Guidance for invigilators of examinations

1. Overview

This guidance document has been developed to assist invigilators in their role in overseeing the conduct of examinations and should be read and interpreted in the context of the University Regulations for the Conduct of Examinations, attached as an appendix to this guidance note.

2. Operational details

2.1 Collection of question papers

2.1.1 All question papers for examinations must be collected by (or, in exceptional cases, on behalf of) the senior invigilator from the Registry, 6 Airlie Place at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the examination. It is the responsibility of all invigilators to be in the examination room at least 15 minutes before the examination is due to begin.



The senior invigilator is denoted by an asterisk in the examination timetable.

2.2 Health and safety considerations

2.2.1 Before using a venue for the first time invigilators should familiarise themselves with fire arrangements (detailed on blue fire action notices) and first aid arrangements (detailed on green and white first aid notices) for that venue. They should familiarise themselves with the location of fire escapes/exits by following green fire signage, the fire assembly point and the nearest break glass call point in case they have to activate the fire alarm.

2.2.2 Before the examination starts, the senior invigilator should inform the candidates that there are no scheduled fire drills, and what to do in the event of a fire or if the fire alarm sounds (Section 2.8). The candidates should also be informed that they should communicate with an invigilator if they feel unwell or suffer an injury (Section 2.7).

2.2.3 For any other emergency one of the invigilators should call the emergency number (4141 or 01382 384141).

2.2.4 In the event of any accident, fire or incident (i.e. an event that could have led to injury or ill health—a ‘near miss’) the senior invigilator should complete the online incident form as soon after the examination as possible.

2.2.6 Invigilators should report any health and safety concerns about the venue to the Examinations Manager, Registry.

2.3 Admission of candidates

2.3.1 Question papers should be distributed to the appropriate examination desks before the candidates enter the room. Examination papers should always be produced so that the questions do not appear on the front page. This is to ensure that the questions are not revealed to candidates before the examination starts. Invigilators should ensure that students do not have sight of the examination questions before the examination starts.

2.3.2 It is the responsibility of the Head of the School (or designated nominee) to ensure that an appropriate member of staff (e.g. the programme or module leader) is in attendance in the examination room at least fifteen minutes before the start of an examination in order to open the appropriate envelopes of papers, to check them for errors and (with the assistance, as required, of invigilators) to distribute them to the candidates. This member of staff should stay in the hall for five minutes after the start of the examination in order to respond to any queries, and should leave a telephone number at which they can be reached should any subsequent problem arise. Students should be made aware of the purpose of the attendance of the academic subject lead. Where disabled students are undertaking the examination in a separate room, arrangements must be made so that they have the same opportunities to communicate any issues or queries to the academic subject lead via the invigilators.

2.3.3 A member of staff with responsibility for relevant aspects of the degree programme must also be present at the end of an examination in order to pick up the appropriate examination booklets after the booklets have been checked by the invigilators. Failure on the part of a programme representative to attend an examination constitutes an irregularity which must be reported by the senior invigilator.

2.3.4 Candidates should be admitted to the examination hall five minutes before the examination is due to begin. It is important to ensure that no candidate obtains unfair advantage by being admitted early to the examination hall. Janitors are on duty at the larger halls to help in preventing unauthorised entry.

2.3.5 Bags and briefcases not left outside the examination room should be deposited in suitable places at the periphery of the examination hall which have been designated for that purpose. Invigilators may, at their discretion, make exceptions in the case of small handbags/purses, which must be placed on the floor and never on the desk.

2.4 Preliminary announcements

2.4.1 The senior invigilator should provide the students with the relevant health and safety information as described in Section 2.2 above.

2.4.2 The senior invigilator should remind students that only in an emergency (e.g. a case of sudden illness) may a candidate be permitted to leave the examination room within the first half hour or the last fifteen minutes of an examination period. Any candidate who leaves the examination room during the examination shall do so in such a way as to cause the minimum disturbance to the other candidates. No candidates shall leave the examination room at the end of the examination period until the scripts have been collected and they have been instructed to leave.

2.4.3 Candidates should be reminded that it is their own responsibility to ensure that they have received the correct examination paper.

2.4.4 Candidates should be advised that all mobile phones and other personal devices that could connect to the internet must be switched off, removed from the vicinity of the candidates’ examination desks and placed in designated peripheral areas of the examination halls.

2.4.5 Candidates should be advised that cheating in examinations is not tolerated by the University and that harsh penalties will be applied to any such cases of academic dishonesty.

2.4.6 Candidates should be advised to inscribe their name and desk number on the front of all examination booklets submitted, and not to fold over the top corner. They should display their student identity card on the desk. (N.B. A candidate who cannot produce an identity card will be required to complete a place card provided by an invigilator).

2.5 Admission of latecomers

2.5.1 A candidate who arrives after an examination has begun but before the first half hour has elapsed should be admitted without question and without the need for any further action by the invigilators. The latecomer should be advised that no additional time will be given.

2.5.2 A candidate who arrives after the first half hour but before any other candidate for the same examination has left the supervision of the invigilators should be admitted. Such a candidate should be advised that he or she will not be allowed any additional time to compensate for this late arrival.

2.5.3 candidate who arrives after the first half hour of the examination and after another candidate for the same examination has left the supervision of the invigilators must not be admitted and should be informed of the reason for non-admission.

2.5.4 Any candidates who have left the examination room temporarily (e.g. to go to the lavatory) need not be taken into account in deciding whether to exclude a late-comer. Note that there must always be adequate supervision of any candidate who leaves the examination room temporarily.

2.5.5 Any action taken under 2.5.2 or 2.5.3 must be reported by the senior invigilator as part of the normal reporting on examination irregularities (see Section 2.10).

2.6 Vigilance

2.6.1 At least two invigilators, one of whom will act as senior invigilator, will be on duty in each examination room. At least one invigilator will normally sit at the front of the examination room, and at least one at the back in order to ensure proper supervision.

2.6.2 To ensure vigilance at all times invigilators should supervise the examination in silence and must avoid unnecessary conversation with candidates or other invigilators. The use of computer or other electronic equipment by invigilators must also be avoided.

2.6.3 Invigilators should ensure that candidates do not bring into the examination room any additional materials (such as notes or other papers) which might be used for the purpose of cheating. Similarly, vigilance should be maintained as candidates leave the examination room. A candidate may not remove from the examination room any answer book or other item of examination stationery provided, except for any non-returnable question papers.

2.6.4 Details of candidates who have been authorised by the programme leader to use any books, reference materials or pocket calculators, will be given to invigilators with the examination papers. In the absence of such authorisation, books etc. may not be introduced by any candidate.

2.6.6 It is also important that invigilators ensure adequate supervision of candidates who leave an examination temporarily to go to the lavatory, and in particular that no materials are taken from or brought back into the examination. It is also advisable that invigilators inspect lavatory premises once the examination has begun to ensure that no materials (such as books or notes) have been deposited there.

2.6.7 A candidate wishing to go to the lavatory should be escorted by an invigilator to and from the main entrance of the lavatory block. The invigilator should make sure that the candidate does not take any examination materials from the examination room. The extent of supervision given to a candidate outside the examination room is left to the discretion of the invigilator, who must ensure that the candidate does not consult any other person or have access to books or notes left outside the room.

2.7 Dealing with illness of a candidate

2.7.1 A candidate who becomes ill or distressed during an examination should, if possible, be removed from the examination room. If he or she does not show signs of quick recovery the invigilator should telephone the University Health Service (01382 384168) for advice.

2.7.2 An ill or distressed candidate who decides to leave the supervision of the invigilators should be informed that, having left the supervision of the invigilators, he or she may not return to the examination hall. The candidate should also be advised to report to the University Health Centre to seek a medical certificate.

2.7.3 Incidents of illness or distress must be reported to the Examinations Manager with particular reference to the exact time of a candidate's departure from the examination hall and the subject of the examination.

2.8 Dealing with fire or if the fire alarm sounds

2.8.1 If the fire alarm sounds the senior invigilator should instruct candidates to stop writing answers, to check that their name and desk number are on answer books, and to quickly leave the building by the nearest safe route and go to the assembly point. The examination scripts, examination questions and student identification should be left on the desks. The invigilators should be the last to leave the room, ensuring that all doors are shut behind them. When it is safe to re-enter the building the invigilators should collect the examination scripts and papers. Once the scripts and papers have been collected, the students should be allowed into the room to collect their possessions.

2.8.2 If there is a fire in the room the senior invigilator should instruct students to quickly leave the building as described above, with examination scripts, questions and student identification being left on the desks. The senior invigilator should activate the nearest break glass point to sound the fire alarm and call the Fire Brigade using the University Emergency Number (4141 using internal phone, 01382 384141 using a mobile phone). Only if it is safe to do so should invigilators tackle the fire with a suitable fire extinguisher or fire blanket. (i.e. without putting themselves in danger, and always being able to leave the room by the door). The invigilators should be the last to leave the room, ensuring that all doors are shut behind them. When it is safe to re-enter the building the invigilators should collect the examination scripts and papers. Once the scripts and papers have been collected, the students should be allowed into the room to collect their possessions.

2.8.3 Examinations will not be resumed if the building has been evacuated. If the alarm occurs during the first two thirds of the examination, the normal expectation is that the examination will be re-sat, with a new examination paper being produced by the School and a new examination time being scheduled and notified by the Registry. If the alarm begins during the last third of the examination period, the normal expectation is that partially-completed work will be assessed by the examiners, who will take the reduced time into account.

2.8.4 In the event of disruption of an examination by fire or a fire alarm, the senior invigilator is responsible for writing an irregularity report and submitting it to the Examination Manager, Registry.

2.9 The close of the examination

2.9.1 Invigilators should remind candidates, a quarter of an hour prior to the end of the examination, that they should not now leave the room until the examination is formally over.

2.9.2 The senior invigilator should instruct all candidates to stop writing at the end of an examination and should ensure that they do so. Invigilators should make an exception to this rule in the case of those candidates who have been granted extra time because of some form of disability. Note: the invigilation lists will specify such candidates.

2.9.3 The senior invigilator should instruct all candidates to remain seated in silence while the examination scripts are collected and that no candidate should leave until instructed to do so by an invigilator.

2.9.4 When the students have left the examination hall, the invigilators should arrange the scripts in alphabetical order, check the names against the list of candidates provided by the examinations office and record the names of any absentees on the forms provided. The number of candidates who attended the examination and who submitted answer booklets should be entered onto the appropriate form and signed by one of the invigilators. The name of any student who has submitted an answer booklet but who does not appear on the list should be added to the list. Conversely, a record should be made of any candidate who has attended an examination but has not submitted an answer booklet.

2.9.5 Answer booklets should be collected and signed for by School representatives at the close of the examination. Any answer booklets not collected and any spare copies of examination papers should be returned either to the Registry, 6 Airlie Place or to the Janitor's Office, Tower Building.

2.10 Examination irregularities

2.10.1 The senior invigilator is required to submit a report in writing to the Examinations Manager, Registry, who if appropriate will pass to the Director of Policy, Governance & Legal Affairs on any irregularity in the conduct of an examination. Such irregularities include:

• cheating or impersonation
• any instances of illness or distress
• fire or the fire alarm sounding, and evacuation of the exam hall
• the admission or non-admission of latecomers
• the absence of School representatives etc.

The Examinations Manager or Director of Policy, Governance and Legal Affairs will thereafter deal with any such reports in consultation with the relevant Head of School.

2.10.2 An invigilator who has reason to suspect a candidate of cheating or of indulging in other irregular behaviour should:

• remove and retain any suspect materials;
• inform the candidate that she or he will be reported for the alleged misdemeanour but that she or he may complete the examination;
• instruct the candidate not to leave the examination room without the invigilator's permission; and
• note the candidate's name, desk number and the examination paper involved, as well as those of the candidates immediately around the suspect who may have witnessed events.

3. Checklist for invigilators

All invigilators should read the full Guidance for Invigilators of Examinations.

Senior invigilators should:

• collect examination papers from the Registry, 6 Airlie Place at least half an hour before the start of the examination;
• ensure they are aware of procedures in the event of fire or the fire alarm sounding;
• arrive at the examination hall at least 15 minutes before the start of the examination period (see campus map);
• admit candidates to the hall after papers have been distributed to the appropriate desks and 5 minutes before the start of the examination;
• advise students
  
  1. that they should inscribe their name and desk number on the front of all examination booklets submitted and should display their student identity card on their desk throughout the examination;
  2. of procedures in the event of fire, a fire alarm sounding and illness or injury during the examination;
  3. that, except in an emergency they may not leave the examination hall in the first half hour or the last fifteen minutes of an examination;
  4. that it is their responsibility to ensure that they have received the correct examination paper;
  5. that all mobile phones and other personal devices that could connect to the internet must be switched off, removed from the vicinity of the candidates’ examination desks and placed in designated peripheral areas of the examination halls;
• ensure that are aware of the rules on admission of latecomers;
• supervise the exam hall and ensure that any books or calculators used by students conform to the guidelines set by the School;
• ensure that all students are properly supervised during lavatory visits;
• collect and record details about attendances and absences at the end of the examination;
• advise candidates when only fifteen minutes of the examination remain and remind them that they may not now leave the examination room until the examination is over;
• tell candidates to stop writing at the end of the examination;
• ensure that completed examination scripts are returned either to the appropriate School representative (and signed for by that representative) or to the examinations office; and
• record and report any examination irregularities to the Examinations Manager, Registry.

Other invigilators should:

• arrive at the examination hall at least 15 minutes before the start of the examination period;
• assist the senior invigilator with the distribution of examination papers;
• assist the senior invigilator in admitting students to the examination hall 5 minutes prior to the start of the examination;
• supervise the exam hall and ensure that any books or calculators used by students conform to guidelines set by the School;
• ensure that all students are properly supervised during lavatory visits; and
• assist the senior invigilator in collecting and reporting details about student attendance and absence from the examination.

4. Contact details for invigilators