31 Mar 2023
The National Association for Examinations Officers has been advising centres since the start of the academic year to devise a strategy to ensure that they have a sufficient number of invigilators ahead of the summer exam series.
Whilst many centres have acted upon this advice, unfortunately, we still have a majority of centres who will be experiencing a lack of invigilators during the summer exam series. The educational media have also started to report on the potential shortage of invigilators, confirming that this is a significant nationwide issue which needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
However, with little more than a month before the start of the summer exam series, time is running out for centres to advertise, interview, appoint, conduct safeguarding checks and train invigilators to support the conducting of examinations taking place during summer 2023. Centres must note that the JCQ Instructions for conducting examinations regulations (section 12.3) state that:
‘A training session on [the Instructions for conducting examinations] regulations must be held for any new invigilators and those facilitating an access arrangement for a candidate under examination conditions….Centres must ensure that the testing of invigilators’ competence and their understanding of these regulations is rigorous. This must also extend to those facilitating an access arrangement’
This training must be planned in advance and will take the necessary time required – possibly several hours - to cover the relevant JCQ regulations.
So, at this stage of the academic year, what actions could centres take to alleviate a shortage of invigilators? Firstly, two options remain in relation to the recruitment of invigilators:
- One final recruitment push
Contact all existing invigilators and ask if they are aware of friends/associates who may be available to invigilate. The time saved conducting a ‘recruitment campaign’ provides enough opportunity to conduct safeguarding checks and train those recruited by this ‘word of mouth’ process.
Identify suitable internal staff and ensure that they are adequately trained and prepared for the exam series. Centres must note that untrained staff cannot be utilised to invigilate during a formal timetabled examination.
However, once all recruitment avenues have been explored and exhausted, centres will require their exams officer to employ their expertise, experience and knowledge to organise examinations in such a way as to minimise the impact of a lack of invigilators whilst ensuring that all JCQ regulations are still met.
These actions may include:
- Identifying and dealing with exam days with ‘larger’ exams
An experienced exams officer will be aware that a lack of invigilators will not occur on every day during the exam series. The issue will be prevalent when the majority of candidates are taking their exam during the same session – the most popular GCSE subjects include Maths, English Language, English Literature, Combined Science, Geography and History, whilst Maths, Psychology and Biology feature as the A level subjects taken by most candidates.
Therefore, centres may experience particular pressure on their invigilation resources prior to half term on 16, 19, 23, 24 and 25 May when some of the subjects detailed above are due to be examined.
Splitting cohorts
If on any of these days centres do not have a sufficient number of invigilators to conduct examinations, they will need to consider as a last resort splitting their cohort to enable some candidates to take the examination whilst the remainder of the cohort are supervised and will take the examination once the first group has completed their examination.
This is permitted under JCQ regulations (Instructions for conducting examinations, section 7.2) which state that:
In exceptional circumstances, where the size of the cohort means that it is not possible for all candidates to sit the examination(s) at the same time, the centre may split the cohort into two groups. One group of candidates will sit the examination earlier than or later than the awarding body’s published starting time.
The security of the examination(s) must always be maintained. Candidates must always be supervised in line with [JCQ regulations, Instructions for conducting examinations, section 7.5]. There is no need to complete any paperwork and prior permission from an awarding body is not required.
Supervision of candidates
If a centre has no alternative but to split a cohort for an examination, they must ensure that the regulations relating to centre supervision are followed at all times (see Instructions for conducting examinations, section 7.5)
- Maximise the rooms used for examinations
The invigilator to candidate ratio for written examinations stands at at least 1 invigilator for each group of 30 candidates or fewer. Therefore, if a centre has a lack of invigilators, they should ensure that they fully utilise this ratio – yet remaining aware that if an invigilator has to leave the examination room for any reason, the ratio must still be maintained.
When booking/allocating rooms for examinations, centres should acquire the largest rooms to enable, if possible, the whole of the cohort to be seated in one room, and for the invigilator/candidate ratio to be utilised to its’ maximum. A sports or assembly hall which can seat 200 candidates would allow for 180 candidates to be seated, allowing for a non-occupied desk to separate different examinations taking place or candidates with specific needs, and the requirement for six invigilators.
If smaller rooms are used, ensure that the capacity allows for the same invigilator/candidate ratio principle to apply – therefore, book rooms with capacities for 30, 60, 90, etc. candidates to be seated in the exam room.
- Dealing effectively with access arrangements
A majority of centres report that the lack of invigilators has been caused by the pressure placed upon the need for additional rooming or specific seating arrangements to accommodate access arrangements.
A candidate with an evidenced need and for whom it is their normal way of working, should not be denied the access arrangement which has been awarded to them. However, the rooming and seating of access arrangement candidates should be reviewed to ensure ‘maximum efficiency’ and a reliance upon a lesser number of invigilators. For example:
Rooming candidates with access arrangements
Explore the possibility of accommodating more than one candidate and scribe and/or candidate and reader in an appropriately sized and laid out room. This may require the centre to ensure particular acoustics, for example by the use of screened booths, sound boards, carpet, etc. where each candidate and facilitator cannot be overheard by or distract other candidates. However, invigilator(s) must always be able to see the candidates.
Utilise the facilitator
Where a candidate is being supported by a facilitator on a one-to-one basis (for example, the use of a scribe), the facilitator should be trained to also act as the invigilator. This will remove the reliance upon a separate invigilator in the exam room, who can be replaced by a roving invigilator – this is a trained invigilator who enters the room at regular intervals to observe the conducting of the examination, to ensure all relevant rules are being adhered to and to support the practical assistant/reader and/or scribe in maintaining the integrity of the examination.
It should be noted, however, that a regulation change for the 2022/2023 academic year (Instructions for conducting examinations, section 13.6, and Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments, section 4.2.10) states that:
The person appointed [to facilitate an access arrangement] must not normally be the candidate’s own subject teacher or teaching assistant. Where the candidate’s own subject teacher or teaching assistant is used, a separate invigilator must always be present.
Sharing a reader
Consult the special educational needs co-ordinator to ascertain if there are any candidates who will require a reader to only read occasional words. If this is the case, and an appropriately sized room can be used, three or four candidates, for example, may share one reader.
This will require a separate invigilator to be present in the examination room, but perhaps this could be another learning support assistant who is trained to act as an invigilator. See JCQ’s Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments publication, section 5.5.9 for more information.
Separate rooming
During the summer 2022 exam series, there was a marked increase in the number of candidates – and parents/carers – requesting separate rooming due to exam anxiety or low-level nervousness. This in itself does not provide access to separate rooming under the regulations detailed within JCQ’s Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments publication (section 5.16), however, if a centre is coming under increasing pressure to provide such rooming for candidates, it is suggested that this is offered in a room where other candidates with similar issues are seated – so perhaps 10 or 15 candidates in a room. Therefore, a centre is acknowledging the issue of nervousness or anxiety which a candidate may be experiencing and offering a solution, but not creating a situation where one invigilator is required for a room accommodating just one candidate.
Conclusion
With little more than a month remaining until the first examination of the summer 2023 exams series, centres which are experiencing a lack of invigilators are running out of time to recruit and train newly appointed invigilators. Therefore, at this stage of the exam cycle, exams officers must use alternative options available to them, within the regulations, to minimise the impact of any invigilator shortage.
If the main reason for a lack of invigilators is due to the number of access arrangements, then exams officers should work with their special educational needs lead/team to explore the most effective and efficient ways of conducting these examinations with the invigilators which are available within the centre.