“……perhaps we should sit their exams for them!!”
“My daughter has two exams in a day – that can’t possibly be right.” Total exam time equals two hours thirty minut...
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“A Short-sighted Return to the Past and All its Consequences”
When I first became an Exams Officer in the year x!**?@x I remember that many centres had examination functions devolved to departments/faculties, call them what you will. Ov...
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Does anyone have or know of a good practice guide for subject/year leaders during the exam period. I have been asked to write one (don't know I find the time) My line manager would like me to produce a guide stating I suppose what I expect from them as subject/year leaders i.e support at the beginning of exams etc.
If anyone had produced one already I would be grateful for a copy
Sara Pearson...
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March - “This must be your busy time of year!!!!”
It’s those words again from people who do not know and understand our role – some of who...
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Where is Alan Waymonts beginning of the month blog? I am having withdrawal symptoms....
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Whilst waiting for the results of the January 2013 Series I started wondering what the impact of the 000Q result is for private candidates and post-16 retakers apart from the strangeness of giving results to Y11 students that 'do exist but sorry we can't tell you how well you did'. If you had a private candidate retaking one unit and certificating under the terminal rule, or a post-16 candidate doing the same, why should these candidates not be able to receive a result and a final certificati...
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I have just encountered the oddest problem with Facility's 'exam timetable for a date range' report. If the width of the contents cell under 'components' isn't wide enough it just drops your exam off and you never know about it. My basic fix is to change the column widths via the 'edit' button. If you're unsure make a copy first and edit the copy not the original report. I've asked the guys at Serco to raise it as an issue because if you dont know that the problem is there you wont look for i...
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Did you know about the DfE facebook page?
You may find some information that pops up on it useful from time to time, so if you are 'into facebook', you may find it worthwhile taking a look, and maybe a 'like'.
I am on facebook and twitter; and DfE recently asked me to write a post, which was put up onto their facebook page on Monday of half-term, because DfE felt that more teachers would be looking at their page over half-term.
If you are not on facebook you should sti...
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Quick, quick! Nip over to the Election Page.
There are three lovely people waiting for you to vote.
I know voting doesn't close till 8th March, but you know how time flies.
Its half term at the end of next week (well it is for us), GCSE summer entries are due by 21st February and then it'll be March and you'll be planning the next thing in your life.
So nip over now and make your choice.
Every vote counts, as they say!...
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The January Examination Series – Was This its Last Hurrah?
Was this the last time that we will see GCSE and A Level exams in January? It would be a brave person who could definitely say that it was. It’s flavour of the month with the present government but who knows what will happen after the next election and if a different political party/coalition ...
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A Happy New Year to you all – I hope it’s a good one. After a well-earned break it’s time to knuckle down and run a few assessments during the month of January.
2012 was an interesting year with the start of many changes which will develop over the next few years. The changes will affect not only the structure of qualifications and assessments but also the ways in which we carry out our roles as exams staff. We also saw the start towards the end of the year of some me...
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As many of you know from my cries over the years at conferences and meetings I have always been an exams officer wearing additional (conflicting shaped) hats. The change in the pattern of exams has already had my senior team thinking about how my job will 'develop'. With the Wolf Report my job as KS4 work experience co-ordinator has, probably only temporarily knowing my luck, disappeared. This meant I thought I'd finally got the time to do my job (cover manager and part of data team as well a...
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December 2012 - All Change Please
…… there will be another education reform along in five minutes……..
Just like buses, education reforms all seem to be coming along at once. Linear GCSEs, and mar...
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November 2012 - The Season of Hallowe’en and Bonfires
Hallowe’en and Bonfire Night have a common Celtic origin from pagan times, when the evil spirits of darkness – ghosts and ghouls - had to be driven away with noise and fire. While I don’t advocate the use of fire I am a strong believer in the u...
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What a farce this GCSE English saga has turned out to be. It’s Exams Office staff who have been left to pick up the pieces yet again!!! The awarding organisations delayed and delayed until OFQAL had agreed to their proposals for re-sits in November. Schools were wondering if they should contact ex-pupils, colleges were wondering if they should take the entries from students who had come from schools or refer them back to schools.
Exams office in colleges had to get detail...
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