On Campus Examinations Preparation and Arrangements

For examinations that take place on campus make sure you’re familiar with all the important information so that you can do your best on the day and avoid any problems.

Preparation

Make sure you're ready by following our guidelines for things you can prepare before the day of your examination.

Timetable

Make sure you read your timetable carefully and check for changes the day before your examination. Timetable publication dates can be found on the Timetable Publication Dates webpage. Please ensure you check your timetable and make sure you are fully aware of the dates and times of all your assessments and remember:

You must be available to sit your examinations/assessments for the entire published assessment period. This includes Saturdays and bank holidays.
Holidays or other social commitments won't be accepted as a reason for missing an examination/assessment. The timetable may change, so you shouldn't make any personal arrangements during the examination/assessment period.
If you miss an examination/assessment without good reason, you will be recorded as absent for that examination/assessment and will forfeit an attempt.
You should check your personal examination/assessment timetable (via Minerva) for your allocated venue and seat number, where applicable.
If you misread the timetable or fail to find the venue, this will be treated as deliberately missing an examination/assessment and you'll be recorded as absent without good cause.

Assessment clashes

Report any examination clashes (ie two on campus examinations timetabled at the same time) or any other problems immediately to the Assessment & Progress Team using the email address: Examinations@leeds.ac.uk. Include your full name, student number and the module codes and titles for all examinations affected.

Consecutive assessments

If you have three on campus examinations in direct succession, report this immediately to the Assessment & Progress Team using the email address: Examinations@leeds.ac.uk. Include your full name, student number and the module codes and titles for all examinations affected.

Definition of three consecutive examinations: each examination/assessment period has two examination/assessment sessions a day, therefore an example of three consecutive examinations would be:

Monday morning examination (09:00 start)
Monday afternoon examination (14:00 start)
Tuesday morning examination (09:00 start).

Venue

Make sure you know the venue of your examination. Information on examination venues can be found on the Examination Venues and Sub offices webpage.
Don’t be late. You should aim to arrive as early as possible to facilitate ID checks.
It is advisable to plan your travel and route and arrive 30-45 minutes before your examination begins.

Examinations held at more than one venue

We try to use venues that are near each other or in the same building, but we still recommend that on the day of the examination you allow at least 30-45 minutes to make sure you are in the right place.
On the day of the examination, you can check the seating lists which are posted outside each venue before the start of the examination.
Candidates in that room will be listed in alphabetical order. If your name doesn't appear, look for the statement "If your name does not appear here, please see the supplementary list". The list will display which groups of candidates are seated in which venue.

ID Cards

Remember to bring your student card with you, as it is the only form of ID accepted. You must bring it to all examinations and display it on your desk.
Please note the ID card is an official University document and should not be tampered with in any way (e.g. the printed photo should not be covered or replaced with a different photo, the published dates on the card should not be amended etc). Tampering with the ID card may be considered cheating.
During the examination, the ID card should be placed on your desk.
If you're unable to present your University ID card during an examination, your details will be recorded. An identification check will be carried out on you, and you will not be able to leave the venue until this is completed. If you then attempt to attend further assessments without your ID card, you may find yourself excluded from the assessment. Your name and student number must be written on the front of all assessment script books.
You don’t have to wear a face covering on campus except for in clinical settings where NHS guidance may still apply. If you do wear a face covering in the examination you may be asked to briefly remove it so invigilators can verify your identity.
Any student ID cards left in examination venues will be taken to the sub-office. An email will be sent with instructions on when and where to collect it.
If you've lost your student ID card, you'll need to obtain a new one. Information on this can be found on the Student Card webpage.

Examination Materials

Check with your module leader in advance to find out if you are allowed to use a translation dictionary, a calculator or text books in your examination. Do not arrive to the examination room with the wrong items.
Only take to the examination that which you need. Any belongings not needed for the examination or not allowed in the room must be left in a designated area. Please note it is not the responsibility of Assessment & Progress staff to ensure the safe keeping of items that are brought into the examination room.
More information on what examination materials are permitted and what you should not bring into the examination room can be found on the Examination Materials webpage.

On the day

Prepare yourself for the day of the examination by planning things properly.

Absence

If you’re too ill to take the examination or your condition may be a danger to others, go to your GP for advice and request a medical certificate stating you are unfit to attend and submit this to your parent school as evidence of mitigating circumstances. Information on mitigating circumstances can be found on the Mitigating Circumstances Guidance webpage.
You should also check the guidance if you are unable to attend your examination for other reasons, such as adverse weather or other emergencies.

Seating

Check the seating list outside the examination venue and sit in your allocated seat.
If your name isn't on the list(s), and you are sure that you are not sitting in a different venue (if the exam is being held at more than one venue), inform the invigilator straight away, before entering the examination venue.

Talking

Talking isn’t allowed in the examination room. You may not speak to anyone other than an invigilator. Talking to friends, even if just wishing them good luck, will be automatic grounds for investigation for cheating (information on this can be found on the Rule Breaking in Exams webpage).
If you need anything during an examination, raise your hand to attract the attention of an invigilator but don't leave your seat without permission.

Entering the examination venue

Visit the toilet before you enter the room, you will not be able to go until the examination has started and only then if an Invigilator is available to escort you to the toilets and back to your seat.
You will be permitted to enter the examination venue at least five minutes before the time indicated on the timetable. The examination will begin when all students are seated and at the specified time.
Listen to the Invigilators instructions, and do as they say. If you have brought a bag or coat with you the Invigilators will specify an area where you can leave them, but please note that the area will not be watched or monitored during the examination so you are advised not to bring them.
You must sit in the seat allocated to you (see seating instructions, above).

In the examination venue

Once you are in your seat you must not get up and walk around. You must raise your hand and speak with an Invigilator.
During the examination, the ID card should be placed on your desk.
When you are seated in the examination room, you will see an Examination Regulation reminders card on your desk. Read this thoroughly.
Your examination question paper will be on your desk. Read the front cover only, this will give you information about the examination. Do not turn over the question paper and start reading the questions until you are instructed to do so by an Invigilator. For further guidance on what appears on the front of the examination/assessment question paper refer to Examination and Assessment Question Papers webpage.
If you need a script book, the invigilators will already have placed, what you need, on your desk. Read the front cover of the script book and fill in your details. It is important that you anonymise your script book before it is collected at the end of the examination. Do not open the script book or make any notes on it or on any of the other items on your desk until you are instructed to start the examination. For further information on what is on the front of the script book and how to anonymise the script book, refer to the Script books webpage.
If you need a multiple choice answer card during the examination, this will have been placed on your desk. You will need to fill in your student number and your details at the top of the card. You must only use pencil on this card. Make sure you have a sharpener or spare pencil and an eraser. There are a number of different styles of multiple choice answer cards and schools refer to them in differing ways. For further guidance refer to the the Multiple Choice Answer Cards (MCQ/EMQ) webpage.

If you arrive late for an examination

You should make every effort to arrive on time for your examinations and at the correct venue. However, if you are late, take the following action:

If you are less than 60 minutes late:

Enter the examination venuequietly and respect the other students who have already started.
Make yourself known to the invigilator.
You will not regain any time you have lost by being late but you'll be able to record your details on a form, including the reason for lateness.
The invigilator will note your arrival time on the form, and it will be sent to the school for consideration during marking and moderation, contributing to any decisions about the award of first attempts.

If you are more than 60 minutes late:

You may not enter the examination room.
Go straight to the nearest examination sub-office (see the Examination Venues and Sub offices webpage to find out which sub-office is responsible for each venue). A decision will be made as to whether the circumstances leading to your late arrival are sufficiently serious and beyond your control to justify you being granted permission to start the examination late.
If permission is granted, a decision will also be made regarding the arrangements under which the examination will be conducted.
Even if you're allowed to take the examination, there is no guarantee the examiners will accept that the reasons for your late arrival are sufficient for a grade other than AB (absent).

If you arrive after the examination has finished:

You won't be permitted to take the examination under any circumstances, and will be recorded as absent.
Go to the nearest sub office to speak to a member of staff. Details of the sub offices can be found on the Examination Venues and Sub offices webpage.

Aural/audio examinations:

If you are late (by any amount of time) you will not be permitted to enter the examination venue.
Go to the nearest sub office to speak to a member of staff. Details of the sub offices can be found on the Examination Venues and Sub offices webpage.

Your examination script, rough work and notes

Use any left-hand page in your script book for rough work.
Cross out anything you don’t want to be considered by the examiner.
Removing any sheets from the script book will void it and it won't be marked.
If you need more pages, ask the invigilator for an extra script book.

Leaving the examination venue

Leaving early

You must ask permission from an invigilator if you wish to leave the examination early. You won’t be allowed to leave within the first 60 or the last 10 minutes.
If you're allowed to leave the examination early make sure you do so as quickly and quietly as possible. Be aware that other rooms may have examinations that have not yet finished.

The end of the examination

When instructed, stop writing and remain silent and in your seat until all the script books have been collected and the chief invigilator informs you that you may leave.
If you've used more than one script book, fasten them together with the provided treasury tag.
If you're required to use a multiple choice question card (MCQ), make sure your student ID number is marked correctly on the card. Don't attempt to attach it to your script book - damage to the card may prevent accurate scanning.
Don't remove any unused exam stationery from the examination room. Possession of such items outside of an examination could be considered as evidence of attempted cheating (information on this can be found on the Rule Breaking in Exams webpage).