Exam Rules and Guidance

You should check your personal exam timetable regularly in the weeks preceding an exam period as this will confirm the dates, start times, durations, venues and seat numbers for all of your in-person exams.

Most exam venues are on the main campus but some are a little further away (e.g. Sports Centre, Urban Sciences Building, Business School etc.). Make sure you check your venue on your personal exam timetable and plan your journey in advance using the exam venue maps.

If you arrive more than 15 minutes after the start of the exam, then you will not be permitted to enter the venue. You should contact your School immediately for further advice.

Please check your seat number (on your exam timetable) for each exam before entering the exam venue (a list will also be displayed outside the room). Seat numbers are normally only published around a week before the start of the exam period.

For digital exams, make sure you know you University PC log-in details in advance as you will need these to access the exam. Contact the IT Service Helpdesk if you need help.

If you are unable to attend an exam due to unforeseen and/or unavoidable personal extenuating circumstances, for example:

• illness
• severe travel disruption

You should complete a Personal Extenuating Circumstances (PEC) Form. Appropriate adjustments can then be considered.

Religious observance:

You should also complete a Personal Extenuating Circumstances (PEC) Form if you have a religious:

• observance
• festival
• holiday

If it prevents or affects your ability to complete one or more of your exams, then in such circumstances, you may wish to contact your School Office/Personal Tutor for further advice in advance.

Ramadan:

The University recognises the importance of Ramadan. We are aware that some students may have exams scheduled during this time.

Observing Ramadan will not be considered as an acceptable reason to defer your exams. Should the impact of fasting have a significant effect on your health, this can be considered through the Personal Extenuating Circumstances (PEC) procedure.

The NHS offers advice and guidance on staying healthy during Ramadan, read their Ramadan Health Guide (PDF:1.26 MB) 

Make sure that you arrive at your designated exam venue at least 20 minutes before the start of the exam. This is to ensure that:

• there is enough time for all students to enter the venue calmly
• all students hear the pre-exam announcements
• everyone can get set-up properly for their exam

When the invigilators tell you that you may enter the venue, please have your student ID card (physical card, not digital version on mobile app) ready as you will need to show this to enter.

Once you are inside the exam venue, you should not communicate with any other exam candidates.

In the area designated by the invigilators, please ensure you leave any:

• coats
• bags
• other prohibited items (including mobile phones and smart watches)

You'll then be able to find your designated seat. Ensure that any mobile phones/smart watches and any other electronic devices are fully switched off, including alarm functions.

When you have located your seat, you can start entering the required details on the yellow attendance slip and place your student ID card on top.

For written exams: please enter the required details on the front cover of your answer book (or exam script cover for exams where answers are entered directly on to the exam paper.

For digital exams: please follow the log-in and set-up instructions on the password sheet which will be located on your desk.

Until the invigilators have officially started the exam, you are not:

• permitted to open or access the exam questions
• allowed to write any notes/formulae on the exam stationery or paper

Permitted items:

You are allowed the following items with you at your exam desk:

• University Smartcard (or your passport/driving license). This must be the physical card, the digital version on the mobile app cannot be used
• Pens, pencils and any equipment necessary for the completion of the exam. These must be placed in a clear pencil case or be clearly visible on your desk
• Calculator (only if permitted for the exam); see Calculators information below
• Dictionary; see Dictionaries information below
• Drink (non-carbonated) and a small packet of sweets. Labels must be removed from bottles
• Jumper/suitable clothing (the temperature in exam venues can vary and coats/outdoor jackets cannot be worn during the exam)

Non-permitted items:

You are not allowed the following items at your exam desk:

• Mobile phones, smart watches, tablets or any other electronic and/or internet enabled devices (even if they are switched off)
• Books, notes, blank paper, learning material or any equipment not specifically authorised in the exam instructions*
• Headwear (except for religious observance or in relation to a medical condition or disability)
• Coats/outdoor jackets
• Bags

*You may be permitted to take books, notes or learning materials to some specific exams; see ‘Permitted notes and materials’ for more information.

If you bring any of these items to the exam venue, then they must be left in the area designated for personal belongings. The University is not responsible for the security of any items left in the designated areas and you are advised not to bring valuable items.

You are not permitted to take any mobile phones, smart watches, tablets or any other electronic and/or internet enabled devices to your exam desk. No devices that are capable of storing data, sending or receiving communications and/or connecting to the internet are permitted.

If you do take any electronic devices with you to the exam venue, then they must be left in the area designated for personal belongings (please note that items are left at your own risk).

If you are found to be in possession of a mobile phone or other device during an exam, you will be subject to the University’s Academic Misconduct Procedure. This includes even when there is no evidence of use, or intent to use, the device.

A typical sanction for the possession of a mobile phone in an exam is a mark of ‘0’ for the exam.

Most exams are ‘closed book’ exams which means that you are not permitted any notes, books or learning materials to your exam desk.

For the small number of exams that are ‘open book’, this means that you are permitted to take any written or printed materials to your exam desk. For digital exams, ‘open book’ normally means that you are able to access any online materials that you wish to.

In some cases, you may be permitted to take a limited amount of specific notes or materials (e.g. a specific book or one sheet of notes); or for digital exams, you may be given access to a specific online resource.

Your module leader will clarify what materials you are permitted to take and what will be provided for you.

Please ensure that you check this in advance if you are unsure.

Only calculators from the following ranges are permitted for use in exams:

• Casio FX-83
• Casio FX-85

As long as your calculator has the above prefix, then it will be permitted (i.e. any letters/numbers after ‘Casio FX-83’ is acceptable e.g. Casio FX-83GTX is permitted).

No other model of calculator is permitted (e.g. Casio FX-82 or Casio FX-99 are not allowed). The calculator model must be able to be identified.

For students who started in 2022/23 or earlier:

• you will still be permitted to use the Casio FX-115 range for 2024/25.

For School of Engineering students only:

In addition to the Casio FX-83 and Casio FX-85 ranges, students based in the School of Engineering are also permitted to use the following:

• Casio FX-991 EX
• Casio FX-991 CW

(Not permitted – Casio FX-991 ES Plus)

Please note that if you already own a Casio FX-83 or Casio FX-85 then it is not essential that you purchase one of the permitted Casio FX-991 models above. Engineering exams will be designed so that any of the permitted calculators can be used.

Students from other Schools are not permitted to use Casio FX-991 calculators for any exams.

The use of paper copy bilingual dictionaries (e.g. French-English, English-German etc.) is permitted in all exams. This is other than those in which language translation itself is being assessed. ‘Learner’ dictionaries or other texts which include content other than word to word translations are not permitted.

Candidates are not permitted to use any other dictionary except where specified in the exam instructions.

It is the responsibility of each student to bring a bilingual dictionary, if they so wish. Such dictionaries must not have been annotated in any way by the candidate or by any other person. It is the responsibility of each student to ensure the dictionary is a clean copy with no notes or unauthorised content.

Invigilators:

The invigilators are there to:

• support you
• ensure that the exam runs as smoothly as possible
• make sure the exam rules and procedures are applied correctly

You must:

• always follow all the instructions given by the invigilators
• never leave your seat or the venue without an invigilator’s permission

Please raise your hand if you:

• have a query
• require another answer book/more paper
• need to visit the toilet
• are feeling unwell (or have any other issue or concern)

An invigilator will come to your desk as soon as possible.

Rough work:

All rough work should be done on the answer books/paper provided. Please draw a line through any work that is not intended for marking. You are not permitted to bring your own paper for rough work.

You should not use any correction fluids, tape or pens to erase work. Your answers should be written legibly in blue or black ink only.

You may not leave the exam venue (including for toilet visits) during the:

• first 60 minutes of your exam
• last 30 minutes of your exam

If you need to leave the exam venue temporarily (e.g. to visit the toilet), then you must be accompanied by an invigilator. Remain at your desk and raise your hand to attract an invigilator’s attention. If you leave the venue unaccompanied or without an invigilator’s permission, then you will not be permitted to re-enter.

If you finish your exam early and wish to leave (and it is not during the first 60 minutes or the last 30 minutes), please:

• remain at your desk
• raise your hand to attract an invigilator’s attention

When the invigilators announce the end of the exam, you should stop working immediately.

For written exams; 

Please enter the number of each question you have attempted in the grid (in the order in which they appear) on the front cover of your answer book or exam script cover. You should then complete the slip on the right hand side, remove the white strip covering the glue and fold down to conceal your name.

For digital exams;

You will be asked to submit your answers by navigating to the final page and clicking on ‘submit now’. You should then exit the safe exam browser as per the instruction sheet. You must not access any other programme or document after you have submitted your exam.

You should remain seated and silent until are advised that you can leave by the invigilators. Do not talk with other candidates until you are outside of the building as there may be exams continuing within the venue or in nearby rooms.

It is your responsibility to ensure:

• that your exam script (and any other material to be submitted) is completed
• that your exam script is secured correctly and is collected by the invigilators

Any used or unused exam stationery must not be removed from the exam venue under any circumstances. You must leave it on your desk so that it can be collected by the invigilators.

Most exam papers are also not permitted to be removed from the venue. The invigilators will confirm whether you are permitted to take the exam paper away with you.

If you have any complaints or concerns about the management or invigilation of your exam, please:

• complete the Exam Help Form 
• email us

To ensure that any issues can be investigated effectively, please report your complaint or concerns as soon as possible after the exam has ended.

Inspera Assessment is the University’s main digital exam system used for formal present in person secure online exams. Your module leader will inform you if you have an Inspera digital exam, but this is also indicated on your personal online exam timetable (i.e. it will state ‘Digital Inspera’ in brackets after the module code). All digital exams will be scheduled in a University PC Cluster, you do not need to bring your own laptop or device.

For all Inspera digital Exams, you will be provided with step-by-step written instructions on the day for how to access and start the exam. Make sure you know your University PC log-in details in advance. Contact the IT Service Helpdesk if you need help.

All relevant Exam Rules still apply for digital exams.

Taking an exam:

Most question types will be straightforward to navigate and answer; however, you may be asked to type an answer to a short or long essay question. There is specific guidance on the tools available within the essay question type which you should familiarise yourself with.

One of the most common concerns with typing essay answers is the possibility of losing work or overtyping. The essay question in Inspera is designed to deal with this and there is guidance on how to refer to back up versions of your answer.

Demo exam:

Inspera digital exams are accessed through Canvas. To help you prepare for your assessment, you can try out a demo exam via Canvas. Module teaching teams may also make subject specific practice exams available in your Canvas courses.

If you require support accessing these demo exams or encounter technical difficulties please email IT Servicedesk or Digital Exams.

Some of the digital exams for the School of Engineering and the School of Mathematics, Statistics & Physics use the NUMBAS digital exam platform (instead of Inspera).

Your module leader will inform you if you have a NUMBAS digital exam, but this is also indicated on your personal online exam timetable (i.e. it will state ‘Digital NUMBAS’ in brackets after the module code). All digital exams will be scheduled in a University PC Cluster, you do not need to bring your own laptop or device.

For all NUMBAS digital Exams, you will be provided with step-by-step written instructions on the day for how to access and start the exam. Make sure you know your University PC log-in details in advance. Contact the IT Service Helpdesk if you need help.

All relevant Exam Rules still apply for digital exams.

Your module leader will inform you if you have a take-home exam, but this is also indicated on your personal online exam timetable (e.g. it will state ‘24h Take Home Exam’ in brackets after the module code).

There is no requirement to download any software to take an Inspera Take Home Exam. The exam will be accessed through Canvas.

Please familiarise yourself with the Inspera Take Home Exam Student Instructions (PDF: 221KB).