Examination rules for candidates
Degree Examinations - Rules for CandidatesAll examinations will take place at the times and places published. The Examinations Officer may, however, in exceptional circumstances make arrangements for examinations other than those published.
1. Candidates may present themselves for an examination only if they are duly enrolled for the module concerned. Students not in attendance at the University and students making a second attempt at an examination in an academic year are therefore required to enrol and to pay the prescribed fees by the date specified.
2. No candidate may take into the examination hall books, papers or other aids intended to assist with the examinations, unless with the prior permission of the department concerned and the Examinations Officer. In particular the use of programmable calculators and those with text, symbolic or graphic capabilities is not permitted at degree examinations. Briefcases and other such articles must be left in designated areas at the front or back of the examination hall (depending on the venue concerned and the number of candidates).
3. Candidates may only begin writing once the Chief Invigilator has completed the announcements and officially started the Examination. All candidates must stop writing when instructed to do so by the Chief Invigilator at the end of the examination.
4. No candidate may leave the examination hall during the first 30 minutes of the examination, save in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the invigilators.
5. Only in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the invigilators will a candidate (a) who arrives late be granted extra time at the end of the examination, or (b) be admitted more than 30 minutes after the official start of the examination.
6. Only in exceptional circumstances may a candidate leave the examination hall during the final 30 minutes of the examination. (In order to minimise disturbance to other candidates, all candidates should remain in their places until the examination has officially ended).
7. In the event of an emergency, candidates must follow the instructions given by the invigilators.
8. A candidate whose conduct is, in the opinion of the Chief Invigilator, disturbing to other candidates and who persists in such conduct after receiving a warning from an invigilator shall be required to withdraw from the examination hall.
9. Candidates are required to write their answers in English, unless either it is clear from the question that a foreign language is to be used or special arrangements have been made in advance.
10. Candidates must read and carefully follow the exam instructions on the front of the exam paper. Unless instructed otherwise, every candidate must answer all questions and do all rough work in the examination script books provided.
11. An invigilator will collect the exam materials at the end of the exam. Each candidate must ensure to hand in their exam script and any other necessary material (multiple choice answer cards etc.) at the end of the exam.
12. No candidate may remove an examination script book or any part thereof from the examination hall - any script, or part thereof, taken from the hall will be rendered invalid
13. No candidate may place examination script books or papers on the floor.
14. Candidates may not leave the examination hall without handing in an examination script book which they themselves have completed.
15. Examination script books must be handed in according to the instructions of the Chief Invigilator, and as specified on the exam instructions on the front of the exam paper.
16. Any candidate who submits an indecipherable script may be required to read the script orally to the internal examiners.
17. No candidate may bring any food or drink into the examination hall, with the exception of water in a plastic bottle.
18. Smoking is forbidden in the examination hall.
19. Communication of any kind between candidates during an examination is forbidden.
Use of Dictionaries in Examinations by Students whose native language is not English
1. There is no objection in principle to the use of a dictionary by a student whose native language is not English at class and/or degree examinations. This applies also to all non¿graduating students whose native language is not English.
2. The dictionary to be used on such occasions should normally be a non¿technical, one¿volume (two¿way) dictionary between English and the student's native language.
3. A student eligible to use a dictionary on this basis must obtain a note from the Head of School concerned, confirming that the use of a dictionary has been authorised, and should present it to the Chief Invigilator in the examination hall at the start of each examination. This note would apply to all examination papers in all examinations in that subject for that session, unless otherwise stipulated by the Head of School. Similarly the Head of School should stipulate whether the use of any particular dictionary is authorised or prohibited for a particular examination or paper.
4. Students allowed to use a dictionary should normally be required to sit at the back of the examination hall or block of students for a particular examination (to minimise disturbance to other candidates).
5. Any departure from the general policy set out above should require prior authorisation by the appropriate Faculty Officer who should inform the Examinations Officer of any special arrangements approved.
Amanda O'Connell
Examinations Officer January 2010