Key dates for assessments and dated exams
There are important dates that need to be included in exams planning when managing dated exams and assessments. These dates include submissions windows, deadlines and exam timetables.
Technical Qualifications key dates for assessments
T level Qualification key dates for assessments
Booking exams and assessments
On demand and dated examinations are booked on Walled Garden, our administration platform.
How to book an exam via Walled Garden (PDF)
How to book assessments for Technical Qualifications (video)
How to book a Remote Invigilation test (video)
Visit the Walled Garden support page for more information on registering learners and booking exams and assessments.
Walled Garden support
Conducting exams
Step-by-step guide to delivering dated entry exams
Centres are responsible for the secure and safe administration of all assessments and examinations. This includes:
- secure storage of physical and electronic assessment materials;
- assessment administration and examination invigilation according to relevant guidance.
A recording of our webinar on Exam Guidance for Dated Entry examinations can be viewed below. Please note that the information in this webinar is correct at the date of airing.
View the webinar presentation slides (PDF)
Returning Examinations
In the document below, you will find important information to ensure the correct return of exam scripts and stationery:
In the event of industrial action by Royal Mail, read the guidance for centres below on the return of Technical Qualifications dated examination scripts and stationery:
Special circumstances
The form below should be used by centres or examiners to provide feedback, raise points of clarification or advise of potential assessment material errors or omissions in City & Guilds external assessments:
In the event a candidate is “very late” for an exam, please complete the form below:
Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) guidance for conducting examinations
The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) has set out common regulations for schools and colleges that enter students for qualifications.
The regulations specify the standard requirements for externally marked examinations and assessments. For certain qualifications some of the requirements may be different, please check the individual qualification handbooks and assessment guides for more information.
These regulations:
- are re-issued each academic year;
- set out key administrative requirements;
- reference national agreements on conduct of exams and special arrangements for individuals with particular requirements.
JCQ Instructions for conducting examinations
JCQ guidance for AI use in assessments
This best practice guidance for heads of centre, quality leads, tutors and exam teams contains information to help students and teachers manage the use of AI in assessments.
JCQ guidance for AI use in assessments
Contingency planning and exam disruption
City & Guilds Exams Guidance for emergencies
Our ‘Emergency Situations Affecting Assessment Delivery’ (version 3.2) covers important information on emergency situations affecting assessment delivery.
Centre staff and all those involved in the administration of examinations must be familiar with this guidance, and steps that you should take in the event that a timetabled examination cannot go ahead, especially due to severe weather or public health incidents.
City & Guilds provide contingency exam dates in the event of national disruption as listed in our published timetables. These contingency days must only be used if a significant, unexpected event arises nationally during the exam period such that no students (or a large number of them) are unable to take an exam when planned.
This is part of City & Guilds contingency planning for timetabled examinations. These dates cannot be used for individual candidate absence, illness or local events at individual centres.
Please note that centres must not take it upon themselves to utilise a contingency exam date without written permission from City & Guilds, or where a centre-wide announcement is made due to national disruption.
Ofqual guidance to ensure resilience in the qualification system
We want to remind you that centres must have a robust contingency plan in place which covers all aspects of assessment delivery and administration in the event of a serious national, widespread disruption to assessments.
Please ensure you refamiliarise yourself with the guidance published by Ofqual below in 2024 and 2025 respectively:
Access arrangements
Access arrangements allow candidates/learners with special educational needs, disabilities or temporary injuries to access assessments without changing the demands of the assessment.
Visit our Centre Document Library for JCQ and City & Guilds guidance to support with special considerations and reasonable adjustments for dated entry examinations, assessments and on-demand examinations.
Guidance on access arrangements
Candidates results
For some qualifications, results are released to centres prior to being released to students. In these cases, the results are embargoed and centres are not permitted to provide students with results until the published results date. Results usually start to be released by centres to students from 8am on the published date.
View key results dates for Technical qualifications, T Levels and Extended Project Qualifications below.
Key results dates
Appealing exam results
A centre can ask for a candidate’s exam result to be reviewed, alternatively a candidate can request this directly. City & Guilds will arrange for the candidate’s answers to be remarked.
In the case of assessment decisions made by centres, candidates must go through the centre’s own internal appeals procedure.
Access related documentation and forms via the Centre Document Library:
Guidance on appeals processes