Useful Information
The Examinations Office at Esher Sixth Form College is here to help guide students through the examination and assessment process and to ensure that the arrangements made for sitting public examinations are in full compliance with JCQ and examination board regulations.
Where can I find exam dates and timetables?
External exam board timetables can be found here:
Exam Timetables and Key Dates – Esher Sixth Form College
For the Summer external exams, all students should remain available for the national ‘contingency day’. This is the last day of the JCQ common exam timetable that can be used for exams in the event of widespread, sustained national or local disruption to examinations. It is part of the awarding bodies’ standard contingency planning for examinations.
Internal Formal exam dates can be found on the college calendar on the website:
College Calendar – Esher Sixth Form College
Personal exam timetables are made available on the portal once entries have been made.
The written exams will be conducted in a formal exam environment, under external examination arrangements; to include access arrangements, clashes, and absence & Illness reporting, as set out in these FAQs.
Where do the exams take place?
Written examinations are held in a variety of venues dependent on numbers, the largest of which is the Sports Hall.
For the purposes of the Access Arrangement ‘alternative rooming arrangements’, any venue smaller than the Sports Hall, such as classrooms, are designated ‘small rooms’.
Your room allocation will be communicated to you via your portal 48 hours before your exam. Make sure you check where you are supposed to be and if you’re not sure where the room is, find out!
What time do they start?
Morning exams start promptly at 9.00am, and afternoon exams at 1.30pm, unless otherwise stated on your timetable.
Important regulations must be announced at the start of every exam so you should be seated for 8.50am/1.20pm at the latest.
Once the venue doors have closed and the announcements have started, late students must wait until they can be admitted.
You are expected to make appropriate transport arrangements to reach college for these times.
What is an exam clash and what do I do?
An exam clash occurs if you have more than one exam due to start at the same time, either in a morning or afternoon session. If this happens, then one of your exams will be moved to a different start time. The Exams Team will notify you if you have a clash and will explain what it is you have to do.
If a clash involves a supervised break
- a student must NOT have their mobile phone or any other electronic device including an iPod type device, smart watch, or data storage watch. Any of those items brought in must be switched off and handed in for safekeeping.
- a student may have revision materials with them
- a student should bring a drink and snack/lunch as it will not be possible to visit the canteen.
In exceptional circumstances, permission may be sought from the JCQ to move an exam to the following day, with overnight supervision.
If this is required, the Exams Officer will contact a parent/guardian or named adult who will be responsible for supervising the student overnight and clarify the rules and regulations for such an arrangement.
What can I take into an exam?
CAN
It is your responsibility to bring to the exam any equipment that is required for that paper, e.g. specific calculators, Maths instruments, tracing paper, texts.
Stationery items should be brought in loose or in a clear plastic pencil case or bag. Items can be purchased from the LRC or borrowed via the student library account in an emergency.
If you are required to take subject material into an exam you must check with your subject teacher in advance that the material is in the correct format.
CAN’T
You must not take into the exam room:
(a) notes
(b) an iPod
(c) a mobile phone
(d) an MP3/4 player or similar device
(e) a watch of any description
(f) AirPods
(g) earphones/earbuds
Unless you are told otherwise, you must not have access to:
- the internet
- data stored on the hard drive
- portable storage media such as floppy disks, CDs and memory sticks
- pre-prepared templates
Do not use correcting pens, fluid or tape, erasable pens, highlighters, or gel pens in your answers.
What happens if I have access arrangements?
All students entering college who may have had JCQ approved exam access arrangements at school must have their qualifying needs confirmed by the college Learning Support Manager, as required within the regulations laid down by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).
All approved access arrangements must be evidenced and be the student’s normal way of working within JCQ definitions. They cannot be awarded or used for examinations only.
Access Arrangements may also be available for a temporary injury or illness experienced at the time of the exam, and the Learning Support Manager and Exams Officer should be contacted as a matter of urgency in this situation.
Further FAQs on Access arrangements that can be found here
What if I’m ill or late for an exam?
If you feel unwell before going into an exam
- please tell the Exams Officer, other exam staff present, or an invigilator before being seated.
If you feel unwell or distressed during an exam
- please tell an invigilator immediately – they will help, and no exam time will be lost in these circumstances. An application to the exam board for *Special Consideration may be appropriate.
What if I miss an exam due to illness?
If you are ill, contact Reception before 8.30am/1.00pm with your name, student number and the exam being missed.
Please speak to the Exams Officer within 7 days of the missed exam about applying for special consideration* for absence
If you are late for your exam?
If you are delayed on your journey
- contact Reception urgently so that a message can be given to the Exam Officer – you will still be able to sit the exam and have the full time allowance
If you arrive persistently late for exams
- you may be admitted to the exam room at the discretion of the Exam Officer but may not have the full time allowance
If you fail to turn up for an exam
- someone will attempt to find you in college and contact will be attempted with home – please make sure that all the contact details college hold are correct
If you arrive for an exam an hour or more after the exam start time it may not be possible to enter the exam room and sit the exam. If the exam is taken at a later time than the published starting time + 1 hour, the exam board may not accept the exam script, for security reasons, unless there is proof that you were fully supervised on the journey and did not have access to a phone or the internet.
When do I get my exam results and certificates?
RESULTS
The release dates and arrangements for results can be found here:
Note – If a student has applied to a university in another country, it can be arranged for the exam boards to send results direct to the student as well as to Esher. This must be arranged in advance; each exam board has a process to follow on their website.
Students leaving college should note the portal access and email accounts will be closed at the end of September. Students who have left earlier than the end of the academic year will not be able to access the college portal and so results will be sent by email.
Before leaving college, you must ensure your contact details on the database are correct . Make sure you have provided a personal email address for contact when your college account closes. This should not be a parent’s email or a family group email, as results information is confidential and cannot be shared without permission.
CERTIFICATES
The College receives certificates for qualifications by the end of October following the summer exams. Until then, the only results information you will hold is on the portal. It is strongly advised that those results are saved onto a personal device.
Certificates will be posted home, recorded delivery, during November.
Certificates returned to college undelivered are kept in storage for 2 academic years, after which they may then be destroyed. Copies are not kept. If you misplace your certificates, you must apply directly to the relevant Exam Boards for replacements.
Please make sure that you keep your certificates in a safe place as undoubtedly you will be required to produce these as evidence of your qualifications at a later date, when taking up a place at university, applying for an apprenticeship or applying for a job.
Certificate replacements can only be issued by the examination boards, a service for which they will charge a fee.
How do we access post results services?
Following the publication of results, exam board(s) offer a range of Post Results Services, including Enquiries About Results (review of marking) and Access to Scripts (copies of your exam papers).
Detailed information can be found here.
All deadlines are set by the examination boards and are final.
Can I do exam re-sits at Esher?
Currently the college does not accept private candidates/exam entries from students no longer on roll. Students who wish to resit exams will need to find another centre who accepts private/external exam entries. The link below to the JCQ website, will help you find a centre that accepts private candidates:
Private Candidates – JCQ Joint Council for Qualifications
Maths and English GCSE students currently enrolled on a 1 year resit course in college will have their exam entries funded as part of the course, however, any other students wishing to improve on GCSE results should approach their previous school or another centre for entry
What happens with exams if I change my name?
Exam entries are made using student personal details showing on the college database. These are created from your initial online application form. It is your responsibility to check that the personal details the college holds are accurate. The forename and surname, as reflected on a birth certificate or deed poll, are legally required for entries and registrations, and will be reflected on qualification certificates. This may vary from the name you prefer to be known by. A legal change of name via deed poll should be registered with MIShelpdesk@esher.ac.uk so that personal details are correct on the database.
If I have any questions about exams or access arrangement, who do I contact?
Questions about exams, should be directed to the exams team at exams@esher.ac.uk