Scope / Academic staff
Effective Date / October 2004
Responsible Dept. / Quality and Academic Standards, Registry
Equality Impact Assessment / No
Last Updated By,
and Date / Updated by Registry Student Administration, May 2013
Next Review Date / July 2014
Associated links
and webpages / No

York St John University

Examinations & Assessments

Conduct & Practice

Administration and conduct of examinations

1Introduction

  • Examinations are normally defined as formal, invigilated, written assessment.
  • It is the responsibility of the Registrar to design and publish the timetable for examinations
  • It is the responsibility of the module leader to ensure that students are aware of the date, time, venue and nature of the examination and the responsibility of students to familiarise themselves with the examination timetable.

2Preparation and approval of examination papers

The Dean ofFaculty is responsible for the organisation and production of examination papers. When the paper has been agreed by appropriate academic staff and the External Examiners, the paper will be printed by the Faculty and sufficient copies submitted to the Registrar three weeks before the end of the Semester. The Faculty should ensure that either the invigilator supplied is in a position to answer student questions about an examination paper (should they arise) or that an appropriate member of staff is available in the examination room at the beginning of an examination for the first 10 minutes.

3Examination papers need to be prepared under strict security procedures. Internal mail, e-mail should not be used. Draft papers should be exchanged by hand.

4Draft examination papers should be scrutinised by the subject area assessment panel. External Examiners should be involved in the scrutiny of Level 2 & 3 papers or other papers contributing to calculation of award level. Such scrutiny should include:

  • the match with the intended learning outcomes of the module
  • balance between the various aspects of the content of the module
  • the element of choice
  • appropriateness of the paper in relation to the time available
  • the similarity/contrast between it and the previous examination paper of the same module
  • the match between modules at the same level.

5Examinations and assessments: duties of invigilators

An invigilator’s file will be prepared by the Registrar’s representative for each session of the examination period and for each examination room. The file will contain:

  • seating plan (three copies).
  • Attendance list for each written paper (two copies).
  • Examination timetable for the session.
  • Rules and instructions to candidates
  • Notes for guidance for academic staff on examination procedures.
  • Notices for doors.
  • Forms for entering exact time of start and finish of the examination.
  • Envelopes for worked scripts.
  • Examination papers.

This will be taken to the examination venue by a member of the Registry.

6Examination stationery and ancillary material

The necessary examination stationery and ancillary material will be placed in the examination room by the Registrar’s representative.

7Examination notice board

The Registrar’s representative will provide an examination notice board for display of notices outside the examination room.

8Duties of the invigilator before the examination

It is the invigilator’s duty to:

  • Be in attendance at the designated examination venue not later than 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the examination.
  • Display on the examination notice board outside the examination room:

one copy of the seating plan

the examination timetable for the session

rules and instructions for candidates

plagiarism and cheating notice

  • Place warning notices on doors to the examination room.
  • Set out examination stationery as per the instructions stated on the envelope containing the examination papers.
  • Set out the examination papers and any ancillary material indicated on the envelope containing the examination papers.
  • Admit students to the examination room no more than three minutes prior to the scheduled start of the examination.
  • Ensure that any student questions about the paper are resolved in the first 10 minutes of the examination in consultation with faculty representatives if necessary.
  • Draw the students' attention to the regulations governing conduct of examinations, in particular the regulations governing entering and leaving the examination room and relating to anonymous marking. In this context, be careful to ensure that students are aware of the importance of being in the correct seat.
  • Enquire whether any work for assessment is to be handed in and instruct students to place such work on the floor at the left-hand-side of the desk.
  • Enter the exact start time of the examination on the form provided.
  • Inform the Registrar/representative, as soon as possible, of any student appearing to sit the examination whose name does not appear on the official attendance list. In the meantime, any such student should be allowed to commence the paper.

9Duties of the invigilator during the examination

In addition to the normal activities involved in invigilation, the invigilator should:

  • Check the student’s identification and enter absent (abs.) or present (tick) on the official attendance lists after the first 30 minutes of the examination has elapsed. After one hour, the completed attendance list will be given to the Registrar’s representative, who will take one complete copy and leave an anonymous copy to be returned with the scripts.
  • Record on the attendance list any incident involving the withdrawal of a student from the examination room due to illness.
  • Collect course work and record its receipt in the comment section of the attendance list that work for assessment has been handed by the student to the invigilator. Ensure that a receipt slip is provided for the student.
  • Distribute treasury tags to each candidate during the last 15 minutes of the examination period.

10Duties of the invigilator at the close of the examination

It is the duty of the invigilator to:

  • Enter the exact finish time of the examination on the form provided.
  • Request students to remain seated until his/her script has been collected by the invigilator and remind them to anonymise scripts by sticking down the pre-glued section of the examination book.
  • Collect the worked scripts for each course and place in the envelope provided. One copy of the attendance list (anonymised) and unused copies of the examination paper should also be placed in the same envelope.
  • Remove ancillary material from examination desks. Place used papers in the waste paper bin. Unused scripts should be returned to stock.
  • Return worked scripts, two copies of each paper and the invigilator’s file to the Registry or to the Registrar’s representative.

11Assistance from Registry

A member of Registry staff will attend each examination venue 30 minutes before the examination. He or she will bring the examination ‘day file’ containing the examination papers and attendance lists. He or she will:

  • Assist the invigilator at the beginning of the examination.
  • Deal with issues relating to missing or additional students or attendance lists.
  • Anonymise attendance lists after one hour of the examination.
  • Collect the 'day file' and uncollected scripts at the end of the examination.
  • Ensure any scripts collected from the examination room are signed out.
  • Assist the invigilator to clear the room for the next examination session.

12Attendance Lists and Assessment Mark lists

12.1Derivation

Attendance lists and Assessment Mark lists are derived directly from the student record. It is crucial that module leaders monitor the lists as held on the student record and ensure that all student changes are effected through the agreed procedures. All changes should be concluded by week 3 and reported to Registry by no later than week 5 so that complete and up-to-date mark sheets and attendance lists can be provided.

12.2Attendance lists

Attendance lists are printed in duplicate for each examination venue and are sequenced:

  • module (followed by new page).
  • year of student (followed by new page).
  • alphabetical order (surname and initials).
  • student registration number.

Attendance lists will be annotated at examination sessions as follows.

  • presence (tick) or absence (abs).
  • time of leaving (if before the normal end of the examination).
  • special circumstances/events (eg illness).
  • submission of course work (cwk).*

One anonymised copy of the attendance list is included with the examination scripts and the other returned to the Registry in the Session File with seating plans.

12.3Mark lists

Mark lists are derived from the student record system. A mark entry form is generated on the student record system for the entry of marks. This requires the accurate record of students registered for a module together with information about the assessment components of a module and their relevant weightings. The Registry will work closely with academic areas to ensure that the information about student and module requirements is updated annually. The completed mark entry form will allow the generation of an electronic mark sheet for use at Assessment Panels. This includes student marks and information about distribution of marks and average marks for the modules.

Marks will be entered according to the agreed mark scale. Care must be taken to ensure that the marks entered are accurate.

Marks entered by the examiners are provisional and the object of the assessment panel is that the marks move to agreed status. The marks may be moved at an assessment panel in consultation with the external examiner.

The mark sheet can be considered by means of projection at the Assessment Panel but a paper version will be produced and returned to registry by the agreed date. The paper version must include the signatures of internal and external examiners.

13 Examinations venues

Examination rooms must be arranged as follows:

  • notices on external doors must indicate that an examination is in progress and that quiet is requested.
  • The seating plan must be prominently displayed.
  • Row and column numbering should be clearly displayed.
  • Two invigilators’ desks should be located at the front of the room.
  • A table sufficient for the storage of paper and stationery sundries should be located near the invigilator’s desks and a waste paper bin positioned next to it.
  • A telephone should be installed within the room or a mobile telephone provided for the use of invigilators.
  • A large clock should be prominently displayed.
  • Desks should be at least one metre from neighbouring desks.

14 Anonymous marking (Closed Examinations)

14.1York St John University is committed to anonymous marking of closed examination scripts. The following procedures apply:

  • Students are required to take their student identification cards into examinations and student numbers will be used as candidate numbers. Warning notices about this requirement will be displayed with both the draft and final examination timetables. As a contingency for students who forget their cards, numbers will be printed on attendance lists.
  • Attendance lists with the module number and title, student number, student name and seat number are displayed outside examination rooms immediately prior to the start of an examination session.
  • Two copies of the attendance lists with details as above are provided in the examination room for invigilators to check after the first 30 minutes of an examination.
  • A Registry representative will return to the examination room after the first hour of an examination. To maintain anonymity as far as possible, they will remove attendance lists from outside the room and one copy of the invigilators’ check-lists from the examination room. The second copy of the check-list will be reduced to show only module details, candidate number and seat number. These lists will be used at the end of the examination to check off scripts before they are packaged for the first marker. These lists will be included with the scripts.
  • If a candidate leaves an examination early, this should be noted on the script book rather than on the attendance list.
  • At the end of the examination, students are asked to anonymise their scripts by sticking down the pre-glued portion. The scripts are collected by invigilators and checked against seat number and student number.
  • Subject areas determine at which point, and by whom, scripts will be de-anonymised. This may be done in administrative offices or by module leaders, depending on how subject areas wish to operate but good practice would be to ensure that the process is formal and should involve more than one responsible person.

14.2 Anonymous marking (other forms of assessment)

YorkSt JohnUniversity has agreed that anonymous marking should be extended as far as practically possible and reasonable to other summative assessed work. It was recognised that some formats of assessed work such as practical examinations, performances or personal learning logs would not lend themselves to anonymous assessment. Cover sheets to facilitate the anonymous marking of essay-type assignments are available.

15 Written examinations: regulations for students

Tutors are responsible for bringing the following regulations to the attention of all students prior to the first examination.

15.1 Registration for Assessment

  • A student will not be considered to be registered for any assessment unless he/she has satisfactorily completed the requirements of YorkSt JohnUniversity in respect of enrolment, including the payment of fees.
  • Students presenting themselves for written examinations shall have their Student Cards checked by, or on behalf of, the Invigilator within 30 minutes of the commencement of the examination. The names of students not in possession of their Student Cards will be noted on the Invigilator’s Report Form.

15.2Examination Timetable

  • At least six weeks before the date of the first examination, the Examination timetable will be published. It is the responsibility of each individual student to check the timetable and, in cases of difficulty, to make representation within five working days.
  • Students should ensure that they are aware of the structure and format of the examination.
  • It may be necessary for students to sit more than one examination on any one day, and/or to sit examinations outside the normal working week, and/or to sit examinations in other premises than those of the University. Such considerations shall not normally be valid grounds for review of the timetable.
  • Students whose first language is not English and who wish to have an English Language Dictionary available at the examination should consult with the Head of Programme or Module Leader well in advance of the date of the examination and apply for permission from the Registrar. A foreign language translation dictionary will only be available to students who are taking assessments which do not lead to an award of the University (e.g. exchange students). Electronic translation dictionaries may not be used in examinations.

15.3Prior to the examination

  • Studentsshall assemble outside the examination room 20 minutes before the published commencement time;
  • Students shall not enter the examination room until instructed to do so by the Invigilator. Students will normally be permitted to enter the examination room no more than 3 minutes before the start of the examination.

Students shall follow the invigilator’s instructions as follows:

  • enter the examination room;
  • deposit all holdalls, briefcases, handbags, materials, mobile phones and other items notspecifically required for the examination at the front or rear of the room;
  • sit at the desks, or in rows, as specified;
  • check that no unauthorised material is in their possession and hand any such material t the invigilator;
  • co-operate with the inspection and checking of Student Cards;
  • co-operate with the inspection of specified authorised items, e.g. calculators;
  • maintain absolute silence during the preliminary period.

Students shall follow such other instructions pertaining to the examination as given by theinvigilator.

15.3Instruments and materials

Students must bring pens and, if they wish, pencils, erasers and similar items.

  • In certain circumstances additional material will be supplied, such as manuscript music paper, squared paper or mathematical tables. Students may also be permitted or required to bring with them additional instruments, books or materials. Details of such arrangements will be announced beforehand by the module leader.
  • Battery operated calculators are permitted in all examinations unless specifically precluded by a statement in the rubric of the examination paper. Students must provide their own machines and are responsible for ensuring that they are in good working order.
  • The use of miniature information processors for the storing of examination notes is not permitted and will be regarded as cheating. Invigilators may check calculators to ensure they are of an appropriate type, or if they suspect misuse. A student should check with the invigilator if in doubt as to the appropriateness of the calculator.
  • A student who uses a calculator in answering questions must ensure that the method employed is made sufficiently clear in the answer.

15.4During the examination

  • A student will be requested to display his or her student identity card on the examination desk.
  • No student shall be allowed to terminate his/her examination during the first 30 minutes after commencement time and within the final ten minutes of examination time.
  • A student who is late may be admitted to the examination up to 30 minutes after the commencement time but not thereafter. Any such student shall be required to present his/her Student Card to verify his/her identity. The name of any such student not in possession of his/her Student Card will be noted on the Invigilator’s Report Form. A student admitted after commencement time shall conclude his/her examination at the same time as the other candidates for that examination.
  • Students who wish to have the ‘instructions to students’ ortypographical points clarified shall be allowed to do so within the first ten minutes of the examination only.
  • A student who wishes to attract the attention of an invigilator shall do so by raising a hand.
  • Students shall use only the approved examination stationery.
  • Students must not introduce into the examination room or have in their possession, any book, paper, material or instrument (such as electronic calculator), whether it is used or not, except as required or permitted under the rubric of the examination.
  • All rough work should be done on the left hand page of the answer book and crossed through.
  • Extra answer books or loose sheets may be obtained from the invigilator if required. All the answer books and sheets must be securely fastened together in such a way as to allow the examiner to read the whole script without unfastening. Notwithstanding the above, students should observe with care any rubric requiring them to hand in separately, answer books for different parts of the paper.
  • Students should not tear off any portion of an answer book.
  • In examinations in which ‘Reading Time’ is allowed, students shall observe examination regulations throughout ‘Reading Time’. During Reading Time, students may make rough notes on the paper provided. Students shall not commence writing their answers during ‘Reading Time’. After the period of Reading Time, the invigilator will announce the start of the examination, at which time students may commence writing their answers.
  • A student who is unwell or who needs to leave the examination room for any reason deemed adequate by the invigilator may do so under the supervision of an invigilator and return whilst the examination is in progress.
  • A student who leaves the examination room unaccompanied shall not be allowed to re-enter the room.
  • Students shall not communicate with other students by word of mouth, sign, writing or any other means and shall not attempt to read the work of other students.
  • Students shall not make use of unauthorised material.
  • Students shall observe the ‘No Smoking’ rule in the examination room and will not use mobile telephones.
  • Students shall conduct themselves in a manner that will not cause disturbance to other students in the examination room.
  • It shall be the duty of each student to comply with instructions given to her/him individually or to all students by the invigilator.

15.5At the conclusion of the examination