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Exam information

General Exam Information

In addition to the information on this page, you must ensure you read the following documents –

The above can also be found on the exams noticeboard outside each Exams Office. You must regularly check your ProPortal for your exam details, including your room and seat. If you believe you should have been entered for an exam that is not showing, please contact the relevant Exams Office immediately. If you are unsure how to access ProPortal follow the How to Access ProPortal guidance in the Information to Candidates section of this page; if you need to reset your password to this system please contact itservicedesk@hsdc.ac.uk.

Timings

Generally, exams start at 9.00am for morning sessions and 1.30pm for afternoon sessions, however some start at different times but in all cases your start time will be showing on your ProPortal. You must check you have been entered for all the exams and tiers you are expecting.

You must arrive at the exam room a minimum of 15 minutes before the start time. We would advise you to be at college 30 minutes before the exam start time. Room and seat information will be showing in ProPortal, we advise you check this on the day in case there are any late changes to rooms.

Alton Campus – Displayed on the notice board in the Student Hub.

Havant Campus – Displayed on statement of entry.

South Downs Campus – Displayed on the TV screen opposite the Exams Office.

Clashes

If you have two or more exams in different subjects scheduled for the same time, one of these will be rescheduled either to follow on from each other or moved to the morning/afternoon session as appropriate.  You will be notified separately of any clashes you have, including all information and regulations you must abide by.

Photographic ID

Photographic ID must be shown to the invigilator before the start of the exam, so ensure you have your student ID with you to every exam. Other forms of acceptable ID include driving licence and passport.

Illness and travel delays

If you are delayed due to transport, the weather or you are ill and unable to attend, then you must contact the relevant Exams Office as soon as possible.

Equipment and unauthorised materials

Only see-through plastic bags/pencil cases are permitted for any equipment you require including black pens, pencils, rubbers, calculators, protractor, compass, ruler, highlighters etc. Pencil cases are not to have any images or text even if they are see-through.

Mobile phones/smart watches/iPlayers/MP3 or any other electronic device must be switched off and not on silent, all wrist watches must be removed.  All of these items, including headphones must be placed in your bag, in your locker or not brought to the exam room.

Check you do not have any last minute revision notes in your pockets, as the exam board will class this as unauthorised materials.

Exam board regulations state; possession of unauthorised material is breaking the rules, even if you do not intend to use it and you will be subject to penalty and possible disqualification.

Access arrangements

Any approved access arrangements will show on your timetable, if you believe you are entitled to access arrangements in your exams and these are not showing on ProPortal or are not sure if these are in place, you will need to check with the Study Centre at the Havant and South Downs campuses or directly with Additional Learning Support at Alton.  You can also ask your teacher to refer you for an assessment through the College Staff Advantage system.

Please be aware that some students may need to make alternative travel arrangements on exam days because there are some college buses that do not arrive at college until after 9am. You may need to ask a parent/carer or a friend for a lift, or you could try taking an earlier bus, or the train.

The following bus services will not arrive to HSDC until after 9am, so please have an alternative way of coming to college on any exam days:

Alton Campus
13, 23X, 37X, 38, 65X

Havant Campus
SD4, SD5, 737
654 – This service will arrive at the Havant Campus at approximately 09.01am

South Downs Campus
SD4, SD5, SD7, 737
654 – This service will arrive at the South Downs Campus at approximately 08.52am

If you need any assistance, please contact:

Exams Office

Student Travel & Support

Inside the exam room

As soon as you enter the room and until you are permitted to leave, you are subject to the exam board regulations and must follow instructions given to you by invigilators or exams staff, any breach of these may results in your disqualification.

Check you have the correct question paper (subject & tier). Read all the instructions on the front of the question paper carefully. Any questions, raise your hand and an invigilator will come to you.

If you finish before the end, check your answers and that you have answered the correct questions as per the instructions. Remain in silence at all times and do not try to communicate with any other candidates.

Do not use any correcting fluid or gel pens on your answers. Highlighter may be used on the questions but not on your answers.  All rough notes must be done in your answer or question/answer book and neatly crossed through to indicate they are rough notes.

Cold non-fizzy drinks are permitted but you must remove all labels and the bottle is see-through. Reusable bottles must be see-through and have no images or text.

If the fire alarm sounds during the exam, remain seated in silence and listen to the instructions given by the invigilator. You will remain under exam conditions during this time.

Leaving the exam room

You will not be permitted to leave the room before the end of the exam; this is College policy. When you are permitted to leave, please do so in silence as there could be other candidates still working. If you have a clash do not leave your seat until you are collected by a member of staff to be supervised between exams. Failure to do so can result in your script not being accepted by the exam board or even disqualification.

Illness and special consideration

If you miss a paper through illness, you need to inform the relevant Exams Office immediately for advice. If you feel unwell during the exam raise your hand and the invigilator will assist you.  Special consideration can be applied in certain circumstances that affect a candidate’s performance on the day of the exam, fill in the HSDC Special Consideration Application Student form in the download section of this page or contact the Exams Office for advice.  Applications have to be approved by the Principal and we may contact you for more information if required.

You can speak to someone in the Alton exams office –

In-person – visit them in Room 39A near Reception

Phone – 01420 592200 and ask to speak to the exams office

Email – exams.alton@hsdc.ac.uk 

You can speak to someone in the Havant exams office –

In-person – visit them in room 316 on the first floor of the Sports Hall block

Phone – 023 9279 7995

Email – exams.havant@hsdc.ac.uk 

You can speak to someone in the South Downs exams office –

In-person – visit them in room 63 next to the Courtyard Cafe

Phone – 023 9279 7995

Email – exams.southdowns@hsdc.ac.uk 

Q. I haven’t got a passport or driving license – will I still be able to sit my exam?
A. It is generally best to bring your college ID card for your exams, although you can use any photo ID which is ‘in date’ in order to sit your exam. The only exception to this is certain professional boards that require specific forms of ID – you will be informed if this is the case in advance.

Q. I don’t know my candidate number; how will I know where to sit?
A. Your candidate number can be found on ProPortal. If you still cannot find this, you can find this out when you get into the exam room. Desks will be laid out in numerical order from front to the back.

Q. I had access arrangements at school but don’t know whether the College knows about these, what should I do?
A. In the first instance, you should speak to your tutor, who will complete the relevant paperwork and set up a meeting with Additional Support. However, please don’t leave this until a week before your exam as we may not be able to accommodate arrangements – you should do this as early in the year as possible so that Additional Support and Examinations can make the necessary arrangements. You can also go to Additional Support in person.

Q. I don’t know which room my exam is in, where can I find out?
A. Rooms and seat information will be in ProPortal and you should check this on the day of your exam in case of any late changes.

Q. I took an exam at college a couple of weeks ago, when should I expect my results?
A. For GCSE, A Level, BTEC and CTEC results, please see the main website for dates and times. For all other exam boards, we usually expect results within four to six weeks from completion of the exam. However, some online exam results are sent much quicker than this. As soon as we have received results they will be uploaded to ProPortal.

Q. I don’t think my grade is correct/I don’t think this was marked correctly. How do I go about getting the paper re-marked?
A. Information regarding appeals will be available on the Exams Results & Certificate Information page on the website. There will also be a link on ProPortal.

Q. I would like to re-sit an exam; how do I sort this out?
A. You will need to collect an Exam Entry Form from the Examinations Office or download from this page. Completed forms and payment must be received by the deadline stated, as exam boards will charge late fees which you will have to pay in addition to the entry fee.

Q. When will I receive my certificates?
A. Please check the Exams Results & Certificate Information page for up-to-date information on when certificates are available to be collected.

Q. I have changed my address, what do I do?
A. You must notify us as soon as possible and before certificates are sent if you change your address. Email customerservices@hsdc.ac.uk with your up-to-date address.

Q. I have not received my certificate(s) or there is an error on my certificate(s).
A. If you have not received or there is an error on your certificate(s) please contact the relevant Exams Office immediately on receipt of your certificate. If you have not contacted the office within six months of the end of your course you may be charged a fee by the exam boards.

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