The university of hull

THE UNIVERSITY OF HULL Student Administrative Services Instructions to CHIEF Invigilators at University Examinations – May/June 2010

SECTION I General definition of invigilators’ responsibilities SECTION II Procedure BEFORE the examination SECTION III Procedure DURING the examination SECTION IV Procedure at the END of the examination SECTION V Emergency Regulations EXAMINATIONS OFFICE TELEPHONE NUMBERS Examinations Office : 5380 Joanna Micklethwaite : 6825 (Examinations Officer)

May/June 2010 Examinations Office

SECTION I : General definition of invigilators’ responsibilities
1. Duties
Chief Invigilators are responsible for the conduct of the examination.
Chief Invigilators are requested to undertake some of the routine work of invigilation where possible, as well as organising the work of the other invigilators and dealing with emergencies.

2. Venue of Examinations
The following venues will be used as Examination Halls during the examinations period:
Ferens Building (comprising Leslie Downs and Basil Reckitt lecture theatres);
Staff House (Lindsey Suite)
Sports Hall
Gymnasium (first floor in the Sports & Fitness Centre)
B.J. Library (Teaching Room 4 for Alternative Examinations);
B.J. Library (Teaching Room 3 for Alternative Examinations);
B.J. Library (Teaching Room 8 for PC room)


3. Number of Invigilators
Invigilators are allocated as follows :

- TWO in the Ferens Building (ONE Chief Invigilator and ONE additional Invigilator);

- FOUR in Staff House (ONE Chief Invigilator and ONE additional Invigilator for each of the rooms);
- SIX in Sports Centre (THREE in Sports Hall and TWO in Gym and ONE Chief Invigilator)

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  ONE in the Alternative Examinations Room;
  

- ONE in the PC Room

These numbers may be reduced if there are only a small number of candidates.

4. Period of Invigilation
In accordance with the Senate Resolution of 24 June 1987, the normal period of invigilation is FOUR hours, from 9.00 am until 1.00 p.m. and from 1.00 p.m. until 5.00 p.m. This includes the time required for the Invigilators to put out the question papers and for scripts to be collected.
For the first week of the examinations there will also be a THREE hour slot 4.00 pm until 7.00 pm in the Sports Hall and Gym only.
Invigilators are asked to be present in the examination hall at least HALF AN HOUR before the scheduled start of the examination to ensure there is plenty of time to prepare the room.

SECTION II : Procedure BEFORE the examination
1. Delivery of Examination papers
Examination papers will be delivered to Chief Invigilators in each Examinations Hall (except for the Alternative Examinations Rooms) at 9.00 am for morning examinations, 1.00 p.m. for afternoon examinations and 4.00 pm for late afternoon examinations.
The envelopes containing the question papers will be arranged in order of desk numbers when these are delivered from the Exams Office.

2. Invigilators’ Attendance Sheet
Invigilators are required to report to the Chief Invigilator when they arrive and to sign the pink attendance sheet kept by the Chief Invigilator.

3. Allocation of Duties
The Chief Invigilator will allocate the question papers and the envelopes for the scripts to the invigilators in such a way that each invigilator will deal with a particular part of the Examination Hall. The Chief Invigilator should allocate to each invigilator question papers and envelopes relating to a block of adjacent desks. Chief Invigilators should circulate the appropriate seat listing to the Invigilators shortly before the start of the examination and the marked up list should be returned to them at the close of the examination.
The responsibility for a paper should not be shared between two Invigilators if this can be avoided, even if this results in inequalities in the workload. However, it is recognised that there are a few papers with a very large number of candidates for which a split of responsibility may have to be made.
Chief Invigilators will be sent a seat listing for the examination period beforehand. They should inform the Examinations Office if this list is not received. The information should then enable them to work out the allocation of papers to invigilators some time before the period of Invigilation. Chief Invigilators should take the list with them to the examination hall. A second copy of the seat listing will be provided when the examination papers are handed over to them.

4. Examination stationery
It is the responsibility of the invigilators to place the examination papers on each desk before the examination begins. Once the examination papers have been distributed, Chief Invigilators should ask Invigilators to check with them that the papers have been placed on every desk used for the examination.
All desks will already be set up with the examination stationery required. All candidates are provided with one or more answer books before the examination starts. Supplies of answer books and other stationery are available in the examination room.
5. Opening of doors
The doors of the examination room should be opened to candidates, on the instruction of the Chief Invigilator, no later than FIVE MINUTES before the scheduled beginning of the examination.

6. Candidates who do not appear on seating plan
The invigilator should admit to an examination any student whose name does not appear on the list of candidates, provided that an examination paper and a place are available, or unless previously advised otherwise by the Examinations Office. The student should be allocated one of the spare seats (do not use the seats allocated to candidates who are absent) and be provided with an examination paper together with all the required stationery. The Invigilator must add the student’s name and seat number to the seating list and registration number to the script packet front.

7. Late arrivals
Any candidate who arrives within the first 30 minutes of the examination should be permitted to start without any report being made, BUT NO EXTRA TIME SHOULD BE ALLOWED.
No candidate will be allowed to enter the examination room after the end of the first HALF HOUR of the examination.
Only in exceptional circumstances can special arrangements be made for a candidate arriving after the first half hour of the session to take the examination elsewhere. Such students should be told to report immediately to the Department setting the examination and Joanna Micklethwaite, (Examinations Officer) should be informed straightaway.

8. Start of the Examination
Students are not allowed to start the examination until directed to do so by the Chief Invigilator. No writing of any kind is permitted before the official start announcement.
As soon as the Chief Invigilator is satisfied that all students are seated and ready to start, s/he should make the announcements on the following page, and start the exam. The Chief Invigilator should not wait for candidates who were late arriving at the venue.
If, for any reason, there was a delay in getting all of the candidates seated and the exam started, the Chief invigilator should allocate the appropriate extra time at the end of the examination and should announce this to candidates at the beginning of the examination. All students who arrived at the venue on time should receive the full time allotted for their examination.


SECTION III : Procedure DURING the examination

1. Announcements
At the commencement of the examination, Chief Invigilators should make the following announcements :
 candidates MUST have their student ID cards on their desks at all times during the examination – students without their student ID cards will be asked for alternative photographic ID. Students without any ID will be marked as such on the attendance sheet and reported to departments – students may be asked to report to the department at a later date.

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  that candidates are not allowed to leave the examination room in the first half hour or the last quarter hour of their examination;
  

 that any suspected error or other query on the question paper should be reported to an invigilator immediately;

 that candidates must write their name and signature in the top-right self-adhesive corner, then fold and seal it;
 that candidates must write their student registration number on the answer book and the pink attendance cards; if they do not know their number, they should ask the invigilator to provide it;

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  inform students that they may now start the examination. The timing of the exams should start after this announcement.
  

2. Supplying Student Registration Numbers
When a request for supplying the registration number is made, Invigilators should check first the seating plan; if the student is not listed, the (Chief) Invigilator should telephone the Examinations Office which will provide the number by checking the Student Record System.

3. Food and Drink
Candidates are permitted to bring a small bottle of soft drink/ water into the examination.

4. Early departures
No candidate may leave the examination room during the first half hour or the last quarter hour of their examination.

5. Queries on Examination papers
If it should appear that there is an error on an examination paper, the Invigilator should inform the Examinations Office immediately for the problem to be referred to the examiner responsible for the paper. No alterations should be made without the examiner’s authority. The Invigilator shall, but only on the authority of the examiner, announce any alteration or correction in the examination paper.

6. Attendance cards
After the first 30 minutes of the examination the Invigilator should start collecting the attendance cards (pink cards) from the candidates’ desks, checking these against the student’s ID card and then complete the attendance register (a green card for each examination, not for each student) which should be attached to the relevant set of pink cards.

7. Seating Plan
The Invigilator should then check the name and desk number of each candidate with the seating plan. The first column of this list should be marked to indicate whether or not the candidate is present. The second column should be completed when the Invigilator collects the scripts at the end of the examination. The third column should be completed to indicate that the student’s identification has been checked using either their student card or another form of photographic identification.

8. Absentees
After the first half hour of the examination, the Invigilators should mark on the seating plans, all absent candidates. The registration numbers of absent candidates should also be written on the script packet fronts. There is no longer any need to phone lists of absentees to the Examinations Office. It is, therefore, essential that the correct information regarding absent candidates is written on the script packet fronts.

9. Candidates temporarily leaving the room
Candidates will be allowed to go to toilets. Invigilators should ensure that the candidates leave their answer books on their desks. If a candidate leaves the examination hall repeatedly the invigilator should make a note of the desk number and time of leaving and returning to the room. This information should be marked on the covers of the scripts when these are collected.

10. Candidates taken ill
The invigilators will inform Chief Invigilators if any candidates are taken ill. Where necessary, Chief Invigilators should telephone the Examinations Office. Examinations Office staff will arrange for a first aider to attend immediately.

11. Information to be written on envelope
The Invigilator should note on the envelope the registration number and desk number of any absentee and those who leave exceptionally early (within the first half of the exam), so that the examiner also has a record of these. The registration numbers and seat numbers of any additional candidates and students without photographic identification should also be written on the packet front.

12. Oversight of candidates
Invigilators should give their SOLE ATTENTION to the conduct of the examination. No other activity should be undertaken during the examination period. Invigilators must maintain oversight of the candidates in the examination room and are advised to walk quietly around the room from time to time.

13. Examination material
Where candidates are permitted to use materials that they bring with them into the examination hall or which are already there, e.g. books, notes, or tables, this will be explicitly stated in the rubric. However, the use of calculators and own language (translation to English) dictionaries is permitted in the examinations unless the contrary is clearly specified in the rubric of a question paper. Departments setting papers where calculators (or dictionaries) are not permitted have been reminded of their responsibility for making this clear to students and to the Examinations Office in advance of the examination. Invigilators must check the dictionaries for unauthorised notes. A copy of the English Concise dictionary is available on each invigilator’s desk. Mobile phones, MP3 players, electronic dictionaries and other forms of electronic storage or communication are not allowed in the Examination Hall.

14. Procedure to be followed in case of Cheating
If a candidate is suspected of cheating in an examination, there is a set procedure which MUST BE FOLLOWED.
(i) if an invigilator suspects a candidate of cheating, their first action may be to seek a view from another invigilator. This has the effect of doubling the witnessing of the event.
(ii) the candidate should be calmly and quietly told that they are suspected of cheating, and that the matter will be reported to their relevant department. It is the department’s decision as to whether the matter is referred to the Examination Board, and whether further action is taken against that candidate. The invigilation team is not entitled to make a decision as to the seriousness of the case. If cheating is witnessed, the student MUST be challenged, and the full incident MUST be reported. How the matter would then be taken forward is a matter for the relevant Examination Board.
(iii) the candidate’s script must be endorsed with a note of the event, giving brief details of the nature of the occurrence, e.g. “found with extraneous material”, “found to be in communication with another candidate”. The time of the event must also be given.
(iv) the candidate should normally be allowed to complete the examination, unless, in the opinion of the Chief Invigilator, they are causing a disturbance to other candidates.
(v) Any materials brought into the examination room without permission should be confiscated immediately and a full written report should be made on the circumstances.

6. 
   IMMEDIATELY after the conclusion of the examination, the chief invigilator must report the full matter to the Examinations Officer, and hand in any confiscated material at this stage.
   

(vii) Invigilators may be asked to give evidence at a subsequent Investigation.

SECTION IV : Procedure AT THE END OF the examination
1. End of Examination
After the allotted time, taking into account any delays at the start of the exam, The Chief Invigilator should announce the end of the examination session and remind candidates to seal the top-right corner of the anonymous marking answer books and fasten all answer booklets and additional examination stationary used together using the treasury tag provided. Candidates must leave their answer books on their desks, but are permitted to take their question papers away with them.

2. Checking scripts
Invigilators should check the scripts for unsealed corners before placing them in the examination envelopes.

3. Collecting scripts
The following procedure is recommended for the collection of the scripts at the end of the examination:
(a) If possible, Chief Invigilators should not collect the scripts but should leave this to the Invigilators to whom the papers have been allocated.
(b) The Invigilators should collect the scripts and any additional examination stationery from the desks and check the scripts with the seat listings provided (marking the appropriate column of the list). This should be done carefully but as quickly as possible so that desks may be prepared for the next examination. Chief Invigilators should ensure that no scripts have been left behind.
(c) All scripts must be accounted for and placed in the correct envelope. Should any discrepancy occur between the list of candidates marked as present and the scripts collected an immediate search should be made before the packets are sealed or the desks cleared and reset for the next examination. Joanna Micklethwaite, Examinations Officer, should be informed immediately.
(d) When the Invigilators are satisfied that all scripts are accounted for, they should seal the packets. The scripts will be sealed in their envelopes and returned by the Invigilators to the Chief Invigilators. (Attendance cards should not be put into these packets).Chief Invigilators should check these sealed packets against the list of examinations held that session and sign the list. They should indicate on the list the number of envelopes returned for each examination paper.
(e) The packets of completed scripts, the pink and green cards, and the envelope containing the marked-up seat listings should be placed in the wooden box provided. There is one box in the Sports and Fitness Centre one in the Ferens Building shared between the two rooms - if it is not in your room, it will be in the other, one box in Staff House – Lindsey Suite. Once all materials (from both rooms) are in the box, lock it with the padlock provided - it will be collected shortly after the end of the examination.

4. Clearing up
Invigilators are asked to leave their desks clear, ready for the next examination session.

Invigilators are requested to deal with circumstances not covered by these notes as they see fit, bearing in mind both the requirements of a formal examination and the necessity for ensuring the best possible conditions for candidates.

SECTION V : EMERGENCY REGULATIONS

Should an emergency situation arise during the examination which warrants evacuation of the premises, the fire alarm will activate (the sound is a persistent electronic warble type or siren noise). The Chief invigilator should ask candidates to leave the premises immediately. Candidates have to STOP what they are doing, LEAVE their answer books, papers and possessions on their desks and LEAVE the premises via the marked fire exit doorways provided. (Invigilators should point these out to candidates).

All students are to assemble at the recognised assembly points (see Fire Action Notice at Chief Invigilator’s desk) where a roll call will be taken. Re-entry will only be permitted after approval has been given by either the Fire Brigade or Safety Office staff.
A copy of the Fire Action Notice for each building used as Examination Halls upon which is identified the designated assembly point(s) will be placed near the Chief Invigilator’s desk.
Should an emergency occur which warrants evacuation, invigilators are to assist in the evacuation and roll call. The result of the roll call are to be passed on to the duty Safety Officer attending the incident.

Instructions to Chief Invigilators at University Examinations QH F1

Student Administrative Services Annexe 4a :

Version 1 02 – May 10