Exam arrangements for exams held in 2019

Exam checklist
Things you need to know before your exam

 The date, time and venue of your exam

 How you’re getting to the exam centre

Items that you MUST bring to your exam

 An approved form of ID (see section 7)

 A pen with blue or black ink

 Change for transport or parking if needed

 Other essential or optional items (see Appendix 1 and the appropriate version of the
document called Supplementary information for exams).

Copyright © 2019 The Open University SUP 076375

Version 1 – 2019 1
The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in England & Wales and a
charity registered in Scotland (SC 038302). The Open University is authorised and regulated by the Financial
Conduct Authority.
Contents
1 Introduction 3

2 Changes to this booklet 3

3 Your exam centre allocation 3

4 Reasonable adjustments or additional arrangements for exams 4

5 Before the exam 5

6 Exam support 5

7 At the exam 5

8 Anonymous marking 7

9 Invigilators 7

10 Misconduct during exams 7

11 Presentation of written work 8

12 Leaving the exam room 8

13 At the end of your exam 9

14 Question papers 9

15 Lost property 9

16 Non-attendance at your exam 9

17 Special circumstances that have affected your performance in the exam 10

Appendix 1: Exam materials 11

Exam arrangements booklet 2019 Page 2 of 14

1 Introduction
This booklet tells you what you need to know about exams, so you should read it carefully
and note what you need to do. There’s also a separate Supplementary information for exams
document, which gives you key dates and other vital guidance about your exam. There’s a
separate version of the Information for Exams document for each exam period, so please
make sure you read the right one.

The booklet assumes you have access to the internet and StudentHome so it includes links
to various online resources which you may need to refer to. If you’ve been sent a printed
version and don’t have internet access, or find online resources hard to use, please contact
your student support team first. They’ll be happy to help if they can, or they may need to refer
you to another team. They can also send you paper versions of any forms you might need to
fill out. If you need a printed copy of this booklet and weren’t sent one, please call the exams
team on +44 (0) 1908 858312 or email examinations@open.ac.uk.

You can find more information about all areas of assessment, including TMAs, exams and
module results in the Assessment Handbook and in the Help Centre.

If you don’t think you’ll be able to attend your exam, please read section 15: Non-attendance
at an exam.

2 Changes to this booklet

There have been some changes made to this booklet since it was last published.

• We’ve added smart glasses to the list of prohibited items in the exam room.
• Some extra information has been added to Section 4 and we’ve made it clearer.

3 Your exam centre allocation

You can find the date and time of all your exams and the exam centres you’ve been
allocated to on StudentHome. We’ll email you to tell you when these details are available. If
you don’t have a registered email address, we’ll send you the details in a letter. If you think
an allocation is missing, please contact your student support team immediately

If you want to change your exam centre, email the exam arrangements team in Milton
Keynes at SS-Exam-Student-Allocations@open.ac.uk or call +44 (0)1908 858312. The list of
available exam locations and deadlines for asking to change are in the Help Centre. We can
only allocate you to a different exam centre if you contact us by the deadline date.

We try hard to avoid setting exams that clash with major religious festivals. If you can’t attend
on religious grounds, you should contact your student support team immediately. The
deadline for telling us is in the Help Centre.

If you’ve asked for an exam at a non-established centre outside the UK, you’ll get an extra
email or letter about your exam. If you haven’t had this a month before your exam, it may be
that we haven’t received your request or made arrangements for your exam. It’s important
that you contact us urgently. Please call the overseas exams team on +44 (0) 1908 654048
or email overseas-examinations@open.ac.uk. You should also contact us if you think an
allocation is missing.

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Exam clashes
You should read your exam allocation closely to check the date and time of your exam(s). If
you’re allocated to more than one exam on the same date and at the same time, please
contact your student support team immediately to discuss your options. If you’ve been
allocated two exams on the same day but at different times, you’ll be expected to take them
both on that day.

4 Reasonable adjustments or additional arrangements for exams

If you’ve told us you have a disability, your student support team will contact you before you
take any exam, so you can let us know what reasonable adjustments you might need. If you
haven’t heard from us at least three months before the exam, or if your needs have changed
since your last exam, you should contact your student support team. You should also contact
us if you have a temporary illness or injury or you’re pregnant and might need some extra
help to take your exam.

If your circumstances make it difficult or impossible for you to take your exam at a main exam
centre, for example if you have additional requirements, caring responsibilities, have a
newborn baby and/or you’re breastfeeding, you may be able to take it somewhere else.

If you think you’ll need additional exam arrangements, you should contact your student
support team as soon as possible and they can tell you whether you’ll be eligible. You must
contact them by the date shown on Deadlines for changing exam arrangements, but the
sooner you tell us the more likely it is we can help.

If you’ve had reasonable adjustments agreed for your exam, such as using a PC or an
amanuensis, then you’ll get further information from your student support team about this
closer to your exam date.

Any reasonable adjustments agreed for your main exam will automatically be carried over to
a resit or postponed exam. If after sitting your main exam, you find the adjustments we made
for you weren’t adequate, please contact your student support team as soon as possible.
You should also tell your student support team if you no longer need any adjustments to be
made for a resit or postponed exam because your circumstances have changed.

When the Module Result Panel meets to agree your results, they’ll only have brief factual
details about your disability or additional requirements and any reasonable adjustments or
additional arrangements we made for your exam. They won’t have any other information
you’ve given to the University or your tutor. If you want them to take anything else into
account, you need to submit special circumstances. The script marker isn’t told about any
disability, illness or additional requirements, nor of any additional arrangements put in place
for you. This is so the marker gives the Panel an independent assessment of the academic
merit of your script as presented.

You’re strongly advised to submit special circumstances if you think you’ve been at a serious
disadvantage because of your disability/circumstances, or if you think any extra time or other
adjustments arranged for your exam weren’t adequate. More information and the special
circumstances webform can be found in the Help Centre.

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5 Before the exam
You must read Appendix 1 of this booklet and the separate Supplementary information for
exams sheet for your exam period. They tell you what materials you’re allowed to take into
your exam, and those you can’t take. If it doesn’t say you can take something with you,
assume you can’t. Make sure you arrive fully prepared for the exam and have the essential
items for your module with you.

Remember – mobile phones and wearable communication devices can’t be worn or carried
and are not allowed at your desk in the exam. This means you can’t have a mobile phone or
smart watch/fitness tracker in your pocket or in a bag at your desk, nor can you use it as a
calculator. If you need to bring any electronic devices with you, make sure they’re turned off
and left at the front or back of the room with any other belongings that you’re not allowed to
have at your desk.

Please note personal items are taken into an exam at your own risk.

6 Exam support
If you’d like help with exam preparation and technique, please ask your tutor or your student
support team. Your student support team can also help if you’re worried you might
experience a particularly high level of stress as you prepare for or sit an exam. There’s lots of
advice on the revision section of the Help Centre too.

7 At the exam
You should aim to arrive at the exam centre at least 15 minutes before your exam is due to
start. Remember you may need to allow extra time for parking and you’ll probably have to
pay. Some centres also carry out a security check before you enter the building.

The invigilator will usually let you into the exam room about 10 minutes before the exam
starts. This will give you time to find your desk, to check and sign your desk record, and to
read the instructions on the front cover of your answer book and question paper.

Proof of Identity
You must bring valid proof of identification (ID) to your exam, which has both a photo and a
signature.

Acceptable forms of ID with a photo and signature are:

• photo driving licence

• passport
• national identity card
• Irish Public Services Card

You can use an expired passport or driving licence, but the photo must still clearly look like
you.

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If you don’t have one of the above, you can use photo ID but this must be accompanied by a
debit or credit card as proof of signature. Note you can’t use any form of photo ID without
proof of signature.

Acceptable forms of photo ID are:

• CitizenCard
• Validate UK card
• Blue Badge permit
• Scottish National Entitlement Card
• Northern Ireland Electoral Identity Card

If you live in Scotland you can use your Scottish National Entitlement Card or in Northern
Ireland you can use your NI Electoral Identity Card, even if you take your exam elsewhere. If
you're a blue badge holder, you can also use your blue badge permit.

If you live in the UK, Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, you can use
a CitizenCard as photo ID in your exam. If you live in the UK, you can also use a Validate UK
card.

If you’re a member of the UK forces sitting your exam in a BFPO base, you can use your
military ID.

If you’ve recently changed your name, you need to update your student record before the
exam. Your student support team can tell you how to do this. If you haven’t told us of your
name change, or you told us less than 7 weeks before the exam, you’ll need to take your
deed poll certificate, marriage certificate, or Decree Absolute/Nisi to the exam as well as your
other identity documents listed above. This is because the name on your identity
document(s) might not match the name on your desk record.

It’s vital that you provide ID in the required format at the start of your exam. Don’t forget to
take it with you because if you haven’t got ID your result can’t be released until your
identity has been confirmed. Your invigilator will ask you to complete a Candidate Identity
Certificate statement at the exam if you haven’t got the right ID. You might also need to take
valid ID to a solicitor or notary for verification, which you’ll have to pay for. We’ll contact you
after the exam to confirm if you need to visit a solicitor or notary for ID verification and the
deadline for doing this.

If you don’t provide an acceptable form of ID by the given deadline, you won’t get another
chance to sit the exam and you’ll fail the module.

More information about ID can be found in the Help Centre.

Finding your seat

Desks are normally arranged first by module, then in alphabetical order of students’
surnames. Your place will have a desk record showing your name, personal identifier,
module code and exam number. In larger centres there’s normally a seating plan outside the
exam room to help you find your desk.

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Checking your desk record
You must be sure you’re sitting at the right desk. Check your desk record carefully and make
sure your name and personal identifier are correct. The invigilator will ask you to read and
follow the instructions on the desk record, including leaving your ID in a prominent place. If
you don’t, the invigilator will need to disturb you during the exam.

If you’re a Muslim woman wearing a Niqab (a veil covering your face), a female invigilator will
check your identity in a private room after the exam.

If you arrive late

If you arrive late for your exam, but within 30 minutes of the start time, you’ll be allowed to sit
your exam. If you arrive more than 30 minutes after the exam starts, you’ll still be allowed
into the exam, but you’ll need to tell the invigilator why you’re late. The invigilator will report
your late arrival and we reserve the right not to mark your exam script if you’re more than 30
minutes late. You won’t be allowed any extra time to complete the exam, however late you
are.

8 Anonymous marking
When your script arrives at the University, we remove the top copy of the desk record with
your name on before it’s sent for marking. This means the marker doesn’t know it’s your work
they’re marking.

9 Invigilators
Invigilators are responsible for making sure exams run smoothly and according to our rules
and regulations. They have full authority over admission to the exam room, permission for
temporary absence and discipline in general. An invigilator will give you all the information
you need, including announcements about the time left during the exam.

10 Misconduct during exams

A very high standard of conduct is expected in all exams. Any misconduct is seen as a
serious matter that can result in disciplinary action but it’s most likely in these cases:

• you have any communication or photographic device at your desk such as a mobile
phone, smart watch, fitness tracker, smart glasses or music player
• you help or receive help from another candidate
• you have any materials at your desk that weren’t issued by an invigilator or aren’t
permitted, or are permitted materials with unauthorised or excessive annotation
• you consult any materials or online resources outside the exam room during periods
of absence while the exam is in progress
• you attempt to influence a script marker or other University official (such as by writing
notes on your exam script about special circumstances)
• you take photos or copies of any exam papers or scripts
• you behave in any way that’s unfitting in an exam room or that might bring the
University into disrepute

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Invigilators have the authority to stop your exam if you’re suspected of such offences. If
necessary they can take any unauthorised materials and expel you from the exam room.
Other penalties may be imposed later.

You’re strongly advised to read the regulations about misconduct in exams. The key
document is the Code of Practice for Student Assessment, but this should be read alongside
the Academic Regulations and the Code of Practice for Student Discipline.

11 Presentation of written work

Unless the University has confirmed other arrangements have been made for you, you must
handwrite your exam script in blue or black pen (not pencil) and it must be legible. We
reserve the right to not mark a script that we feel is illegible, or to make a substantial charge
for transcription.

You must do any rough work in your answer book. You can’t take your own rough work
paper into the exam.

If you cross through work in your answer book it won’t be marked. If you don’t cross work out,
the script marker will consider it to be part of your answer and will mark it, even if it’s rough
work or an essay plan. You won’t be given marks for the same answer twice, even if it
appears in both your plan and your answer.

12 Leaving the exam room

You can’t leave the exam room during the first 30 minutes or last 15 minutes of an exam.

Temporary absence
The invigilator will let you leave the exam room briefly to go to the bathroom after the first 30
minutes of the exam session. You’ll be accompanied and you won’t be able to take any
electronic devices, the question paper, answer books or any other materials with you.

Illness during an exam

If you’re ill during your exam, tell an invigilator immediately. If you can’t continue and need to
leave the exam within the first hour due to illness, you can apply for a discretionary
postponement. More information and the discretionary postponement webform are available
on the Help Centre.

If you stay in the exam for more than an hour you won’t meet the criteria for a discretionary
postponement and the work you’ve done will be marked. If you want the Module Result
Panel to be told about your illness when they agree your result, you must submit special
circumstances before midnight (UK local time) the day after your exam. You’ll need a medical
certificate in support of your submission. The invigilator can’t make this report on your behalf.
More information and the special circumstances webform can be found on the Help Centre.

Finishing an exam early

If you finish your exam before the scheduled time you’ll be allowed to leave the room (but not
in the first 30 minutes or the last 15 minutes). You must give your answer books, exam

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stationery and question paper to an invigilator before you go and you won’t be allowed back
in.

Please leave the room as quietly as you can, so you don’t disturb others who are still
working.

13 At the end of your exam

When the exam has ended, follow the instructions on the desk record. You must stay seated
and silent until all your work has been collected, and you can’t leave until an invigilator tells
you it’s OK to do so. Make sure all your answer books and question papers are collected by
an invigilator. If you take them out of the exam room they won’t be marked.

14 Question papers
You’re not allowed to take your question paper out of the exam room. It must be attached to
your desk record and answer books for collection by an invigilator.

If the question paper for your module isn’t restricted you’ll be able to download it from the
module record page of StudentHome within one week of the exam. Any delay will be due to
students with additional requirements being given extra time to complete the exam. When
your module result is released, the question paper will move to the module result page. If you
want to keep a copy of the question paper you’ll need to download it while it’s available. You
can also download it from OUSA.

For academic or copyright reasons some question papers are classed as restricted and
aren’t released at any time. You can check which applies to your module on the separate
Supplementary information for exams sheet.

15 Lost property
We don’t accept liability for the use, misuse, damage or loss of motor vehicles, bags or any
personal property brought to an exam centre, however it’s caused. This includes any items
left with the invigilator.

16 Non-attendance at your exam

If you’re able to go to your exam then you should, even if you feel your performance will be
adversely affected by recent circumstances.

If you can't attend your exam due to circumstances beyond your control, such as illness or
bereavement, you have these options:

• defer your module

• apply for a discretionary postponement of your exam

More information and the discretionary postponement webform can be found in the Help
Centre. You may also want to read the University’s Deferrals, Withdrawals and Cancellation
policy and the Assessment Banking Rules.

For module deferral, you must contact your student support team before your exam date.

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If you don’t attend your exam or apply for deferral or discretionary postponement, you won’t
be given another chance to take it and you’ll fail the module.

17 Special circumstances that have affected your performance in

the exam
If you think you studied your module effectively but special circumstances had a serious
effect on your performance in the exam, you can tell the Module Result Panel.

You should only report serious circumstances which had a significant effect on your exam or
the revision period.

When submitting special circumstances you must supply relevant third party documentary
evidence. If you don’t provide suitable evidence, the Panel might not have enough
information to understand how your circumstances impacted your performance so they may
not be able to take it into account when they agree your result.

• Special Circumstances relating to exams should be reported using the special

circumstances webform.
• You must submit your Special Circumstances before midnight (UK local time) on the
day after your exam. Supporting evidence can be submitted electronically or in hard
copy and must be received by the University within 14 days of your submission.

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Appendix 1: Exam materials
The rules to do with exam materials are very important and you must observe them fully.
Materials are classed as either essential, optional or prohibited. They’re governed by general
rules that apply to all modules, and by rules that apply to individual modules as well as the
general rules. Please read the appropriate version of the Supplementary information for
exams sheet to see what rules apply to your module.

1 General rules
The general rules are set out below and apply to all modules, so please read them carefully.

1.1 Essential items

• A valid form of ID as stated in Section 7: At the exam.
• A pen with blue or black ink. You must use pens for all answers, except on computer
marked exam (CME) forms and for drawn diagrams, unless you’ve been given
permission by the University to write in pencil (you’ll need to bring the email we sent
you as evidence).
• A pencil. If you have to complete a CME form as part of your exam, you must bring an
HB pencil. Pencils are to be used only for drawing diagrams and completing CME
forms. Your module website will tell you if this applies to your exam.

1.2 Optional items

• A ruler, eraser, coloured pencils, fibre-tipped pens, highlighter pens.
• English and/or foreign-language dictionaries, unless prohibited by the module rules.
They must be one volume dictionaries and not annotated unless permitted by module
rules. This does not include specialist dictionaries such as business, technical or
subject specific dictionaries. Dictionaries should only be general language ones. You
should bear in mind the time it takes to use them, and remember that present-day or
non-technical use of words and terms may be different from their use in the context of
the module.
• A small handbag. Briefcases and other large bags will have to be left in a cloakroom
or at the back or front of the exam room, where the invigilator tells you.
• Small amounts of food and drink, as long as consumption of them doesn’t disturb
other candidates and is allowed by the exam centre. Food should be unwrapped
before the start of the exam.

1.3 Prohibited items

In the exam room you must not have prohibited items on or about your person, on or under
your desk or in any small bag kept with you at your desk. You’re strongly advised to leave
such items at home. If there’s no alternative but to bring them into the exam room (for
security reasons, for example), they must be left at the back or front of the room. You won’t
be allowed access to them at any time during the exam. Pagers, mobile phones and alarms
must be switched off. Watch alarms must not be set to go off during the exam.

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Prohibited items are as follows.

• Mobile phones, smart watches, fitness trackers and any other communication or
photographic equipment. This includes tablets, laptops and palmtop computers, smart
glasses, wearable communication devices, personal organisers, radio pagers, music
players/iPods and electronic dictionaries.
• E-readers. This includes dedicated hardware such as a Kindle, and e-reader software
on a device such as a tablet or mobile phone. If you are permitted to take module
materials into your exam these must be as printed hard copy.
• Thesauri, whether electronic or hard copy.
• Correction fluids (such as Tipp-ex) or erasable pens.
• E-cigarettes or any other kind of hand held electronic nicotine delivery system.
• Anything not listed as essential or optional in either these general rules or the rules
for individual modules, including paper intended for use as rough paper. All rough
work must be done in the answer book.

For most modules the following items are also prohibited, apart from exceptions detailed in
the separate Supplementary information for exams sheet, listed under Rules for individual
modules:

• all module materials

• calculators (see Section 1.4 below)
• scientific, mathematical, technical and specialist dictionaries

If you try to take unauthorised material or prohibited items (this includes blank paper) into an
exam, you could be found guilty of misconduct and be liable to disciplinary action.

1.4 Calculators
For modules where a calculator is permitted, it must be one of the following 3 types, as
specified in the rules for individual modules:

X a non-scientific calculator i.e. with no functionality such as log, sin, cos etc.
Y a scientific calculator
Z a programmable calculator but without a set of dedicated alphabetic keys

Your calculator must not:

• be designed or adapted to offer any of the following facilities:

o algebraic manipulation
o differentiation or integration
o language translation
o communication with other devices or the internet
• have retrievable information stored in it such as:

o databanks
o dictionaries
o mathematical formulas
o text

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Your calculator must be:

• a separate dedicated device (you won’t be permitted to use the calculator feature of
another device such as a mobile phone or a smart watch)
• of a size suitable for use on a desk
• either battery or solar powered

You’re responsible for ensuring before your exam that:

• your calculator complies with your module’s requirements

• your calculator is in working condition (if it’s powered by batteries you should consider
bringing spare batteries as these won’t be provided at the centre)
• you have the appropriate knowledge and skills to use the calculator during the exam

If you use a calculator in an exam, you must write the make and model number on the front
page of your answer book. Operating instructions, apart from those printed on the calculator
lid or hard case, aren’t permitted unless specified otherwise in the module rules.

2 Annotation of materials permitted in the exam

In most exams no module or other materials are permitted. For some exams, however,
candidates are expected to have part of the module material, or other materials, with them.
The permitted texts or module units are shown in the separate Supplementary information for
exams sheet, listed under Rules for individual modules. The amount of annotation allowed on
these materials is also specified for each exam.

We reserve the right to decide what an acceptable degree of annotation is, and the invigilator
has authority to remove any materials, including any annotated or modified materials
considered to be unacceptable. If we decide you’ve taken unacceptable materials into the
exam you’ll be subject to disciplinary action.

2.1 No annotation
The text as printed without any form of annotation.

2.2 Basic annotation

The text as printed may be supplemented by handwritten highlights (for example by a
highlighter pen or by ringing, underlining or sidelining), and by corrected typographical errors.
The addition of comments, marginal notes, notes in the blank spaces at the end of
paragraphs and pages or on fly-leaves isn’t permitted.

2.3 Restricted annotation

The text as printed may be supplemented by handwritten (not printed) highlights, corrections
and comments. The intention is that the annotation should complement the purposes of the
text, so the inclusion of large amounts of additional material (for example, using the fly-
leaves, end-papers or insides of covers for recording information) isn’t permitted.

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2.4 Special annotation
Unrestricted annotation is allowed in module materials listed as permitted in the exam
(including any end-papers or blank pages sent to you as part of the module materials), but no
additional sheets of notes, inserts, ‘post-its’ or index tabs.

2.5 Indexing
You can’t use additional items (such as post-its or paperclips) to index permitted texts,
unless it’s expressly permitted for a specific module. You may cut into permitted texts to
create page marks, as long as you haven’t inserted any additional pages or tabs.

3 Restriction of question papers

The level of restriction which applies to the question paper will vary between modules (see
Section 13: Question papers). The categories are as follows.

3.1 Not restricted

The question paper will be released to registered students on StudentHome, usually within
one week of the exam. Any delay will be due to students with additional requirements being
given extra time to complete the exam.

3.2 Restricted
The question paper won’t be released for copyright or academic reasons.

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