STUDENT GUIDE TO
EXAMINATIONS
2013/14
Examinations Office
Assessment and Ceremonies Department
Student Centre, Park Campus
The University of Northampton
01604 892721
exams@northampton.ac.uk
http://www.northampton.ac.uk/students/about-your-studies/exams
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General Examination Information .................................................... 3
The difference between a formal examination and an in-class test ............ 3
Examination times .............................................................................. 3
Examination timetable ......................................................................... 3
Examination clashes ............................................................................ 3
Religious observances ......................................................................... 4
Examination venues ............................................................................ 4
Split venues ....................................................................................... 4
Arrangements for additional needs students ........................................... 4
Overseas examinations........................................................................ 5
The Day of the Examination ............................................................. 6
What to bring to an examination........................................................... 6
What NOT to bring to an examination .................................................... 6
The use of calculators.......................................................................... 7
The use of dictionaries ........................................................................ 7
Lost student ID cards .......................................................................... 7
Past examination papers ...................................................................... 7
Student illness on the day of the examination ........................................ 7
When to arrive ................................................................................... 8
Arriving late for an examination ............................................................ 8
Examination seating arrangements ....................................................... 9
The invigilator’s role ............................................................................ 9
The examination desk ........................................................................ 10
The start of the examination ............................................................... 10
Rough notes...................................................................................... 11
Toilet facilities ................................................................................... 11
Assistance during the examination ....................................................... 11
Leaving the examination early ............................................................. 12
Disturbances in the examination room .................................................. 12
Emergency evacuations ...................................................................... 12
Examination paper queries .................................................................. 12
At the end of the examination ............................................................. 13
Examination results ........................................................................... 13
Academic Misconduct..................................................................... 14
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General Examination Information
The difference between a formal examination and an in-class test
An examination is a more formal assessment scheduled by the
Examinations Office. An examination timetable is published on the web to
inform students of the date, time and location of each examination.
An in-class test is a time-constrained test or assessment (TCA/TCT)
organised by the tutor. The tutor will let you know the date, time and
location of the test.
Examination times
Examinations are usually held Monday to Friday. Morning examinations
usually start at 9:30am and afternoon examinations at 2:00pm. However,
examinations may be held at other times AND in the evening. Examination
durations vary from 1 hour to 3¼ hours. The timetable will clearly show
the start and end time for each examination. Some examinations will
require reading time and this will be included in the time shown.
Examination timetable
Examination timetables are available to download from the Exams webpage
(http://www.northampton.ac.uk/students/about-your-studies/exams).
They are published four times per year as follows:
Examination Period
Publication date
Autumn examinations (October – December)
End of September
Spring examinations (January – March)
Beginning of November
Summer examinations (April – June)
Beginning of February
Summer resit and other examinations
(July – September)
End of June
No draft copies are published.
For any amendments or additional examinations, a revised timetable is
published. It is therefore essential that you check the examination
timetables regularly.
Examination clashes
If you discover that you have an examination clash, please contact the
Examinations Office as soon as possible. You will normally be timetabled to
sit one of the examinations in the morning and the other one in the
afternoon. When you finish the first examination, you will be under
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supervision by an invigilator to ensure that you are unable to contact any
fellow students.
During supervision, you will not be allowed to use your mobile phone or any
other electrical device, but you will have access to your revision and
coursework notes. You are expected to provide your own packed lunch.
A personalised timetable will be sent to you clearly indicating the times for
each examination and the venue at which you will be sitting.
Religious observances
The Examinations Office receives a list of the most important events and
days of religious observance for a variety of faiths and will try and schedule
examinations around those dates. However, this may not always be
possible.
If you are unable to take an examination on a certain date because of a
religious observance, please contact the Examinations Office as soon as
possible.
Examination venues
Summer term examinations will be held at various locations on Park
Campus (including Everdon Sports Hall) and at the nearby Benham Sports
Arena which is a five minute walk from Park Campus. As no parking is
available at Benham, you are expected to park at Park Campus and walk to
Benham, via the rear of the campus.
During the Autumn and Spring term examinations, a variety of locations will
be used including the Park Avenue Methodist Church rooms in Northampton.
The location of each examination will be clearly stated on the examination
timetable. Please familiarise yourself with the location of the venue.
Further details are available on the Exams webpage.
Split venues
Sometimes an examination will take place in more than one venue. This is
referred to as ‘split venue’. The examination is usually split by surname
and will be indicated on the timetable. For example, one venue will
accommodate students with surnames A-J and the other venue will be for
students with surnames K-Z.
Arrangements for additional needs students
Students who have a disability, specific learning difference, mental health
difficulty or medical condition may be eligible for adjustments to their
examination arrangements. Students must apply for these arrangements
as it is not an automatic arrangement. To apply or change a current
arrangement, students should make an appointment with ASSIST.
Applications must be supported by medical or other evidence. ASSIST are
located in the Student Centre on Park Campus and can be contacted on
01604 893430 or 01604 892390 or email disability@northampton.ac.uk.
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Overseas examinations
Overseas examinations are restricted to Distance Learning students and to
overseas students studying at the University of Northampton who are
unable to return to the UK. In any other situations, you are expected to
travel back to the UK and sit your examinations at the University.
You must make arrangements as soon as the timetable is published.

All examinations will be held under examination conditions.

You must contact the Examinations Office with: your full name;
student number; module code and title; home town and country.

You must contact the British Council in your home country to find out if
they are able to accommodate your examination. You will need to
inform them of the date and UK time for your examination. This will
be adjusted to the local time to ensure you are sitting the examination
at the same time as the UK examination.

You must pay all examination administration fees. The fee varies from
country to country. You must pay the British Council directly before
you sit the examination.

The Examinations Office will liaise with the British Council and notify
you of all examination arrangements.
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The Day of the Examination
What to bring to an examination

Basic stationery (pens, pencils, ruler, pencil sharpener and eraser) in a
clear pencil case.

Student ID card. If you have lost your card a valid passport, photo
driving licence or national identity card are acceptable forms of ID.

A small drink (preferably not fizzy) and a small packet of sweets or
chewing gum but should avoid noisier snacks such as crisps. Tap
water is available on request during examinations. The packaging on
any food or drink must not be annotated. If you are disturbing any
other student during the examination, the invigilator will ask you to
stop eating or drinking.

If you bring your mobile phone to the examination venue, it must be
switched off before you enter the venue. The phone must be left in
your bag or placed on the floor beneath your chair and never on your
desk. If a mobile phone is found in your possession or it is not
switched off, you will be subject to the procedures for Academic
Misconduct.

A non-programmable calculator, only if permitted for the examination.

A standard unmarked bilingual dictionary if you are an Erasmus or
overseas student whose first language is not English.

Books, notes or reference materials for ‘open book’ examinations
only. Module tutors will advise you whether or not these items will be
allowed in the examination room beforehand. The front page of the
examination paper will indicate which notes are allowed.

Bags, coats, briefcases, books, mascots, etc must be left in an
allocated area of the examination venue as instructed by the
invigilator.
Please leave valuables and non-essential items at home. Any essential
valuables such as money and credit cards should be kept on your person
and not left in your bag. The University of Northampton does not accept
responsibility for any student property that goes missing in the venue.
What NOT to bring to an examination

Non-essential or valuable items as the security of such items during
the examination cannot be guaranteed.

Electronic devices capable of storing alphabetic characters, including
electronic dictionaries or programmable calculators.
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The use of calculators
Calculators are only allowed in a small number of examinations and your
module tutor will be able to advise you beforehand. The rubric on the front
page of the examination paper will clearly state if a calculator is permitted.
Please remember:

You must bring your own calculator.

Your calculator must be non-programmable, cordless and noiseless.

It must be in good working order, with batteries fully charged.

There must be no writing on your calculator. Please leave all
instruction leaflets at home.
The use of dictionaries
Erasmus or overseas students or those students whose first language is not
English are allowed to bring an unmarked bilingual dictionary in paper form.
Electronic dictionaries are not allowed. If you bring a dictionary, you
must ensure that there are no notes, annotations or formulas written on
them. Invigilators will inspect dictionaries at the start of the examination.
If you are found in possession of unauthorised materials, you will be subject
to the procedures for Academic Misconduct.
You are only not allowed a subject specific dictionary (e.g. engineering
translation dictionary).
Lost student ID cards
You can still sit your examination if you have lost your student ID card, as
long as you can provide another form of identification, preferably with a
photograph, such as a valid passport, photo driving licence or national
identity card.
To get a replacement card please go to your Student Administration Team.
Past examination papers
Some past examination papers are available on the website. Hard copies
for past examination papers are also available from the Library. Please note
that not all examination papers are released.
Student illness on the day of the examination
If you are ill on the day of the examination and are not able to attend,
please phone the Examinations Office before the examination is due to
start. We will advise you to submit a Mitigating Circumstances Application
within three days of the examination. We will also advise you to contact
your tutor to inform them of the situation. Please remember that minor
medical conditions such as colds and headaches are NOT valid reasons to
apply for mitigating circumstances.
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The Mitigating Circumstances Guide and Application Form can be obtained
from the website or your Student Administration Team.
If you attend an examination you are declaring that you are ‘fit to sit’ and
you will not be able to claim afterwards that you were ill at the time and
that your performance was affected. Not performing well in an examination
is not grounds for submitting a Mitigating Circumstances Application.
If you become ill during an examination, please raise your hand to inform
an invigilator. If you are unable to continue, you will be allowed to leave
the examination room. Please ensure that the invigilator is aware that you
are ill so that the reason and time can be included in the invigilator’s report.
As soon as possible after the examination you will need to submit a
Mitigating Circumstances Application attaching all the medical evidence you
have. The report made by the invigilator can be made available to support
your application.
When to arrive
On the day of the examination, make sure you know the location, the start
time, the examination paper number (e.g. ACC100114N) and the module
title.
Allow extra time for your journey in case of unexpected transport delays.
Please arrive at the venue at least 15 minutes before the time shown on the
timetable. You will need to wait outside the venue until the invigilator calls
you in (usually 10 minutes before the official start time of the examination).
For larger venues such as Benham Sports Arena or Everdon Sports Hall, the
invigilator may allow students to enter the room earlier (up to 20 minutes
before the start of the examination).
When you enter the examination room, you will be under examination
conditions and you should refrain from talking to other students.
Arriving late for an examination
If you are late for an examination, you must contact the Examinations
Office as soon as possible for advice.
If you fail to attend an examination and have not been granted mitigating
circumstances, you will be awarded a G grade for the examination.
If you arrive up to 30 minutes late, you will be allowed to enter the venue
but you will not be given any extra time to complete your examination. An
invigilator will show you to an available desk. To avoid disruption to other
students, the invigilator will give you a form which details all the
announcements made at the beginning of the examination. Please ensure
that you read and sign it. An invigilator will collect the form at a later
stage.
If you are more than 30 minutes late, you will not be able to sit your
examination in the main venue. The invigilator will instruct you to go to the
Examinations Office for further advice.
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Examination seating arrangements
You will be able to sit within the allocated seats for your examination as
instructed by the invigilator. If you cannot find a desk, please ask one of
the invigilators for assistance.
Please remember that there may be more than one examination in the
same room. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are sitting at the
correct desk.
Invigilators will usually call students for an examination by stating the
module title and/or examination paper number followed by the desk
numbers allocated in the room and/or the colour of the attendance slip on
the desk.
The invigilator’s role
Invigilators are employed by the Examinations Office to ensure that
examinations run efficiently and according to the University of Northampton
policies and procedures. Their role is to ensure that you are able to perform
at your best by providing a calm and attentive environment and that within
the examination room itself no impropriety occurs.
If you are apprehensive about any aspect of the examination process,
please talk to one of the invigilators in the room. They will reassure you to
their best of their abilities and will help you settle and relax before the
examination starts.
There will be one Senior Invigilator in each venue who takes overall
responsibility for the examination process in the room. In addition there
will be one or more Assistant Invigilators to deal with other routine tasks
and assist you with any queries.
All invigilators are requested to respect the students’ preference for silence
in the venue, and to refrain from unnecessary conversation. However,
occasionally they may need to communicate with each other or a student
which will be done as quietly as possible.
Senior Invigilators are responsible for providing general announcements at
the beginning and end of examinations. There will be no other loud
interruptions unless it is to announce an error on an examination paper or
to solve a problem which affects all students in the room.
Please raise your hand if you require assistance from an invigilator.
On some occasions, there may be examinations taking place in the same
venue with different durations. Shorter examinations will be allocated seats
nearer to the exit. Invigilators will ensure that the disruption to other
students is kept to a minimum.
During the examination, invigilators will patrol the room to:

ensure academic integrity and compliance with the Conduct of
Students in Examination (a copy of which is available on the Exams
webpage)
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
inspect student’s materials on their desk (e.g. calculators, bilingual
dictionaries, sheets of notes if they are allowed for a particular
examination, etc)

inspect student’s ID cards and annotate the examination register

take late students to an available desk

provide students with additional answer booklets

escort students to the toilet.
All these tasks will be carried out as quietly as possible to avoid disturbing
students.
The Senior Invigilator will resolve any incidents that may occur during the
examination such as noise disturbance or a query on the examination paper
to the best of his/her abilities. A Disturbance Form will be completed and
given to the Examinations Office as a record of any extraordinary
occurrences.
The examination desk
In most cases you will find the following materials placed on your
examination desk:

The examination paper

An attendance slip

A treasury tag

One or more answer booklets

A pink EDPAC sheet or an alternative grid or answer sheet for multiple
choice examinations – where appropriate. If none are provided, you
will be asked to record your answers on the examination paper

Graph paper – where appropriate

Statistical or mathematical tables or formula booklets – where
appropriate

Case study – where appropriate
You will not be allowed to bring in and use your own paper for making notes
unless the examination rubric instructs otherwise.
The start of the examination
Approximately five minutes before the examination starts and when
everyone is seated, the Senior Invigilator will make general
announcements.
Please listen carefully, even if you have sat examinations at the University
of Northampton before. These announcements will remind you of the
conduct of students in examinations and will guide you through the
completion of the paperwork on your desk (answer booklets and attendance
slips).
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Please check that you are sitting the correct examination. Verify that the
examination paper number which is prominent in a box centrally positioned
on the front page of the examination paper is the correct one. If it is
incorrect, please tell an invigilator immediately.
Please read the instructions to students on the front page of the
examination paper. Pay special attention to the number of questions to
answer and the number of separate answer booklets to use.
Please complete the front of your attendance slip and answer booklets.
Samples of a completed examination answer booklet and attendance slip
are available on the Exams webpage “downloads” for your guidance.
Rough notes
All rough work must be completed in the answer booklet provided. If you
do not want the examiner to read it and consider it for marking, please
cross it through.
Toilet facilities
It is advisable to visit the toilet before the examination starts. However if
you need to go to the toilet during the examination raise your hand to
attract an invigilator’s attention and you will be escorted to the toilet.
Occasionally, you may be asked to wait until another student has returned
or until an invigilator is available.
The toilets are checked carefully before and during the examination to
make sure that students do not conceal notes, mobiles phones etc which
could be retrieved during an examination. If you are seen or heard looking
at notes or talking to another person, you will be subject to the procedures
for Academic Misconduct.
Your answer booklet will be annotated with the letters TLE (Temporarily Left
Examination) and the time you temporarily left.
Assistance during the examination
If you need any help, raise your hand to attract an invigilator’s attention.
Invigilators will try to resolve your query as quickly and effectively as
possible.
You may need to ask an invigilator if:
 you think you are sitting the incorrect examination paper;
 you think there is an error on the examination paper;
 there is a problem (e.g. you feel ill) or there is something or somebody
else disturbing you;
 you need extra answer booklets, graph paper or additional stationery
(e.g. a spare pen or calculator)
 you need to leave the room temporarily (e.g. to visit the toilet) or
permanently (e.g. if you finish your examination early)
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 you suspect another student is acting in an inappropriate manner.
Leaving the examination early
You will not be allowed to leave during the first hour of your examination
and during the last 30 minutes, except in an emergency.
If you have finished and you want to leave, you must raise your hand to
attract an invigilator’s attention. The invigilator will ensure that you have
completed your attendance slip (including the number of questions
answered) and the front of your answer booklets correctly before he/she
will allow you to leave. You will not be allowed to re-enter the room once
you have left.
If you leave an examination early, you will not be allowed to remove a copy
of the examination paper.
Disturbances in the examination room
Senior Invigilators will always report any situation affecting the examination
such as outside noise, a mobile phone ringing, an error on an examination
paper, etc.
If there are any other situations which are affecting your performance at an
examination please inform an invigilator. They will endeavour to minimise
the disruption. A report may be written by the Senior Invigilator depending
on the severity of the disruption, which will be passed to the marking tutor
for their consideration.
Emergency evacuations
All invigilators are aware of Fire & Emergency Evacuation procedures for the
venue they are in. The Senior Invigilator will make all necessary
announcements. Please listen carefully.
You will be asked to leave your examination paper and answer booklets on
your desk and go to the designated assembly point. Examination conditions
will still be in place. Any attempts to communicate with other students will
be subject to the procedures for Academic Misconduct.
Examination paper queries
If you believe there is an error on the examination paper, please tell an
invigilator. The Senior Invigilator will investigate the situation by contacting
the Examinations Office and/or the tutor.
You will not usually be allowed any extra time at the end of the
examination. Therefore, you are strongly advised to continue with the
examination until you are informed on the outcome.
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At the end of the examination
The Senior Invigilator will warn students 30 minutes before the end of the
examination. A final warning announcement will be made 10 minutes
before the end.
During the final 10 minutes you should complete your examination and
ensure that the front cover of all answer booklets used and the attendance
slip are completed correctly.
At the end of the examination, the Senior Invigilator will ask you to stop
writing and you must put your pen down. A report will be made if you
continue writing after the examination has finished and you will be subject
to the procedures for Academic Misconduct.
You will be asked to fasten all your answer booklets and attendance slip
together with a treasury tag. Invigilators will collect all answer booklets
ensuring that the front of the booklets and attendance slips have been
completed correctly.
Please remain in silence whilst this is taking place and be patient. It may
take invigilators 10-15 minutes to collect all examination materials,
especially in the larger venues.
Once all examination materials have been collected, recorded and verified;
you will be allowed to leave the room.
Please remember to take all your belongings with you. Please leave the
examination room and building in silence. There may be examinations
still in the room or in the vicinity which may be disturbed by the loud noise
of students leaving an examination.
Unless otherwise specified on the front page of the examination paper or if
you leave the examination early, you will be allowed to take the paper with
you. You must leave any other materials such as unused booklets, graph
paper, formulae tables etc.
Examination results
For any queries regarding examination results, please contact your Student
Administration Team or the online module information and results page.
Please do not contact the Examinations Office.
To access your provisional results online you will need to enter your student
ID number and your date of birth.
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Academic Misconduct
Academic Misconduct is defined by the University as “either an attempt by a
student to gain an unfair advantage in an assessment or to assist another
student to do so”.
Examples of Academic Misconduct in an examination include:

behaving in a dishonest way to gain an academic advantage;

impersonation: assuming a student’s identity with intent to provide an
advantage for the student;

introducing notes or other unauthorised material in an examination or
temporarily leaving the examination to refer to such material, for
example:
o
revision notes;
o
annotations in dictionaries or other books permitted for a
particular examination;
o
annotations in calculator cases/instructions leaflets;
o
electronically stored information on calculators

communicating or attempting to communicate with other students
during an examination;

looking at the examination questions before given permission to do so
by the Senior Invigilator;

using an unauthorised or electronic dictionary or any other electronic
device capable of storing text;

obtaining an advance copy of an ‘unseen’ examination paper;

removing paperwork designated ‘not to be removed from an
examination’;

any other means that do not comply with the Conduct of Students in
Examinations at the University of Northampton.
If an Assistant Invigilator believes that Academic Misconduct has occurred,
he/she will immediately inform the Senior Invigilator of their suspicions.
The Senior Invigilator will then quietly inform you and remove any
unauthorised materials which will be kept as evidence. You will be allowed
to complete the examination with as little disturbance or interruption as
possible.
At the end of the examination the Senior Invigilator will write a detailed
report and will see you immediately after the examination to notify you, if
possible in the presence of a witness, of the allegation.
The report will be forwarded by the Examinations Officer to the relevant
module tutor and the procedure for Academic Misconduct as specified in the
University’s Academic Misconduct Policy & Procedure will be initiated.
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