.
Sending scripts
Centres must: a) dispatch scripts and accompanying attendance registers to the address provided on the same day of the examination wherever possible; b) ensure that any scripts that cannot be dispatched on the scheduled day of the examination are dispatched no later than the next working day; c) retain scripts in the centre’s secure storage facility if kept within the centre overnight.
Director:
Markhor Shield Security Services
Suit 500, AW House 6-8 Stuart Street
Luton, Bedfordshire
LU1 2SJ
Website: markhorshieldsecurityservice.co.uk
Email: info@markhorshieldsecurityservices.com
Phone no: 0207 1933598