PLI/ JWE
November 2015
Year 11 GCSE Examinations 2016
Please find enclosed with this letter information relating to your son’s GCSE examinations as
follows:
 Trial Examination Timetable
 Important Notice regarding Mobile Phones during Exams
 Joint Council for Qualifications Notice to Candidates regarding Written Examinations
 Joint Council for Qualifications Notice to Candidates regarding Controlled Assessments
Please ensure that your son:
 Revises thoroughly before the examinations. We recommend that he starts his revision as
soon as possible. You can help by providing a quiet place for him to study at home.
 Checks his timetable every day to make sure he does not “miss” an examination.
Trial Exams

Year 11 trial exams will take place from Monday 4th to Thursday 7th January 2016
inclusive. Pupils should attend school as normal. During this week they will either have
exams or normal lessons.

Pupils should attend normal registration every day apart from on Monday 4th January
because the English exam starts early at 8:55am. Pupils should hand in mobile phones to
Student Services as normal, but instead of going to registration they should go straight to
their exam room.

Pupils that do not study either French or Spanish will go to a special revision class in F1
instead.

If your son is entitled to access arrangements, such as extra time, he should ensure that
the invigilators are aware of his entitlement. In some cases arrangements will be made for
him to take his exams in a separate room (usually with other pupils with a similar
entitlement).

If you have any questions please contact Mr Livingstone, Exams Officer or Mrs Weller,
Exams Secretary at the school.

Trial exam results will usually be available for parents to view on the NSB system by the
end of term 3 (Friday 12th February 2016).
Q:\Examinations\Year 11 Exam letters\Year 11 Trial Examinations Jan 2016.doc
Summer GCSE Exams

External GCSE exams will start in mid-May and continue until the end of June.

Your son will receive his own individual exam timetable in the last week of term 2
showing the exact dates his exams take place within this period. It is very important that
he checks his timetable carefully and advises Mrs Weller in the Exams Office if there are
any errors. Changes cannot be made after Friday 5th February 2016.

Please do not book any family holidays until the examination period is over and, if your
son is returning to NSB Sixth Form, the Sixth Form induction days are on Wednesday
22nd June and Thursday 23rd June 2016. Holiday absence will not be authorised during
school time.

Please also be mindful that part time employment before the examinations are over is
almost certain to undermine your son’s examination preparation.
 GCSE Modern Language oral and Expressive Arts practical examinations will be
timetabled from early March 2016. Confirmation of these dates will be given to your son
during term 3.
 GCSE results day is Thursday 25th August 2016
Access Arrangements
 If your son has a disability or learning difficulty, exam boards will usually allow the same
“access arrangements” as he has in lessons (e.g. use of a word processor or extra time).
 If you think your son may be entitled to access arrangements please contact Mrs
Dickenson in our Additional Intervention Team. She will be able to tell you whether
arrangements are already in place and, if not, she may arrange for your son’s special
needs to be assessed.
Year 11 Trial Exams – January 2016
Venue

Exams take place in the Sports Hall except where indicated on the exams timetable.

Pupils with special needs may take exams elsewhere. Individuals will be informed.

Pupils should arrive at the Sports Hall, or their alternative room, 10 minutes before the
start of each exam to allow time for them to be seated and for instructions to be read out.

Any subjects not shown on the exams timetable will be assessed in lessons.

Mobile phones, MP3/ 4 players and any web enabled device are not allowed in the
exam room. Pupils may hand mobile phones (and other prohibited devices) in to Student
Services prior to attending an exam.
Trial Exam Information

Year 11 take seven trial exams over four days from Monday 4th to Thursday 7th January
2016.

When Year 11 pupils are not in exams they attend lessons as normal.

Every morning and afternoon (apart from Monday 4th January- see details below) pupils
should hand in mobile phones to Student Services before attending normal registration.
Once registered, pupils go straight to the Sports Hall or their alternative room for the
exam.

On Monday 4th January the English exam starts early at 8:55am because it is two and a
quarter hours long. Pupils should hand in mobile phones to Student Services as normal,
but instead of going to registration they should go straight to the Sports Hall, or their
alternative room for 8:45am.
Year 11 Trial Exam Timetable – January 2016
Please turn over.
Year 11 Trial Exam Timetable – January 2016
Mobile phones are not allowed in the exam room. Pupils may hand mobile phones and
other prohibited devices in to Student Services prior to attending an exam.
Monday 4th January 2016
Exam
start time
8:55 am*
Year and exam subject
(exam duration is shown in brackets after the subject)
*NOTE THE EARLY START! – Y11 do not go to registration (but do
hand your phone in to Student Services).
Y11 English (2hrs 15mins)
Tuesday 5th January 2016
Exam
start time
9:05 am
Year and exam subject
(exam duration is shown in brackets after the subject)
Y11 Design and Technology (2hrs)
2:15 pm
Y11 French Reading (1hr 20mins)
Y11 Spanish Reading (1hr 20mins)
Y11 pupils not studying French or Spanish go to room F1
Wednesday 6th January 2016
Exam
start time
9:05 am
Year and exam subject
(exam duration is shown in brackets after the subject)
Y11 Maths (1hr 45mins)
2:15 pm
Y11 Science (1hr 15mins)
Thursday 7th January 2016
Exam
start time
9:05 am
2:15 pm
Year and exam subject
(exam duration is shown in brackets after the subject)
Y11 History (2hrs)
Y11 Geography (1hr 45mins)
Y11 Options (1hr 15mins)
ICT
Computing
R.E.
Triple Science
PLI/ JWE
November 2015
To: Parents of all students taking examinations
IMPORTANT NOTICE - MOBILE PHONES AND EXAMS
Exam Board Regulations
The Joint Council for General Qualifications rules that govern the administration of public
examinations state that:
“You must not take into the exam room: potential technological/web enabled
sources of information such an iPod, an iWatch, a mobile phone, a MP3/4
player or a wrist watch which has a data storage device”
This is irrespective of whether these devices are switched on or off. If a candidate is found in
possession of any such devices (including inside their bag) we are obliged to report this to the
awarding body. The candidate may then be disqualified from the current exam and the overall
qualification.
Northampton School for Boys Arrangements
To comply with this regulation we insist that all mobile phones (or other prohibited devices)
are handed in to Student Services before every examination.
Mr P Livingstone
Examinations Officer