26 Apr 2025
As experienced exams officers are aware, a significant element of any summer exam series is the JCQ centre – or general – inspection.
Although the JCQ inspector may focus upon, or ask to see, a range of areas and information, centres should undertake some preparation ahead of the summer series for this inspection(s).
It should be noted that the inspection is an unannounced visit which is intended to check that examination arrangements for general and vocational examinations and assessments are being delivered in accordance with the regulations, and that centres may experience more than one inspection visit during the summer exam series.
The areas which may be inspected include:
- exam accommodation arrangements
- candidate supervision arrangements
- invigilation arrangements
- appropriate conditions and invigilation for access arrangements
- the arrangements in place for keeping confidential exam/assessment materials secure
- the arrangements in place when removing question papers from secure storage at the required time and before question paper packets are opened
- access arrangements documentation
To prepare for the JCQ centre inspection, exams officers should consider the following:
- The centre
Inspectors will focus upon ensuring that the exam accommodation and environment is suitable and meets JCQ regulations as set out in section 11 of the Instructions for conducting examinations document.
To ensure that each exam room is set up according to the published requirements and provides the appropriate conditions for candidates to take their exams, exams officers should utilise The Exams Office’s Exam room checklist. It is good practice to ask invigilators to ensure that the requirements as set out in this checklist are met before allowing the exam to commence.
Each exam room must be set up according to the published requirements, for example:
- Any room in which an examination is held to provide candidates with appropriate conditions for taking the examination, including heating, lighting, ventilation and noise, whether internal or external, intermittent or continuous
- The JCQ Warning to candidates poster and the JCQ Unauthorised items poster to be displayed in a prominent place outside each examination room
- The seating arrangements to include candidate’s chairs being a minimum distance of 1.25 metres apart in all directions from centre to centre of candidates’ chairs to prevent candidates from overlooking (intentionally or otherwise) the work of others
- Candidates with access arrangements to be identified on the seating plans
- Display material (such as maps, diagrams, wall charts and projected images) which might be helpful to candidates to be covered or removed from the examination room
- A reliable clock (analogue and/or digital) which shows the actual time and is big enough for all candidates to be able to read to be visible to each candidate in the examination room
- A board/flipchart/whiteboard should be visible to all candidates showing the centre number, subject title and paper number; and the actual starting and finishing times, and date, of each examination
- Supervision arrangements
Inspectors will be looking for confirmation that appropriate arrangements are in place for the supervision of:
- candidates with access arrangements
- candidates who have a timetable variation (clash)
- candidates where starting times have been altered or overnight supervision arrangements are in place
- candidates who arrive late
- candidates who may leave the exam room temporarily or leave early
- Invigilation arrangements
Inspectors will expect to see:
- the required invigilation arrangements to be in place in each exam room at all times including those for access arrangement candidates
- the required invigilation ratios must be maintained throughout
- a sole invigilator (who must not be a relative, friend or peer of a candidate in the exam room) having the appropriate means of summoning assistance
- the people present in the exam room (senior leaders) only undertaking permitted tasks
- a record of the content of the training given to invigilators and those facilitating an access arrangement for a candidate under examination conditions. Centres should consider using The Exams Office’s Invigilator training record template which details the areas covered during invigilator training
- the arrangements to confirm the identity of candidates, and that this in accordance with the centre’s written procedure which details how the identity of all candidates sitting examinations will be confirmed
- Confidential materials
An inspector may ask to see logs which confirm the receipt, movement, checking and storage of confidential exam/assessment materials during the time these materials are live and confidential. Centres should consider utilising The Exams Office's Secure storage and confidential materials checklist.
Centres should also be prepared to present their record of the second pair of eyes check when question paper packets are removed from secure storage and the arrangements for ensuring the security of candidates’ scripts and the dispatch of scripts.
- Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments
Although JCQ also conduct inspections which specifically focus upon access arrangements, your special educational needs co-ordinator (or equivalent role) must be informed that they should ensure that access arrangements and/or reasonable adjustments documentation is available during a centre (general) inspection. This includes individual files/e-folders for each candidate.
- Exam-related policies
Although the JCQ Centre Inspection Service has confirmed that during the 2024/25 general inspections they will not be checking any policies other than the written procedure to identify candidates and word processor policy, as a pilot policy survey has been conducted directly to the head of centre, centres should still ensure that all the required written policies/procedures are in place and made available to an inspector if requested.
See The Exams Office's Policy checklist for a list of policies required to meet JCQ requirements.