This guide supplies a brief overview of areas to be considered by private candidates.

What is a Private Candidate?

A private candidate (may also be referred to as an external candidate) is normally a student studying for a qualification who is not enrolled at an approved exam centre for that qualification. The candidate may be home educated, being privately tutored, following a distance learning course or for some other reason is not enrolled at an approved exam centre for that qualification.

A private candidate is responsible for finding a centre willing to make exam entries on his/her behalf and to accommodate his/her exams.

What Exam Boards Will We Accept?

  • AQA
  • Pearson/Edexcel
  • OCR
  • WJEC
  • Oxford Admissions Tests

Awarding Body Timetables

What Exams Can We Accommodate?

We are happy to consider all exams with the exam boards noted above, however, if there is a Practical Endorsement or a Non-Examination Assessment, we reserve the right to decline due to suitable staff availability.

In case of a MFL (Modern Foreign Languages) speaking element, the candidate must be available to attend our Centre at the specific appointment time to meet with the examiner; this element of the exam must be conducted face to face, on school premises and at the time specified.

What if There are Specific Exam Access Arrangements?

If there is a Special Educational Need (SEN) that requires additional support, we will discuss these needs and make the necessary arrangements – this is called an Exam Access Arrangement (A.A).

If a candidate requires a 1:1 Reader, Scribe or Prompter, this will be determined by our availability as to whether we can provide this service; Medical and/or Educational evidence will be required to confirm the need for the exam provision and will be subject to approval by the Exam Boards before we can implement any arrangement.

What Facilities Do We Offer?

All our exam venues are staffed and monitored by fully authorised DBS cleared Invigilators that are trained in accordance with the requirements of the JCQ – Instructions for Conducting Examinations (ICE) and JCQ General Regulations for Approved Centres (GR).

  • Main Venue seating –max. capacity room size – 40, 90 or 200 students + up to 9 Invigilators.
  • SEN venue seating (depending on need) –max. capacity room size – 6, 8, 11 students + up to 2 Invigilators.
  • Confidential venue Seating – Max. capacity room size – 3 persons + Invigilator
  • Individual venue seating – Student + Invigilator (+ A.A Qualified persons, if needed)

On the Day of Your Exam

When you arrive to sit your exam, make sure you have the following essential items with you, as you will need them to take the test.

  • A valid photo ID.
  • Black ink pens
  • Pencils and rubbers, as well as a sharpener and/or extra lead for mechanical pencils
  • A transparent pencil case or transparent plastic bag
  • A CLEAR bottle of water
  • A calculator
  • If taking a Maths GCSE, bring the required equipment, such as a compass and/or protractor.

You may not use blue ink, highlighters, or Tippex on your exam papers. You should also ensure that you turn off your smartwatch and mobile phone and put them in your bag – if they ring or vibrate, you could be disqualified. If you can leave them at home or in the car, even better!

Fees

We charge a Disbursement Fee per exam, of £150, (payable to Cumbria Education Trust), in addition to the Exam Board Entry fee(s) to cover our costs for Invigilation, use of Venue and administering your entry.

Additional Information