GUIDELINES FOR INVIGILATORS

1. Before the examination(s)

1.1 You will be notified beforehand of the room(s) in which

the examination(s) you are invigilating are to be held. You
should ensure that you familiarise yourself with the location of these
rooms, prior to the examination(s).

1.2 In the event that you are unable to attend the University to undertake
your invigilation duties for an unavoidable reason (e.g. sickness) you
must notify Spring (020 8223 6501) immediately.

1.3 You are required to sign in at the campus operations room at least 45
minutes prior to the start of the examination, i.e. at 8.45 am for a 9.30
am start and 1:15 pm for a 2pm start.

1.4. Invigilators must ensure personal mobile phones are switched off.

1.5. All Invigilators are required to report to the central examinations room
to collect the examination stationery and question papers and to be
signed into the examination at least 45 minutes before the
commencement of the examination. Details of the applicable
examination and pick up point for exam boxes will be provided to
invigilators when they are notified of their invigilation details.

1.6 Prior to the commencement of the examination you should assist the
Senior Invigilator with the distribution of examination stationery (and
student place cards) as required. Question papers should not be
distributed at this time.

1.7 A3 sized copies of the “Instructions to Candidates” must be posted

outside of the examination room(s) for student reference. These will be
provided.

2. At the start of the examination(s)

2.1 Candidates are normally permitted to enter the room 10-15 minutes
before the scheduled start of the examination. For large examinations it
may be necessary to extend entry time to up to 30 minutes before start
of exam. As candidates enter, they should be instructed to deposit
coats, bags, and all other items other than those permitted for the
examination at the front or back of the examination room as directed by
the Senior Invigilator and BEFORE THEY APPROACH THEIR DESK.
Items permitted on the desk are: pencils, pens, rule, eraser, and as
below in 2.3. All candidates should be advised that mobile phones
must be SWITCHED OFF WITH NO ALARMS SET and placed FACE
DOWN under their chair or desk. Students will have been advised prior
to the examination period that they should not bring valuables into the
examination room as they do so at their own risk. Any latecomers to
the examination room must also be instructed in this way.
Guidelines for Invigilators
Page 1 of 11
 2

2.2. Candidates are not permitted to bring their own dictionaries into the
examination room. At least one copy per venue of an English
Dictionary will be provided at each examination for candidates to
consult if and when necessary. Phonics dictionaries will be allowed in
each Additional Needs assessment examination room. The dictionary
should be kept at the front of the room and taken to candidates when
requested. Once the candidate has finished using the dictionary, it
should be taken back to the front of the room by the invigilator. Foreign
Language dictionaries are permitted but invigilators are required to
check each one prior to the start of the examination and to keep it at
the front of the room and follow the same procedure used for Phonics
and English dictionaries.

2.3. Candidates are not permitted to consume items of food and drink in the
examination room except small items of confectionery and a bottle of
still water. Other ‘noisy’ items such as sandwiches, crisps, fizzy and
canned drinks, etc. should be confiscated and returned at the end of
the examination (note: Students who require food/drink for medical
purposes should have requested additional assessment arrangements
prior to the examination).

2.4. Candidates may use their own calculators where necessary. However,
these must be checked by representatives of the schools prior to the
start of the exam. Using calculators on mobile phones is not
permissible.

2.5. Attendance Registers will be provided for all examinations by the

relevant school/s. These registers will be part of the pack of
information, examination papers and answer booklets collected from
the campus operations room by the Senior Invigilator prior to each
examination. An Invigilator’s Report Form and Suspected Breach of
Assessment Form will be included. All notes made by an invigilator on
any examination documentation before, during or after an examination
(e.g. exam script, register, report form) must be signed.

2.6. Candidates should sign the Register before approaching their desk.
Late arrivals must sign the Register on entering the examination and
before approaching their desk. If for any reason candidates’ details do
not appear anywhere on the register, their student number and name
should be entered at the end of the list and a signature obtained from
the student. If there is a delay and asking students to sign the register
before would delay the exam, it is acceptable for the register to be
taken round and completed within the first 30 minutes of the exam.

2.7. All candidates are expected to bring their UEL student identification
cards with them to each examination. A candidate who does not have a
UEL identification card should not be excluded from the examination
(other than on the instructions of the Senior Invigilator). The
circumstances should be clearly recorded against the candidate's
name/number on the attendance register. In a case where a candidate
is wearing a Niqab (face veil), before the commencement of the exam
2
 and whilst students are signing the register, a female
invigilator should request the candidate to accompany
her to a separate room for purposes of identification.
Once in a separate room the female invigilator should ask
the candidate to remove her Niqab for the purposes of
identification and should compare the candidate with the
photo on the ID card. The candidate is then permitted to replace the
NIqab and return with the invigilator to the exam room. If a female
invigilator is not present, the campus operations room should be
notified and a female member of staff will be sent to the exam room to
assist in identifying the candidate. Candidates must display their
student identification cards on their desks, photo side up, throughout
the examination.

2.8. The Senior Invigilator must make an announcement to all candidates

(including individually to any late arrivals), as per the attached script.

2.9. Before commencing the examination, you should draw the attention of
all candidates to the ‘Instructions to Candidates’ sheet, allowing them
time in which to read it. Candidates should be asked to indicate at that
time whether they wish the invigilator to collect from them any item(s),
which might contravene the regulations. These instructions should also
be made available to latecomers.

2.10. At the start of an examination candidates should be advised there is a

10 minute reading time attached to all examinations. Candidates are
NOT permitted to pick up pens and commence writing during the
reading time. Latecomers who arrive after the reading time is
complete are not entitled to reading time.

2.11. Invigilators should then issue the examination question paper, placed
on each desk (including those which are unoccupied). Candidates
should be instructed not to touch the papers until the examination
begins. An announcement will be made by the Senior Invigilator to
formally commence the examination.

2.12. Additional Needs assessment arrangement students will normally be

accommodated in alternative rooms from the main exam, as per
instructions from Dyslexia and Disabilities Access Centre (DDAC) and
as noted on the Report Form. Additional Need assessment invigilators
should follow all other instructions. Support workers (e.g. interpreters,
scribes, readers, etc.) will be issued with an identity card for each
examination. Invigilators must check the identity card before
commencement of the examination. Exams will commence
simultaneously with the main examination.

2.13. For staff invigilating Additional Needs assessment exams where a PC

is used: Please ensure that you log in to the PC with Username
uelguest, password uelguest – do not allow the student to use his or
her own login. Also please be particularly vigilant when supervising the
use of disks – the student should be seen to be using only the specially
Guidelines for Invigilators
Page 3 of 11
 4

prepared blank disk and memory stick supplied by the designated the
campus operations room as part of the Additional Needs assessment
arrangements.

2.14 In exceptional circumstances, e.g. Practical/Clinical Examinations, a

School may organise an examination to which invigilators are
deployed. Invigilators must follow all guidelines given to them by the
School to ensure that Health & Safety rules are followed.

3. During the Examination

3.1 Candidates who arrive late (up to 30 minutes after the commencement
of the examination) may be allowed to enter the examination room and
sit the examination, but no additional time will be permitted. The
candidate's late arrival and start time should be clearly marked on both
the attendance register and examination script. Candidates arriving
after the commencement of writing are not entitled to the 10 minutes
reading time.

3.2 The Senior Invigilator for each examination will be allocated by Spring
under supervision of the Timetable Unit. The module leader/nominee
will be readily contactable from and available to come to the exam
room prior to the start of the examination (during the setting up period)
and for the first 30 minutes of the examination itself. The module
leader/nominee will then visit each additional assessment examination
room, as indicated on the Report Form. For the remainder of the
duration of the examination the module leader/nominee will be
contactable by telephone at all times. Details of the module
leader/nominee will be available on the Report Form, although the
Senior Invigilator should check that this information is available prior to
the commencement of the examination.

3.3 If, during the course of the examination it becomes necessary to

contact the module leader/nominee, one invigilator only should
telephone the member of staff concerned immediately, either by using
a mobile phone, internal telephone provided or by going to the nearest
staff room. You should inform the module leader/nominee of the
precise nature of the query/problem and they will return to the
examination room immediately if necessary. A note of the incident must
be made on the Report Form.

3.4 Where more than two invigilators are scheduled to cover an

examination, at least two invigilators must be present in each
examination room at all times.

3.5 Invigilators are responsible for ensuring compliance with the

“Instructions to Candidates” and that the overall security of the
examination is maintained. You must therefore:

(i) be vigilant and alert at all times throughout the

examination;

4
 (ii) not remain seated for more that 10-15
minutes at any one time;
(iii) patrol the examination room regularly,
observing the behaviour of candidates
carefully;
(iv) ensure that at least one invigilator is
patrolling at all times and that there is a spread of
invigilators throughout the room, i.e. invigilators should be
observing from both ends of the room;
(v) not read any materials (which may distract you or the
candidates) such as a book or magazine;
(vi) avoid talking to other invigilators where possible
(instructions/comments may be passed to each other via
written notes) as this may encourage candidates to think
that you are distracted.

3.6 During the first half hour of the examination, candidates names should
be checked against the register using the student identification cards
(which should be placed face upwards on each candidates desk – see
2.7) as the means of identification. If a student card is not available a
note must be made on the Register (see 2.7). Confirmation of student
identification should be marked by the invigilator with a tick and the
word ‘absent’ entered against anyone not present. Candidates who
have failed to sign the register prior to the exam (see 2.5) should be
asked at this point to do so. When the process of checking has been
completed all invigilators should sign and date the register at the end of
the list of names.

3.7 The display of student identification cards is intended to prevent

impersonation, and candidates should continue to be checked against
their photographs as you patrol the examination room.

3.8 A candidate who has indicated they wish to leave the examination
room to go to the toilet must be accompanied, where possible, by an
invigilator of the same gender. The invigilator should ensure the
candidate leaves all materials, papers, pens, etc. on their examination
desk when leaving the room. The invigilator should wait for the
candidate outside the cubicle, if same gender, and outside the toilet, if
not. The invigilator should ensure that upon their return to the
examination room the candidate does not bring with them any
unauthorised papers or materials.

3.9 A candidate who has indicated that they need to leave the examination
room permanently (e.g. for reasons of illness) should be advised to
remain seated until such time as you have collected their examination
script, paper and any other necessary materials and formally given
them permission to leave. In the case of any permanent departure from
the examination room, a note of the time and circumstances (e.g.
‘11.10 am student taken ill, left examination room’) should be made on
the student’s examination script and on the register against the
candidate's name/number. If the Senior Invigilator is not present in the
Guidelines for Invigilators
Page 5 of 11
 6

room at the time they should be informed upon their return. If you are
the only invigilator and unable to summon assistance you should seek
the help of the first person passing the examination room.

3.10 Candidates wishing to permanently leave the examination room for

reasons other than illness should be advised that they may not do so:

(i) until 45 minutes after the commencement of the

examination
(ii) during the last 30 minutes.

3.11. An Invigilators’ Report sheet and a Register with details of all students
expected to attend the examination is provided. If a candidate leaves
the examination permanently in the allowed time, please mark the time
he/she left on the front of the script and in the Invigilators’ Report. In
addition, staff are required to note the time a candidate leaves the
examination room either temporarily or permanently (including visits to
the toilet) on the Invigilators’ Report.

3.12. Where a candidate is suspected of committing a breach of assessment

regulations, as laid down in the “Instructions to Candidates”, the Senior
Invigilator (or nominee in the absence of the Senior Invigilator) should
approach her/him immediately and advise them that she/he is
believed to have contravened regulations by committing an
assessment offence and that she/he may continue with the
examination pending an investigation of the offence according to
procedures described in Section D.5.7 of the University Regulations.
Any suspicious materials (e.g. illicit notes) must be confiscated at
this point; if the writing is on a person’s arm or hand it should be
photocopied or photographed – this is vital as any such materials
or papers are likely to form the basis of evidence in a subsequent
investigation. Once any materials have been confiscated a line should
be drawn across the candidate's script and a note made (on the script)
and a full report made on the Report Form of the time and the fact that
materials were confiscated at this point and the student warned

ASSESSMENT OFFENCES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

(i) Talking, communicating, attempting to talk to or attempting

to communicate with another candidate during the
examination
(ii) Looking at or attempting to look at another candidate's
papers during the examination
(iii) Possession and/or use of any unauthorised materials or
papers during the examination
(iv) A student attempting to make or receive a call from a
mobile telephone while an examination is in progress.
Please note that a student will be in an alleged breach of
regulations and therefore subject to disciplinary action, if
they are in possession of a telephone that is ringing during
an examination - irrespective of whether they attempt to
answer it.
6
3.13. The Senior Invigilator should be advised immediately
when an assessment offence has been identified. The
time and nature of the offence must be noted next to
the candidate's name/number on the attendance
register and a full report outlined on the Report Form.
The candidate’s examination script should be retained at the end
of the examination and submitted with the ‘Suspected Breach of
Assessment Regulations Report Form’ to the Examination’s
Officer (see 3.15)

3.14. Any candidate who disrupts an examination (for other candidates) may
be asked to leave immediately and advised that the standard
procedures for investigation of a breach of regulations will be activated.
As in other cases the time and nature of the incident should be noted
on the register and a report outlined on the Report Form.

3.15 In all cases involving either a suspected breach of regulations or other

disturbance the senior invigilator must complete a ‘Suspected Breach
of Assessment Regulations Report Form' (issued with the exam box).
This form should be completed in full immediately after the examination
and submitted (together with the student script and any evidence e.g.
unauthorised notes taken from the candidate) to the designated
examinations contact.

3.16. You should be aware that a number of students are of religious faiths
which may require prayer(s) at certain times of the day and students
may, as a result, approach you with a request that they be allowed to
leave their examination desk and pray at a certain point while the
examination is in progress. The University understands that students
who find that they have examinations scheduled at times when prayers
are also required may obtain a special dispensation from their religious
leader in order to attend the examination(s). Consequently, students
should be advised that they may not leave their desk to pray while
an examination is in progress.

3.17. If a fire alarm sounds at any point during the examination, candidates
should be instructed as in 5 below.

3.18. At appropriate intervals before the end of the examination (normally 30

minutes and again with 5 minutes remaining) the Senior Invigilator
should advise candidates of the time remaining to them.

4. At the end of/after the examination

4.1 At the end of the examination the Senior Invigilator should instruct
candidates to stop writing. Candidates may be permitted to check that
they have correctly inserted administrative data e.g. student number,
module code, provided that you are satisfied that no additions to the
academic content are being made.

Guidelines for Invigilators

Page 7 of 11
 8

4.2 Candidates MUST be instructed to remain in their seats until advised

that they may leave. They must be reminded that they are not
permitted to talk and remain under examination conditions at this time.
Invigilators should collect all completed scripts, question papers, rough
notes and spare examination stationery. It is vital that the number of
scripts collected are counted and tally with the number of students
known to have sat the examination (from the attendance register)
BEFORE CANDIDATES ARE INSTRUCTED TO LEAVE THE ROOM.
When this process has been carried out candidates should be
instructed to leave immediately and should be permitted to remove only
writing materials and sweet wrappers etc. Question papers may not be
removed from the examination room by candidates. The Report Form
must be completed and signed by all invigilators.

NOTE: unused examination scripts are restricted stationery and

must never be left in an examination room at the end of the
session. All such stationery must be returned to the designated
examinations contact immediately after the examination.

4.3 As you are collecting completed scripts you should check that all
necessary details have been inserted on the cover(s) of answer book
(s) and that any supplementary book(s) are securely attached by
treasury tag to the main answer book.

4.4 Completed scripts/rough notes should be sorted in line with the

attendance register and the Report Form attached to the top. The
Senior Invigilator will take all scripts, notes etc for marking and will
return all registers, report forms and unused examination stationery to
the designated campus operations room immediately. All invigilators
must report back to the campus operations room to be signed out of
the exam. Failure to sign out of an examination could lead to non-
payment for the examination in question

4.5. Completed scripts will be collected by module leaders as directed by

the Examination Officer from the designated campus operations room.

5 In the event of a fire alarm

5.1. Before the commencement of the exam the Senior Invigilator should
read out the statement regarding what to do in the event of a Fire
Alarm. Late arrivals should have this (and other Senior Invigilator
statements) given to them in writing and instructed to read these before
commencing the exam.

5.2. Candidates should be informed of the nearest assembly point should

there be a fire alarm, including the location of the nearest Fire Refuge,
and that, in the event of a fire alarm, they should immediately evacuate
the examination room and make their way there. Candidates must be
advised that during the evacuation they are still under
examination conditions and therefore must refrain from
discussing the examination amongst themselves, or with others.

8
 Smoking is also prohibited during the evacuation. A
register of candidates present at the assembly point
should be taken.

5.3 In the event of a fire alarm you should halt the

examination and, unless there is authoritative evidence
from an authorised person, normally the duty Security incident officer,
that the safety of those present is not at risk, instruct the candidates to
leave the examination room, making their way to the nearest exit and
leaving all papers, student identification cards, scripts and other
materials on their desks. Bags should not be removed from the
examination room.

5.4 If the Senior Invigilator is present at the time of the fire alarm she or he
will remind the candidates of the evacuation procedure. If he or she is
not present you (or one of the other invigilators present) should remind
the candidates of the procedure. You should leave the examination
room only after all candidates have departed, and make your way to
the nearest exit. The Senior Invigilator (if not present at the time)
should be informed of the situation as soon as it is practical to do so
and a full report made on the Report Form.

5.5 When the ‘all clear’ is announced, you should return with the
candidates to the examination room and wherever practical resume the
examination. In cases of evacuation as a consequence of a fire alarm a
time extension will be given (once the examination has resumed)
equivalent to the following: the length of time from the start of the
fire alarm to the resumption of the examination plus five minutes.

5.6. During the period immediately following an evacuation, as in 3.6,

candidates names should be re-checked against the register using the
student identification cards (which should still be in place face upwards
on each candidate’s desk – see 2.7) as the means of identification.
Confirmation of student attendance/absence should be marked by the
invigilator with a second tick. When the process of checking has been
completed all invigilators should sign and date the register at the end of
the list of names.

A report should be made on the register and the Report Form of any
student who does not return to the examination following an
evacuation.

5.7. As soon as is possible after the examination the senior invigilator

should submit a report detailing the timing, duration, nature of the
evacuation and an indication of whether or not the examination was
resumed to the Examination Officer who will make any necessary
representations to the appropriate Assessment Boards.

Guidelines for Invigilators

Page 9 of 11
 10

SENIOR INVIGILATOR ANNOUNCEMENTS

“CANDIDATES ARE REMINDED OF THE FOLLOWING:

1. You must enter all necessary details on the answer booklet. [In the
case of a PC exam, you must enter all the necessary details on the
disk supplied].

2. You must use your student number only, not your name

3. No candidate may leave the examination room permanently in the first

45 or last 30 minutes of the examination.

4. You must clearly display your student card on your desk throughout the
exam for identity checks.

5. You must raise your hand and remain seated when attempting to
attract the attention of invigilators.

6. You must follow the Instructions to Candidates and any specific rules
and arrangements relating to this examination

7. This exam starts at – and is – hours in duration. It is due to finish at --.

8. You should not have any unauthorised property, including mobile

phones, on your desks. If you have any unauthorised property please
hand this over to an invigilator immediately. Mobiles must be
switched off and placed face down under your desk or chair.
Please ensure all alarms are turned off.

9. You are not permitted to talk or leave your seats whilst papers are
collected. You remain under examination conditions until papers have
been collected and counted and will be given permission by the Senior
Invigilator when you may leave.

10. You may not take question papers from the examination room. Anyone
requiring a copy of the question paper should obtain a copy from the
school helpdesk after the exam.

11. In the event of a fire alarm you must cease writing and we will leave as
a group through the nearest fire exit which is – and assemble at our
assembly point which is --. In the event of an evacuation you may
not remove any material from the exam room, including personal
possessions, and you remain under examination conditions. You
therefore may not talk to or communicate with other candidates and
you may not smoke. In the event of a fire alarm you will be permitted
extra time at the end of the exam.

10
Examination Stationery

1. Question Papers (from schools)

3. Additional Arrangement Examination papers (from

schools)

4. Answerbooks (disks if applicable) (from schools)

5. Instructions to Candidates (+ A3 posters) (from schools)

6. Guidelines to Invigilators – please ensure you bring these with

you

7. Report Form (from schools)

8. Breach of Assessment Forms (from schools)

9. Marker pen(s) (from schools)

10. Treasury Tags (from schools)

11. Sellotape/Blutak (from schools)

12. Collins Dictionaries (from TTU)

13. Phonics Dictionary (for Additional Assessment Arrangement

rooms) – supplied by students who require them

14. Attendance List (numerical order, including names) (from

schools)

15. Number cards (including spare cards) (from schools if used)

16. Pens (from schools)

Guidelines for Invigilators

Page 11 of 11