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Examinations

Administration

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Key Dates and Timetables

Exams Officer Noticeboard

Entries

Internal Assessment

- Examinations

Results, Grade Boundaries and PRS

Special Requirements

Centre Information

Portal

e-assessment (on-screen exams)

e-submission upload

The Exam Process

Administration Contacts

JCQ Documentation

Examinations

This section provides information and guidance regarding conducting examinations, the receipt of exams stationery and question papers, the despatch of examination scripts, and the handling of any irregularities such as timetable clashes and late arrivals.

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Question Papers
Conducting Examinations
Irregularities
Despatching Scripts
Transfers

Examinations must be conducted in accordance with JCQ requirements, details of which may be found in the JCQ Instructions for Conducting Examinations (ICE) document.

Attendance registers

These provided in date order, and are sent in separate envelopes for each of the qualifications that you have entries for (e.g. GCSE will be packed separately to A level). They are sent separately to question paper despatches.

In addition to issuing attendance registers in hard copy, admin users are able to access and print attendance registers from Portal by choosing the ‘Centre Administration’ menu. Select ‘attendance registers’ and then choose your qualification and click ‘display papers for session’. Registers on Portal will reflect the most up-to-date entries for your centre.

Centres should ensure that attendance registers are accurately completed, clearly indicating candidates who are present (with a tick) or writing absent or withdrawn as appropriate. Do not leave the space alongside the candidate's name blank.

Where a candidate is sitting an exam but is not on the attendance register provided, the candidate’s name should be added to the bottom of the register. Where a candidate has changed tiers, they should be marked absent and added to the correct register. Any late entry candidates should be added using the spaces provided at the end of the register.

At the end of the examination, the scripts should be arranged in the order in which the candidates are listed on the attendance register. Centres should retain the bottom copy of the attendance registers for their records. As part of this check, please ensure that candidates have used the name shown on the attendance register.

More information about attendance registers is available in section 22 of the JCQ Instructions for Conducting Examinations

Answer Books

Details of which subjects require answer books can be found in the 'Exam Requirements' booklet which is published in advance of each examination series and despatched to centres with their examination stationery (examiner labels and attendance registers). WJEC 16-page pink scannable booklets must be used for all examinations that require an answer book. If any candidate requires additional writing space, a pink 4-page scannable booklet should be used.

Information regarding the completion of answer books is available here for Exams Officers. A guide for candidates is available here.

Exam stationery dispatch

WJEC answer books, script envelopes and large plastic sacks (for the despatch of non-exam assessment) will be despatched before each series.

Stationery for the Summer series is despatched in December/January with quantities calculated using preliminary entries. Final entries are used for a subsequent despatch in March. If your centre still requires additional stationery, please email despatchqueries@wjec.co.uk with the details (please include centre number, item required, quantity and reason for request). Please note that WJEC answer books must not be used for mock examinations.

Invigilator Recruitment 2022/2023

The Exams Office has developed an Invigilator Recruitment and Vacancy Map to support centres with recruiting invigilators. This service enables centres to advertise invigilator vacancies at no cost and is available to members of The Exams Office and non-members. Further information about the service is available here.

Most eventualities are covered in the JCQ Instructions for Conducting Examinations (ICE) booklet including contingency planning, late arrivals and incidents of malpractice, and centres should follow the guidance provided in this document.

Late Arrivals

Candidates who arrive late may sit an examination at the discretion of the centre. Any candidate who arrives more than an hour after the published start time is Very Late, and centres must report this via the JCQ Centre Admin Portal (CAP), available from the secure website. The candidate must be warned that WJEC may not accept their script.

More information about very late arrivals is provided in the JCQ ICE booklet.

Timetable clashes

A timetable clash occurs when two or more exams for which a candidate is entered are timetabled within the same session. Centres should manage timetable clashes according to the guidance set out in the JCQ ICE booklet.

A centre which is managing a timetable variation must ensure that appropriate supervision is maintained at all times in order to preserve the integrity of the examination.

Malpractice

Any incidents of candidate malpractice must be reported to us and form JCQ/M1 must be completed and submitted. More information is available on our malpractice page.

Report a potential question paper error or security breach

If you believe you have found a potential question paper error or security breach, then contact WJEC immediately:

GCE A/AS level question papers: 029 2026 5336
GCSE question papers: 029 2026 5420
Other qualifications: 029 2026 5444

For security breaches, please contact the Compliance Team directly: 029 2026 5351 or malpractice@wjec.co.uk.

Please make sure that you have the following information to hand when you call:

Details of the suspected error/breach and the number and name of the paper affected
Time within the examination session when the error was discovered
Initial indication of the way in which the error/breach has affected candidates

Further information regarding the unlikely event of an error in a question paper is available here.

Contingency Planning

In accordance with JCQ regulations, centres should have their own contingency plans in place in the event of a major disruption and ensure that the relevant staff are familiar with the content. More information is provided in the JCQ ICE book.

The regulators, JCQ and educational government departments have prepared a Joint Contingency Plan to ensure there is a consistent response to any major disruption to the examination system affecting a large number of candidates. Examples could include severe weather, widespread illness, travel disruption or system failures.

Key documents relating to contingency planning for examinations are available here:

JCQ Notice to Centres - Preparing for disruption to examinations

JCQ Joint Contingency Plan

Ofqual guidance on what schools and colleges and other centres should do if exams or other assessments are seriously disrupted

WJEC Contingency Questions and Answers

Centres should have their own contingency plans in place in the event of a major disruption and ensure that the relevant staff are familiar with the content.