NOTES FOR INVIGILATORS OF CENTRALLY

SCHEDULED UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS

Updated SEPTEMBER 2008

Please ensure that you have read these notes before attending invigilation slots, even if you have invigilated at the University for a number of years, as information may be subject to change. All earlier versions of these notes should be discarded.

Please note that it is not permitted for an invigilator to use the personal data or other information about a student obtained through their role as an invigilator for any purpose other than that of invigilating in the relevant invigilation slot. If an invigilator wishes to raise a concern or issue in relation to a student, this should be made to a member of Exams Office staff (or Chief Invigilator, Sports Centre) at the end of the relevant invigilation slot.

  1. BEFORE THE EXAM AND COLLECTION OF PAPERS

Sports Centre:

  • Report to the Chief Invigilator who is located on the balcony in the Sports Centre no later than half anhourbefore the exam is due to begin i.e. 8.30am, 1.00pm, 4.00pm.
  • If your name is asterisked you are the lead invigilator for the room you are located in. This means you are responsible for ensuring the correct procedures are followed within that room. If you have any problems please contact the Chief Invigilator located on the balcony.
  • Do not collect exam papers from the Exams Office. The exam papers will be collected by Security staff before each exam and taken to the Sports Centre.

Other Locations:

  • There are at least two invigilators in each examination room
  • If your name is asterisked on the invigilation schedule, you should collect the exam papers from the Exams Office, E Floor, PortlandBuilding. It is important that the exam papers are collected NO LATER THAN 8.30 am, 1.00 pm or 4.00 pm; if your name is not asterisked please go straight to the examination room arriving no later than 8.30am, 1.00pm, 4.00pm.
  • Exam papers WILL NOT be released earlier than 45 minutes before the start of an examination; for security reasons exam papers must be taken straight to the exam room after being collected from the Exams Office, and delivered back to the Exams Office immediately after the examination.

‘Missing’ invigilators are reported to the Exams Office who then contact the invigilator concerned to check their whereabouts. If they are not contactable or are not attending their slot a replacement invigilator must be sent to the exam room. The start of an exam may be delayed owing to the late arrival of an invigilator. Please ensure that you arrive promptly. If you are unavoidably delayed on route please contact the Exams Office (Internal: 16237, External: 0115 951 6237) so that we are aware of the problem.

Prepare the exam room as follows:

(a)Distribute copies of the exam papers and handouts to match the exam details shown on the attendance card on each desk. It is important to check you have been given the correct examination papers, and that the examination/module code on each paper corresponds with the examination/module code on each attendance card.

(b)Check the front of the exam paper for any special provisions: e.g. extra stationery, supplementary materials (this should have been provided on the desk, or with the examination papers) Please check for any ‘Invigilator Notes’ which will be clearly indicated on the front of the exam paper, under the exam rubric.

2.ADMISSION OF CANDIDATES AND THE START OF EXAM

(a)Sports Centre:

Admit candidates at 8.45am, 1.15pm or 4.15pm ie 15 minutes before the start of the session.

Rooms outside the Sports Centre:

Admit candidates at 8.55 am, 1.25 pm or 4.25 pm, ie 5 minutes before the start of the session.

(b)Make the following announcement as candidates are entering the examination room: “Please ensure your mobile phone is switched off and is not left on your examination desk. All coats and bags should be left at the back/front of the room and any valuables left in bags are left at the students own risk. Once you have found your seat, there should be no talking”.

Fire exits should NOT be blocked. Please also ensure that you do not ask candidates to leave coats and bags where they cannot be seen from within the exam room as thefts have occurred during exams.

(c)Once the candidates are all seated, make the following announcement: “You may complete the front cover of your answer book and sign your attendance card, but do NOT turn over your exam paper OR write anything else until the start of the examination is announced. Please do not seal the fold over flap on your answer book until the end of the examination”. Exceptions to this should be clearly written in the ‘Notes of Invigilators’ section on the front of the paper.

(d)Start the exam promptly at 9.00 am, 1.30 pm or 4.30 pm; by announcing: "The examination period starts now".

If you are invigilating in a large venue, such as the Sports Centre, please ensure ALL candidates can hear the announcements made. Please also ensure that exams in the two ‘halves’ of the Sports Centre, Large Hall start the exam at the same time to avoid disturbance at the end of the exam. This may involve delaying the start in one half until both are ready to commence.

(e)Students whose names do not appear on the register may be admitted provided that sufficient examination papers and places are available. Make out an attendance card in such a case, using one of the blank cards provided by a member of staff setting up the examination room. You should emphasise to the student that they are taking the examination at their own risk if they are not formally registered for the module. The students name and Student ID Number (if known) must be added on to the attendance registers.

Before seating a student whose name does not appear on the main register, check with the student to see whether they have alternative exam arrangements. If they do, check the ‘Students Taking Papers Outside the Main Examination Hall’ list to see where the student should be sitting their paper. If you or the student are not sure that they should be sitting their paper in your examination room, call the Exams Office for advice. Please advise students who have alternative exam arrangements, but wish to sit in the main location, that they cannot have extra time or other arrangements there but would need to go to the allocated alternative location if they want this. If they want to sit in the main location without alternative arrangements seat the student in the usual way.

3.IN THE FIRST HOUR

(a)There are two copies of the attendance register, one with name and number and the other showing only the number of each candidate taking the paper.

(b)Collect attendance cards from those present, checking that they have signed them.

(c)Use these cards to mark the attendance registers (2 copies). Mark ‘A’ for absent, ‘√’ for present and ‘elsewhere’ if the student is sitting in an alternative location.

(d)Latecomers:if they are more than 15 minutes late, note on their scripts their time of arrival. Update your collection of signed cards and the registers. No candidates should be admitted after the first hour of the session has elapsed.

(e)Ensure that no candidate leaves during the first hour. Where the exam paper being taken is of one-hour duration, no candidate may leave the room early even if they have completed the paper.

(f)The name and number register and the attendance cards for each paper should be banded together.

In the case of rooms outside the Sports Centre these should be delivered back to the Exams Office at the end of the session with the scripts, but NOT in the script envelopes.

In the case of papers in the Sports Centre, the scripts (and attendance cards and attendance registers) will be delivered to the Exams Office by Security staff. The Chief Invigilator will collect the attendance cards and the name and number register from the examination room.

(g)Keep the second copy of the register for use at the end of the exam.

(g)At the end of the hour collect the unsigned cards of any absentees and band these with the name and number register for the relevant exam; do not admit anyone who arrives more than one hour late.

PROCEDURE FOR DEALING WITH STUDENTS NOT ON EXAM REGISTER

Where a student attends for examination but does not appear on the printed register, the student may be permitted to sit the examination at their own risk.

The student’s name and ID number must be added to the Register with names and numbers and the ID number to the Register without names the student must be given a “Green” attendance card to fill in.

At the end of the examination, the invigilator(s) should collect in the scripts of students not on the register and these should be returned to the Exams Office with the other scripts in the script envelopes. “Green” cards should be kept separate from the other desk cards and should be returned to the Exams Office.

The Registry will check the student’s records to ensure that the student is officially registered on the module(s) and may contact the School/Department concerned to resolve registration issues.

PLEASE NOTE – If there are two versions of the same paper (for example E1 and E2) taking place at the same time, please ensure the student is given the correct version of the paper. If you are in doubt, please call the Exams Office for confirmation.

Extra students attending an examination may on occasion be given a ‘special paper’. Such papers will have the names and/or IDs of students required to sit the paper indicated on the front cover. Only the students identified should sit these papers.

4.DURING THE EXAM

(a)Ensure that silence is maintained and that there is no smoking.

(b)Patrol the room at frequent intervals.

(c)Do not leave the Exam room except in an emergency.

(d)An invigilator has the right to check any item on a student’s desk eg

dictionary, pencil case, etc.

(e)Candidates are permitted to bring suitable food/drink into an examination

room. However if they are disturbing other candidates, the invigilator should instruct the candidate to stop eating.

(f)Candidates are allowed to take their wallets, purses and keys to their exam desk. However these must be stored underneath their desk and they are not permitted to access these at any point during the exam.

(g)If a candidate reports a query relating to an exam paper and you are the module convenor, please deal with the query and announce the outcome to all students in the room if appropriate. If the query relates to an error on the exam paper, you should then ensure that the Exams Office is contacted immediately so that candidates sitting in alternative assessment rooms/sitting overseas are made aware of the change. If you are invigilating in the Sports Centre, please report to the Chief Invigilator who will contact the Exams Office on your behalf.

If you are not the module convenor, contact the Exams Office immediately. The Exams Office will contact the School concerned to resolve the issue and will inform you of the outcome. If you are invigilating in the Sports Centre, please report the query to the Chief Invigilator who will contact the Exams Office on your behalf. Candidates should be advised to continue with the exam paper if possible while a response is sought.

(h) Ask candidates who wish to leave early if they have completed the paper.

Collect the script before the candidate leaves. Note on the script the time of leaving.

(i) Observe and report any misconduct, see "Misconduct and Cheating" below.

(j) Supply supplementary answer books and string to candidates requiring

additional paper. Inform candidates that they should not write their name on supplementary answer books.

(k)Watch the time and announce to the candidates when they have fifteen minutes left.

(l)Toilet Trips – Candidates should be escorted by an Invigilator should they

need the toilet. To avoid the possibility of cheating, only one candidate per specific examination may be escorted to the toilet at any one time.

5.THE CLOSE OF THE EXAM

(a)Candidates are not permitted to leave the room during the final fifteen minutes.

(b)At the end of the examination, make the following announcement: "Stop writing now. Check you have filled in all the details on the front of your answer book and fasten any supplementary books securely to your main answer book. Ensure you have sealed the fold-down flap in the top right-hand corner of your answer book. Stay in your seat until all the answer books have been collected, and you are instructed to leave the room. Please remain silent until you have left room/building. You should take no examination material away from the exam room, other than permissible question papers. Please ensure you remember to collect your bag and coat before leaving the examination room".

(c)Ensure that candidates remain seated until you have collected a script for each candidate. Please also ensure that you do not leave collected scripts where they might be at risk of removal as students vacate the room.

(d)Please ensure that for examination papers that require the student to sign the question paper itself (Multiple choice and written papers) that these are collected in at the end of the examination. Students must NOT be allowed to take these papers away from the examination room.

(e)A candidate who continues to write should be instructed to stop immediately, and warned that if they don't, the marker of the examination will be informed, and the candidate will be penalised. If necessary indicate on the examination script that the candidate refused to stop writing.

(f)Please ensure you collect the examination papers from the desks in the Seat Order number as they appear on the register.

(e)Check the number of scripts is the same as the number of attendees on the register. If there is a discrepancy report it immediately to the Chief Invigilator if at the Sports Centre, or to the Exams Office if elsewhere.

(f)Seal all scripts, the numbers only register and all remaining copies of the question paper in the envelopes provided.

(g)Hand the sealed envelopes without delay to the Chief Invigilator if at the Sports Centre, or to the Exams Office if elsewhere.

6.USE OF DICTIONARIES

  • The following dictionary rubric should appear on all examination papers.

"Dictionaries are not allowed with one exception. Those whose first language is not English may use a standard translation dictionary to translate between that language and English provided that neither language is the subject of this examination. Subject specific translation dictionaries are not permitted. No electronic devices capable of storing and retrieving text, including electronic dictionaries, may be used."

  • For example - A Greek student can use a Greek/English dictionary unless the exam is Greek or English Language., A Greek student may not use a Greek/English dictionary which is specific to a particular area of study, for example: Marketing, Law or Engineering.
  1. USE OF CALCULATORS
  • The standard rubrics are:
  1. No calculators are permitted in this examination.
  1. Only silent, self contained calculators with a Single-Line Display are permitted in this examination.
  1. Only silent, self contained calculators with a Single-Line Display or Dual-Line Display are permitted in this examination.
  • If the rubric is not one of the above the module convenor is responsible for monitoring the suitability of the calculators used.

8.MISTAKES TO AVOID

  • Do not leave the exam room merely to report or chase up a missing candidate.
  • Do not take a candidate who is ill straight to the Health Centre; see "Illness" below.
  • Do not allow any candidate additional time, even if they arrive late.
  • Do not take away packets of scripts without them first being checked in to the Exams Office. You will not be permitted to take scripts away directly from the Sports Centre.

9.MISCONDUCT AND CHEATING

(a)Invigilators should report the problem immediately according to location:

Sports Centre:to the Chief Invigilator

Other Rooms:to the Exams Office (Ext 16237)

(b)When a candidate is suspected of cheating, the Invigilator should inform the Chief Invigilator if in the Sports Centre, or the Exams Office if elsewhere. The invigilator should make a written record of the suspected candidate's activities, which may be taken into account in any subsequent enquiry. The invigilator may be required to provide additional information at a later time (in exceptional circumstances, this may include attending any appear hearing given).