Key Information from Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ)

​All candidates sitting written examinations, undertaking non-examined assessment (NEA) or taking on-screen tests must have read and understood the documents below as part of their preparation for public examinations. These documents are issued by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) on behalf of the exam boards.

It is particularly important that you understand the regulations surrounding NEAs for the preparation of your work, to know what plagiarism is and the potential penalties for breaking these regulations. All the documents listed can be found as PDF attachments on this page.

Illness

​If you are unwell on the day of an exam you or a parent/carer must notify the attendance officer as a matter of urgency by telephoning 0118 9883616 and passing on the following information:

• Candidate full name & tutor group
• The exam they are missing due to illness (if possible the exam code as well, this will be displayed on the personalised candidate timetable)
• What the illness is. This information will only be shared with the following people (Attendance Officer, Examinations Team, Head of Centre, and Head of Year)

On the same day you must contact your doctor’s surgery to seek medical advice. You must complete the JCQ Self Certification Form 14 which must be signed by the candidate, parent/carer, doctor’s surgery and the school. Please click the link below to download the form.

JCQ Self Certification Form 14

The completed form must be returned to the Examinations Officer within 48 hours and failure to complete it may result in a withdrawal fee being charged. This form can either be emailed to exams@oakbankschool.co.uk or left in a sealed envelope at reception. Section A is completed by the exams officer once they have received the form back from you.

Following submission of the self-certification form, the Examinations Officer will make a special consideration application to the relevant exam board. The examination board will decide whether they can award a grade or whether you will need to sit the examination at the next session. The outcome of a special consideration request will be communicated upon receipt by the school. It is worth saying that just because a Special Consideration is submitted it does not automatically mean it will be accepted, the final decision rests with JCQ and the individual exam board.

Equipment and the exam room

​All prohibited exam items must be left in your bag in the designated bag drop area. If a candidate forgets to remove one of these items, they must alert a member of the exam team before the exam starts, failing to do so and if the candidate keeps the prohibited item on their persons when the exam starts is a breach of exam regulations and will result in the candidate being removed from the exam room and being disqualified from that exam and potentially other examinations/qualifications under the same exam board.

It is the candidate’s responsibility to bring the correct equipment for each exam they take. Equipment will continue to be checked during the week in tutor time and will be provided to students, but this should be done before entry into the exam room where possible. We recommend the night before an exam that you double check your timetable to see if you need any specialist equipment (such as a calculator for maths papers) and ensure that they are in your clear see-through pencil case.

Additional information relating to the exam room:

• If you feel ill during the exam or wish to communicate with an invigilator for any reason, you must raise your hand and wait for them to come over to speak to you.
• If there is a fire alarm, you will be instructed about the procedure and must follow all instructions from the invigilators.
• You will not be allowed to exit the exam room before the published end time (this will be displayed on the main board in each exam room). If you receive extra time, you will not be allowed to exit the exam room until your extra time has ended. 
• A code of conduct will be read before the start of each exam. Please listen carefully and follow this in order to satisfy the requirements of the examination boards.