Technical qualifications – 2022

This guidance applies to the City & Guilds timetabled Technical exams for spring and summer 2022 series. Please refer to the Joint Council for Qualifications instructions for conducting examinations 2021/2022 for further information regarding external assessments. For tutor resources and support materials please refer to the City & Guilds dedicated webpages for more information.

Exam delivery

With the spring series exams fast approaching, it’s important that paper-based examination scripts, once received, are stored securely until the exam date (as specified in our exam timetable). After the exam, the scripts and the invigilation certificates (attendance register) with correctly completed attendance information must be returned within 24-hours to the addresses indicated on the return labels. This ensures marking can start as soon as possible. Failure to do this could delay the release of your results.

Dated e-volve exams can be downloaded and prepared ready for Invigilators up to ten days before the exam date. The exam however must not be unlocked and cannot be started until the actual exam date. After the exam, please make sure to upload the e-volve answers to the portal. Successfully uploaded exams will disappear from the Secure Client Admin Console, and multiple-choice exams will appear in the Results screen in Secure Assess Central. Examiner marked exams will not show in the Results screen until marking and all quality checks have been completed.

Please refer to the e-volve guideline documents which are available on our e-volve page.

Published start times

Each dated exam must be taken on the day and at the time shown on the timetable. Our exam timetable has all of the specific details outlined. The published starting time of all exams is either 9.30am or 1.30pm. For centres that are not able to start an exam on time because of disruption relating to Covid-19, the examination may start later provided that learners are supervised by a member of centre staff from no later than 30 minutes after the published start time until the exam starts. Candidates who finish the exam early must remain under supervision until 10.30am for morning exams and 2.30pm for afternoon exams. Centres may delay the starting time of an exam within the scheduled session without notifying City & Guilds, but candidates must be supervised from 10.00am for morning exams or 2.00pm for afternoon exams.

Candidates taking more than one exam in a session should take these consecutively. A supervised break may be given between the exams taken consecutively at the discretion of the centre. In exceptional circumstances where the size of the cohort means that it is not possible for all candidates to sit the exam at the same time, centres may split the cohort with some of the cohort sitting the exam later than the published time, on the same day. The security of the exam must be maintained at all times. Candidates taking the exam at the later time must be supervised at all times and must have no contact with those candidates who have already taken the exam. The exam must be undertaken on the same day as the scheduled exam timetable. For information on any other timetable variations, please refer to the JCQ Instructions for conducting examinations or contact policy@cityandguilds.com.

Contingency days for examinations

City & Guilds has provided two contingency days for the spring and summer examination series.

These days will be used if a significant, unexpected event arises nationally or locally during the exam period such that no students (or a large number of them) are able to take an exam when planned. It is part of City & Guilds contingency planning for Technicals examinations and may be used for the spring and/or the summer examination series. Where a contingency date is used for exam(s), only paper-based exams will be available – on-screen exams cannot be used. Centres should remind candidates that they must remain available until each of the contingency dates has passed in case they are required. Examination staff such as invigilators and examination venues will also need to be available on these dates. These contingency examination dates must only be used following direct instructions by City & Guilds.

Invigilation requirements

Centres are normally required to ensure that at least one invigilator is present for each group of 30 learners or fewer sitting paper-based exams, and at least one invigilator is present for each group of 20 learners or fewer completing e-volve exams. For the spring 2022 series only, where it is not possible for the centre to meet the standard requirements, exams may be conducted provided that at least one invigilator is present for each group of 40 learners or fewer sitting paper-based exams, and at least one invigilator is present for each group of 30 learners or fewer completing e-volve exams.

In exceptional cases, where a number of invigilators are not able to be present at short notice and the centre has exhausted all other options to meet the required ratio, the exam may continue provided that the Head of Centre is confident that the exam can be conducted with integrity. In these circumstances, the centre must notify City & Guilds by emailing policy@cityandguilds.com on the day of the exam explaining the circumstances.

Remote invigilation

Remote invigilation is not normally available for dated exams. However, in exceptional circumstances where candidates cannot be invigilated in person, centres can request to use remote invigilation for the 2022 exam series. City & Guilds will explore alternative options first (such as alternative exam sites) before approving any request. The centre should email policy@cityandguilds.com to make a request.

Information for candidates for written and on-screen examinations

Please familiarise yourself fully with the JCQ ICE document including and specifically to appendix 4, 5 and 6, which reminds candidate of the rules regarding things such as mobile phones and the wearing of watches.  There is also a poster on page 71 of the guidance document that can be used by centres can print off and display in exams environments.

Subject teachers as invigilators

Under normal circumstances, a teacher who has prepared the learners for the subject being assessed must not be an invigilator at any time during the assessment.

For the spring 2022 series only, where no other suitable invigilators are available, subject teachers may invigilate an examination, provided that they are not the sole invigilator for a group of students who they have taught.

Special Consideration

We have provided an update on special considerations that applies to this academic year September 2021 to August 2022, please use the link to refer to the most up to date requirements: Guidance on special consideration in relation to Covid-19.

Special consideration is a post-assessment adjustment to a learner’s mark to reflect temporary illness, temporary injury or other indisposition at the time of the assessment, which has impacted a learner’s ability to take that assessment.

Centres can apply for special consideration where a learner:

• has completed the assessment but has been disadvantaged,
• needs an extension to the deadline to complete the synoptic assignment or an optional unit or is unable to complete any work experience requirements.

If local, regional or individual restrictions prevent a learner from taking an assessment and they do not have an opportunity to take the assessment later in the academic year then the centre should contact City & Guilds.

Extensions for externally moderated assessments

Where a candidate meets the criteria for special consideration it may be possible to permit an extension to the deadline for the submission of work for dated assessments that are internally marked and externally moderated. An extension of up to two weeks can be given beyond the submission date, however this must be agreed beforehand by City & Guilds. Centres wishing to request an extension must contact City & Guilds at least five working days before the submission deadline.

Dated exams

When candidates have missed dated examinations for acceptable reasons, they may be eligible for a special consideration application and if the centre is prepared to support an application for special consideration, the centre should contact City & Guilds.

Please remember, special consideration is not available where:

• there is another resit opportunity available to the candidate within the academic year,
• the candidate has already taken and passed the examination,
• the candidate has not completed all the other required components/units for the qualification.

For all queries relating to Technicals

As always, our Technicals Quality team is here to help if you have any questions, so get in touch with us if you need further assistance. 

technicals.quality@cityandguilds.com

0300 303 5352

Find out more on our dedicated technicals webpage.

The following arrangements will be put in place for to support  all centres who offer our Technical qualifications , to help proactively mitigate against potential National and local impacts of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

Download the guidance

Autumn 2021 assessment series

City & Guilds will be offering an assessment series for both the examined and moderated assessment components in Autumn 2021. Learners are only eligible for this if they:

• Received a Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG) but wish to have another opportunity to improve their result

or

• Were eligible for a Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG) i.e. registered learners who were scheduled to take an assessment between 1 August 2020 and 31 August 2021 but did not receive a Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG) for any reason.

Learners are not eligible to take the autumn assessments if they are due to take their first assessment in spring or summer 2022 i.e. this is not to be to be used as an early assessment opportunity.

Bookings for assessments

Please ensure that bookings are made for learners wishing to sit an exam, or complete a synoptic assignment, in the autumn. The booking window runs from 1 to 17 September 2021. Exams will be available as paper versions only.

Download the exams timetable

The synoptic assignment is the 2020/21 version, which can be found on the relevant qualification page.

The deadline for the submission of synoptic assignments is 5 November 2021.