Qualifications Regulations and Policy Forms Examination Conduct Policy (Electronic exams)

Assessment Conduct Policy
Electronically Delivered Assessment

Issue 7

This document details the policy applying to the following awards:

that are awarded by the ifs School of Finance.

Students attending a centre to sit an electronically delivered assessment must read and abide by these regulations.

  1. Student check-in Process
    1. Students should arrive at least 15 minutes before the assessment start time to give the assessment administrator sufficient time to check them in.
    2. During check-in, the assessment administrator will verify the following information with the student:
      • Personal details — ifs number, name, address and telephone number;
      • Appointment — Correct time and category of assessment;
      • Assessment booking confirmation letter;
      • One of the following forms of government issued identification:
        1. Passport
        2. Full or provisional driving licence
        3. National Identity card

        The document must meet the following criteria:

        1. current/valid/unexpired
        2. bear your signature
        3. bear your photograph
      • Reasonable Adjustments — Any pre-booked Reasonable Adjustments - eg extra time for students with dsylexia.
      • A government issued identity card is issued by a Government agency responsible for identity, nationality, citizenship and/or immigration services. Bus passes, Transport passes, Library cards, Student or School identification cards and Work ID cards are not acceptable identification to sit ifs School of Finance assessments.

      3. The student must show the assessment administrator proof of identity. If the student does not take suitable identification with them to the assessment centre, or the student is late for their appointment, the student will not be allowed to sit their assessment and will lose their fee.

    3. Students are checked in on an individual basis and seated at pre-assigned workstations.
  2. Assessment Centre Rules
    1. Personal belongings, food and drink are not allowed into the assessment room (except where medically appropriate and agreed by the ifs eg pregnancy, diabetes). Lockers are provided in the waiting area for storage of personal belongings. Mobile phones, pagers and beepers must be turned off.
    2. A calculator and tax table will be provided if they are necessary during the assessment. However, if they are not available electronically, laminated tax tables and calculators will be handed to the student during Check-in. They will also be provided with a wipe clean board and pen. All of these items will be collected as the student leaves the assessment.
    3. The student must sign in and out on the Signature Log each time they enter and leave the assessment room.
    4. Ear defenders are available to minimise any disturbance due to external noise. The student should advise the invigilator if they require ear defenders and are not able to locate them at the workstation.
    5. Every assessment is invigilated and videotaped. Students should expect a level of background noise beyond the control of the test centre staff during the assessment. The assessment design takes account of this, however, if the student considers the noise level excessive they should bring this to the attention of the invigilator immediately (see also 2.f., 6.a. and 6.c.).
    6. If the student requires assistance during the assessment, the student must raise their hand in silence and wait for the invigilator to come and assist them. If an issue is not raised with the invigilator at the time that it occurs ifs/Pearson VUE may not consider it after the assessment.
    7. There is no break during the assessment. No additional assessment time will be given if the student needs to take a break. If a toilet break is required, a student's assessment will continue to run while the student is out of the assessment room.
    8. Students must not communicate with other students during the assessment. If a student tries to do so, the invigilator will formally caution the student and a report will be submitted to the ifs, which may lead to the student's test being considered invalid. The invigilator has the right to expel students from the assessment room if, in his/her opinion, their behaviour is interfering with the proper conduct of the assessments.
    9. All work must be the student's own. Any incident where it is felt that the student's work may not be the student's own will be considered to be a breach of ifs regulations and will be dealt with accordingly. Please refer to the ifs Malpractice policy, copies of which are available from Customer and Student Services and online.
    10. The student should be quiet not only during the assessment but also as (s)he enters and leaves the assessment room to minimise disturbance to others.
    11. If the student is not satisfied with the level of service provided at the assessment centre, he/she should, in the first instance log the complaint with the assessment centre staff who will assign an incident number. The student should then contact Customer and Student Services (see 6.c.).
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  3. The Assessment
    1. Confirmation Screen — This confirms the student's name and the assessment title and presents two buttons giving the student the option to [START] or [EXIT] the assessment. If [EXIT] is selected this will end the assessment and it cannot be re-started. The student will have to leave the assessment centre and will be required to book and pay for a re-sit in order to take the assessment again.
    2. Practice Session — The practice session on the computer will provide the student with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the computerised assessment, how to navigate through the assessment, and how to select and review answers. The practice questions are not scored.
    3. Before the student starts the assessment they will be presented with a Non Disclosure Agreement on the screen. The student has two minutes to read this. If the student wishes to continue with their assessment (s)he must accept this agreement. If the student does not accept the agreement the assessment will be terminated and (s)he will be asked to leave the assessment room The test cannot be re-started.
    4. The student should attempt every question, but the student will be able to flag and review previous questions and change answers throughout the test via the [REVIEW] button. Please note that if the student flags a question, the flag remains active unless the student presses the flag button again, irrespective of whether the question has been answered or not. Flagging questions does not affect the marking process.
    5. Exit Survey — the student has the opportunity to give feedback to the ifs about the student's assessment experience with Pearson VUE. The student's answers will help us to improve the service we provide.
    6. Assessment Results — Once the student has completed the assessment, they must leave the assessment room quietly, without causing disturbance to other students. Notification of the student's results will be printed and handed to the student by the invigilator. This notification will show whether the student has passed or failed the assessment. The student will also receive an analysis sheet that will highlight by reference to the syllabus any areas of weakness. This is to assist the student with furthering their knowledge in the future.
    7. A letter confirming the student's achievement in the assessment will be issued directly by the ifs School of Finance within ten working days of the student passing their assessment.
  4. Cancellation of Assessment
    1. If a student needs to rearrange or cancel their assessment, they should telephone Pearson VUE on 0870 608 1915 at least two clear working days before the date of their assessment. If the student does not, they will incur a penalty charge (for some modules this will involve losing the student's fee and thus having to pay for an assessment resit).
  5. Booking a Re-sit
    1. If the student does not pass the assessment and wishes to book another attempt (s)he must allow 24 hours after the test before contacting the ifs to register for their re-sit assessment.
  6. Special Considerations

      The ifs recognises the possibility that students being assessed for ifs awards might not be able to demonstrate their true level of ability during the assessment as a result of circumstances beyond their control. The ifs Awards and Curriculum Special Consideration policy gives further guidance on the circumstances under which the student might make a claim.

    1. A student who believes that (s)he has been disadvantaged due to circumstances beyond his/her control during the assessment session should request the test invigilator to report the circumstances to the Pearson VUE at the end of the assessment and then must make a claim directly to the ifs.
    2. All claims must be made on the Special Consideration application form that must be sent to the ifs Customer and Student Services Department within 48 hours of the assessment date. Claims received after this time will not be accepted.
    3. If the student does not wish to make a Special Consideration claim but wishes to make the ifs aware of a problem they experienced at the assessment centre they should call Customer and Student Services on +44 (0) 1227 818609 within ten working days of the assessment. Students should ensure that they have the following details when they telephone.
      • ifs number
      • Assessment name
      • Date and time of assessment
      • Assessment centre attended
      • Pearson VUE incident number (if assigned)
      • Details of the problem experienced

Students undertaking a written assessment should refer to "Assessment Conduct Policy Written Assessment" that is available on the ifs website and also from Customer and Student Services.

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