Portora Royal School
Examinations Policy
Examinations Policy
The school’s aim is to facilitate students in realising their full potential in all forms
of assessment, whilst at the same time providing a well organised framework for
the administration of tests and examinations.
Examinations set by Awarding Bodies
GCSE, GCE (AS and AL) and VCE Examinations
1. GCSE, GCE and VCE examinations are administered by the Examinations
Officer, for whom there is a written Post Description.
2. All examination papers are kept in the Exams Safe in the Bursar’s office prior
to distribution on the morning or afternoon of the examination. Keys are held at all
times by the Examinations Officer, and the CCEA Chief Invigilator during an
active Examination Season.
3. The choice of Awarding Body and examination syllabus for particular subjects,
at the various levels, is decided by each Head of Department, based upon their
evaluation of the appropriateness of the courses offered. The school is an
accredited centre for the following Awarding Bodies: CCEA, OCR, Edexcel and
AQA.
4. While the school encourages all pupils to sit GCSE examinations in all
subjects studied, the school reserves the right to withdraw any pupil should there
be clear and sustained evidence that entering that pupil in an examination would
not serve him or the school’s best interests.
5. The school pays for all first entries at GCSE and the first sitting of GCE and
VCE modules. Re-sit examinations are charged at the rate set by the Awarding
Bodies.
6. Re-sits for GCSE English Language and Mathematics are available in the
November Examination Season.
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7. Re-sits of GCE AS modules in the January Examination Season are allowed
only with the approval of the Head of Department. Heads of Departments should
be familiar with the procedures outlined in the Internal Appeals Policy (Appendix
1). Entries will then be made through the Head of Department.
8. Re-sits of GCE AS modules can also be done during the June Examination
Season, when they will be taken alongside the AL modules. Entries will be made
through the Head of Department.
9. For those subjects with a coursework element:

Heads of Departments are responsible for creating a realistic work
schedule which will allow completion by the deadline that they
have set.

The Head of Department will ensure that each teacher will provide
advice and support which will allow individual students to achieve
their maximum potential in that subject.

There is the facility to encourage students who fall behind with
their coursework to attend an after-school session, where computer
facilities exist and where one of the Housemasters will be available
to give support and encouragement.

The Head of Department is responsible for coordinating a
Coursework Marking Procedure which meets the requirements as
set out in the Internal Appeals Policy (see Appendices 1, 2 and 3)

The Head of Department is responsible for returning coursework
marks and packaged samples, either directly to the moderators or,
in the case of CCEA examinations, to the Examinations Officer.

Students will have access to an appeals procedure relating to the
subject departments marking procedure. See Appendix 1.
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
Heads of Departments should retain any coursework that has not
been sent for moderation until all appeals procedures have been
completed.
10. Entries for the June Examination Season are made by subject teachers in late
January/early February using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Late entries and
entry changes which incur penalty entry fees will be charged to either the student
or the Department concerned. Heads of Department are responsible for the
provision of Forecast Grades for EDI.
11. In the period leading up to the June Examination Season students will be
given:

A statement of Entry, which it is their responsibility to check for
accuracy.

A personalised timetable, which it is their responsibility to check
against the printed timetables on the Examinations notice board,
located outside the Steele Hall.

A copy of the School Guidelines and Regulations for Public
Examinations (Appendix 4)
12. OCR, Edexcel and AQA examinations are held mainly in the Steele Hall,
where students are invigilated by Portora staff. A subject teacher must not
invigilate his or her specialist subject.
13. CCEA examinations are held mainly in the GYM and are invigilated by
external invigilators employed by the Awarding Body.
14. Candidates whose conduct, during an examination, breaches the rules as laid
out in Section 8 of the QCA Code of Practice, or leads to a high degree of
suspicion, will be reported immediately to the relevant Awarding Body.
15. The despatch of Examination scripts are noted:

In a CCEA logbook which is signed by the Parcelforce driver who
makes the pick up.

By use of Certificates of Posting for AQA, OCR and Edexcel
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16. In August the Vice-Principal, or other designated member of the Senior
Management Team, downloads the results via EDI. These results are then
communicated to the students by post, or verbally in school, together with
information relating to Appeals and Re-mark services. (Appendix 5)
17. On receipt of their results candidates have the right to:

Request a photocopy of any of their examination scripts

Request a re-count of their examination marks in a particular
subject

Request a re-mark of one or all papers in any of their subjects
18. Candidates who wish to avail themselves of one of the above options should
discuss the advisability of their actions with the Head of Department concerned
and then request that their Housemaster make an application on their behalf.
19. Requests for post result services will be processed in the following way:
a. The Housemaster will obtain the appropriate form from the
Headmaster, and help the candidate to complete it.
b. The Housemaster will return the form to the Headmaster for
signing and posting.
c. The Headmaster will keep a list of the requests made to the
various Awarding Bodies.
d. On receipt of the results of a post result service the Headmaster
will inform the Housemaster who will inform the candidate.
e. The Headmaster will inform the Examinations Officer of any
changes in the candidates grades.
f. The Examinations Officer will up-grade the candidates Results on
the Examinations Module/Student Record
20. After the Post Results Service has been completed Awarding Bodies send
Certificates to the school, whereupon the Careers Department place them in the
students Record of Achievement folders.
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Appendices
Appendix 1
Internal Complaints Procedures for External Examination Issues
1. Internal Complaints Procedure:
Request To Resit a Module or Modules of External Exams
2. Internal Complaints Procedure:
A Complaint about The Procedures Undertaken By A Teacher In The
Award Of Coursework Marks Where That Coursework Is Part Of An
External Examination.
Appendix 2 Guidance to Staff on Coursework Procedures
Appendix 3
Guidelines to Departments Concerning Coursework Moderation
Appendix 4
School Guidelines and Regulations for Public Examinations in the June
Examination Season
Appendix 5
Appeals and Re-mark Procedures
Appendix 1
Internal Complaints Procedures for External Examination Issues
The school encourages feedback on all aspects of school life. It recognises
students’ and parents’ rights to express dissatisfaction or make complaints about
services provided by the school, and monitors the nature, progress and outcome of
complaints. Complaints, comments and expressions of concern are analysed to
identify problems and improve academic and other services.
The following policies are
1. For any student or parent/guardian who has a complaint about a Head of
Department’s refusal to support a request to re-sit any module or number of
modules taken in an external examination; and
2. For any student or parent/guardian who has a complaint about the procedures
undertaken by a teacher in the award of a coursework mark where that coursework
is part of an external examination.
Any internal appeals arising under theses policies should be dealt with by the
Examinations Officer who will

be responsible for disseminating information about all internal appeal
procedures

keep the Headmaster informed of all appeals and the outcomes

maintain a record of all appeals.
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1 Internal Complaints Procedure:
Request To Resit a Module or Modules of External Exams
This process must be completed according to the time scale laid down for
submitting requests for resits with the exam board
Procedures
Stage 1: Informal Discussion with the person who made the decision
Stage 2: Written complaint to the Headmaster or Examinations Officer
Stage 3: Review of decision by committee of the Board of Governors
Stage 1. Informal Discussion
Students who are not satisfied with the decision to refuse to support their request
for a resit can raise the issue with the respective Head of Department. This would
not constitute a formal complaint and it is hoped that most issues can be resolved
this way.
Stage 2. Written Complaint
Students who are not satisfied with the results of Stage 1, or his parents or
guardians, may write to the Examinations Officer and seek his review of the
situation. If not written by parents or guardians, the Examinations Officer must
have clear evidence of their support for the student’s complaint. The Examinations
Officer, the Vice-Principal and the relevant Head of Department will review the
situation and will ensure that the school policy regarding resits was followed
appropriately.
Stage 3: Review of decision by committee of the Board of Governors
If the student and his parents/guardians believe that a decision has been made in
breach of the policy, they may move to Stage 3 by writing a letter to the Chairman
of the Board of Governors.
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2 Internal Complaints Procedure:
A Complaint about The Procedures Undertaken By A Teacher In The
Award Of Coursework Marks Where That Coursework Is Part Of An
External Examination.
In this case the student, with the support of his parent/guardian, will be unhappy
with the procedures followed in the award of a mark for coursework. These
procedures will have been informed by the guidelines issued by the relevant
examining board.
Procedures
Stage 1: Informal Discussion with the teacher who assessed the coursework
Stage 2: Written complaint to the Head of the relevant department
Stage 3: Review of decision by Appeals Committee
Stage 1. Informal Discussion
Students who are not satisfied that the procedure has been applied in the
assessment of their coursework can raise the issue with the teacher concerned. This
would not constitute a formal complaint and it is hoped that most issues can be
resolved this way.
Stage 2. Written Complaint
If dissatisfied with the outcome of Stage 1, the student can write to the relevant
Head of Department. If not written by parents or guardians, the Head of
Department must have clear evidence of their support for the student’s complaint.
In reviewing the situation the Head of Department will seek to ensure that the
departmental procedures and external examining board guidelines marking were
followed appropriately.
Stage 3. Review by Appeals Committee
Students who are not satisfied with the results of Stage 2, or parents/guardians,
may write to the Headmaster and seek a review by an appeals committee of the
Examinations Officer, the Vice principal and one other senior member of staff. At
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least two of the aforementioned should not have been involved in the internal
assessment decision.
A written record of all appeals will be maintained including the outcome of the
appeal and the reason for that outcome.
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Appendix 2
Guidance to Staff on Coursework Procedures
The Joint Council for General Qualifications requires the school to have an
Internal Appeals Procedure relating to ‘internal assessment decisions’.
This internal appeals procedure relates to the process of assessment and NOT an
appeal of the mark awarded. Such an internal appeal can only be made
following the publication of results. It is, therefore, important that all Departments
are fully aware of the way that internal assessments should be carried out:
i. As laid out by the JCGQ Code of Practice
ii. As outlined by the specific Examining Body and Syllabus Specification.
Any failure to comply with these requirements would place the school in a difficult
position if an appeal was ever instigated.
The main area of concern is that of standardising and moderating coursework.
The JCGQ document raises a number of points:

Sufficient work takes place under direct supervision to allow internal
assessors to authenticate each candidate’s work with confidence. OCR now
has a new “Centre Authentication Form for Coursework” which is signed
by teacher and pupil.

Guidelines applying to word limits must be applied.

Redrafting of work prior to marking must meet the guidelines of the
Examining Body

The level of assistance to an individual candidate, beyond that given to the
whole class, must be noted and taken into account during internal marking.

Internal assessors must take steps to satisfy themselves that the work
produced is solely that of the candidate concerned. In this respect there is
growing concern of plagiarism using a number of sites on the Internet. Two
sites mentioned are www.essaybank and www.babelfish . Teachers should
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treat coursework which is well above the ‘normal’ quality of a student’s
work as potentially suspicious.

Internal assessors must show clearly how credit has been assigned in
relation to the criteria defined in the specification.

When re-drafting of work is permitted, feedback must be within the limits
specified in the subject specification.
Where candidates repeat GCE or GCSE examinations their moderated coursework
mark may be carried forward ONCE only within a 12 month period following the
initial issue of results. For CCEA where candidates repeat non-modular
qualifications, their moderated coursework marks may be carried forward during
the lifetime of the specification.
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Appendix 3
Guidelines to Departments Concerning Coursework Moderation
Given the existence of a School Policy on Appeals about Coursework Marking
Procedure, it would be advisable that Departments either followed the guidelines
below or wrote their own procedure.
For many if not all subjects a three stage marking process should remove all
possibility of an Appeal.
1. An early meeting of all markers to review the Marking Guidelines supplied
by the Examination Body in the context of the particular coursework that
was completed in Portora. Preferably this meeting should be lead by the
teacher who attended that year’s Agreement Trial. This meeting would
eliminate any ambiguity that a teacher might read into the guidance and
would lead to consistency across all markers.
2. Markers should aim to complete their marking within an agreed time
period, beginning soon after the meeting above, say four weeks.
Coursework marked over a long period of time, and done in ones and twos
may lack consistency of marking.
3. When all coursework has been marked there should then be a final
Moderation Meeting. A sample of work, across the mark range should be
cross marked by all the teachers in the Department.
This process is important, not only to cover the Department from an Appeal about
the Procedures adopted, but also because Moderation by the Examination Body is
based upon the total cohort sitting the subject. Inconsistency by one teacher may
unfairly disadvantage other teachers’ pupils if the Moderator picks up on one
teacher’s lenient marking and adjusts all of the marks downwards, as he or she
must do.
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Standardisation must take place across different assessors and different
groups and must be in line with the marking criteria set by the specification.
Moderation must take place to ensure consistency of standards across all
teachers in the teaching group; mark adjustment must take place to bring
each Centre’s marks into line with the standard set by the Awarding Body.
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Appendix 4
School Guidelines and Regulations for Public Examinations in
the June Examination Season
1. CCEA examinations will be held in the Gym unless another location is
specified. SEE NOTICE ON EXAMS NOTICEBOARD.
2. OCR, EDEXCEL and AQA will be held in the Steele Hall unless another
location is specified. SEE NOTICE ON EXAMS NOTICEBOARD.
3. Practical examinations will be held in the relevant laboratory, workshop, Art
Room.
4. Morning examinations will begin at 9.15 am; afternoon examinations at 1.30
pm for ALL EXAMINATION BOARDS (CCEA, OCR, EDEXCEL and
AQA).
5. CCEA Statements of Entry must be brought to every examination.
6. All students must be in their examination places 10 minutes before the start of
the examination.
7. Total silence must be observed from entering the Examination Room until
leaving it. When leaving the Examination Room make as little noise as possible if
there is a longer examination still in progress.
8. Candidates MUST NOT bring into the Examination Room any of the
following: bags, books, formulae sheets, data sheets, notes of any kind, or
food.
9. Mobile phones MUST NOT be brought into the Examination Hall. We would
prefer it if mobile phones were not brought to school during the Exam Period. Any
student with a phone in their possession in the exam room, whether it is
switched on or not, MUST be reported to the Examination Board.
10. Any student SUSPECTED OF CHEATING, in any way whatsoever,
MUST be reported to the Examination Board immediately, which may
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exclude the candidate from all further examinations and declare any
examinations that he has completed NULL AND VOID.
11. Pencil cases and calculator cases must be of a modest size and must not be
placed on the desk during the examination.
12. Candidates must sit in the places allocated to them by the Invigilator. These
places may differ from examination to examination.
13. All pupils must wear school uniform in examinations.
14. Trainers or soft-soled shoes must be worn in the Gym.
15. Candidates are advised to make full use of the time allotted.
16. Candidates must ensure that they have read the appropriate Instructions and
Notices to Candidates.
17. Candidates should be polite and courteous to the external invigilators
supervising the CCEA examinations in the Gym
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Appendix 5
Appeals and Re-mark Procedures
It is important that a candidate wishing to invoke any of the procedures below
should make their wishes known IMMEDIATELY they return to school in
September, so that their requests can be dealt with well before the deadline dates
set by the Awarding Bodies.
A.
An Appeal relating to the marking and standardisation procedures used
in relation to internally assessed coursework.
The Joint Council for General Qualifications requires the school to have an
Internal Appeals Procedure relating to ‘internal assessment decisions’. This
internal appeals procedure relates to the process of assessment and NOT an
appeal of the mark awarded. Such an internal appeal can only be made
following the publication of results.
Stages of Appeal
Stage 1: Informal Discussion with the teacher who assessed the coursework
Stage 2: Written complaint to the Head of the relevant department
Stage 3: Review of decision by Appeals Committee
Stage 1. Informal Discussion
Students who are not satisfied that the procedure has been applied in the
assessment of their coursework can raise the issue with the teacher concerned. This
would not constitute a formal complaint and it is hoped that most issues can be
resolved this way.
Stage 2. Written Complaint
If dissatisfied with the outcome of Stage 1, the student can write to the relevant
Head of Department. If not written by parents or guardians, the Head of
Department must have clear evidence of their support for the student’s complaint.
In reviewing the situation the Head of Department will seek to ensure that the
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departmental procedures and external examining board guidelines marking were
followed appropriately.
Stage 3. Review by Appeals Committee
Students who are not satisfied with the results of Stage 2, or parents/guardians,
may write to the Headmaster and seek a review by an appeals committee of the
Examinations Officer, the Vice principal and one other senior member of staff. At
least two of the aforementioned should not have been involved in the internal
assessment decision.
A written record of all appeals will be maintained including the outcome of the
appeal and the reason for that outcome.
B. A request for a Post Result Service from one of the Awarding Bodies
Procedure
1. On receipt of their results candidates have the right to:

Request a photocopy of any of their examination scripts.

Request a re-count of their examination marks in a particular subject.

Request a re-mark of one or all papers in any of their subjects.
There is a charge for each of these services, which will be met by the candidate.
2. Candidates who wish to avail themselves of one of the above options should
discuss the advisability of their actions with the Head of Department concerned
and then request that their Housemaster make an application on their behalf.
3. The Housemaster will obtain the appropriate form from the Headmaster, and
help the candidate to complete it.
4. The Housemaster will return the form to the Headmaster for signing and
posting.
5. The Headmaster will keep a list of the requests made to the various Awarding
Bodies.
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6. On receipt of the results of a post result service the Headmaster will inform the
Housemaster, who will inform the candidate.
7. The Headmaster will inform the Examinations Officer of any changes in the
candidate’s grades.
8. The Examinations Officer will up-grade the candidates Results on the
Examinations Module/Student Record.
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