FAQs

Exam dates are available on Awarding Body websites at the start of the academic year. We compile a list of dates for the exams and publish them on the College website. The Exams Office will only confirm your personal exam timetable once all entries have been made and individual exam timetables have been released. Deadlines for submission of coursework and dates for practical, performance, oral and on-screen exams are issued by subject teachers. 

You will receive an e-mail telling you when exam timetables are available to view on CEDAR. If there are any omissions or errors on your exam timetable, you must contact the Exams Office immediately. 

Don’t worry, this is very common. The Awarding Bodies consider it acceptable to sit up to 3 hours of exams in one session (AM or PM) so if your exams are scheduled for the same time and total 3 hours or less, you will sit them one after the other. Your exam timetable should show the same room and seat for each exam; if it doesn’t, contact the Exams Office immediately: exams@winstanley.ac.uk. If your exams total more than 3 hours, one exam will be moved to the other session and you will be supervised by an invigilator between the two sessions. 

You have received this letter because you have two or more exams scheduled for the same session (AM or PM) with a total combined time of over 3 hours. One or more of the clashing exams has been moved to the other session which means you must remain under supervision until you have completed all the exams. This happens to a large number of students each year so you will probably find you are not on your own in isolation. The most important thing to remember is not to leave the exam room on your own, you must be supervised at all times or you risk being disqualified from your exams for that day. 

Morning examinations will commence at 9.00 am and afternoon examinations will commence at 1.00 pm (unless you are informed otherwise). Make sure you allow enough time to get to college especially in the winter when bad weather can cause traffic delays. If you think you are going to be late for an exam you must contact the Exams Office immediately exams@winstanley.ac.uk. 

Not necessarily, exams can take place anywhere in college. Remember to check your exam timetable regularly in the run-up to, and during, the exam period in case of last-minute changes to rooms or seating. 

No, your candidate number is a 4 digit number that must be written on every exam answer booklet and additional sheet you complete. Your candidate number is available on your exam timetable on CEDAR. A seating plan will be displayed on the boards in the foyer the day before each exam listing names, seats & candidate numbers. Your candidate number will also be listed on the seating plans on moodle. Make sure you check the seating plan & know your candidate number before you take your seat.

It is very important that you always complete the front of your answer booklet, and any additional sheets, with your full name and candidate number. If, after the exam, you realise you have written your candidate number incorrectly contact the Exams Office. exams@winstanley.ac.uk.

If you forget your ID you must go straight to Student Services to request replacement identification. It is important that you have your college ID badge with you for every exam as the invigilators must be able to identify you. If you lose your ID badge you must replace it immediately; Student Services will provide a replacement for £5.00.  

For all exams you need: pencils, black pens and rulers; calculators, protractors and compasses are not provided by the College so if you need them for your exams you must bring them with you. Only clear pencil cases are allowed in the exam room and if you bring water to drink it must be in a clear bottle with the label removed. 

The Awarding Body regulations say that mobile phones or any potential technological/web-enabled sources of information such as iPods, iWatches, MP3/4 players or smartwatches with a data storage device should NOT be brought into the exam room. If you are found to have any of these devices, even if it is switched off and you have no intention of using it, you will be reported to the Awarding Body and you will be disqualified from your exam. 

If you arrive in the afternoon for a morning exam you won’t be allowed to sit the exam so please check your exam timetable very carefully. If you are transferring the information to your diary/planner double-check that you have copied it correctly.  

If you feel ill and need to leave the exam room you must inform the invigilator as you must remain supervised at all times during the exam. If you are unwell during an exam and feel your performance in the exam was affected, you can complete a special consideration request form and hand it in to the Exams Office together with supporting medical evidence. Special consideration request forms can be obtained from the Exams Office.

AS/A Level and GCSE summer exam results are published on CEDAR on the respective results days in August. You will receive information about how to access your results during the summer holidays. 

The Exams Office is open every weekday following the release of results and we are happy to help with any queries you have about your results. Details of Post Results services and charges (e.g. copies of scripts, reviews of marking etc.) can be found in the Exam Information area of the College website.