Coordinating the SACE | Admin | Information sheets | 47
Previously Information sheet 47 Written examinations — invigilation instructions
Before each examination, carefully read:
- the following instructions
- the subject-specific day-by-day instructions to invigilators
On this page
Supervision
You must not invigilate any subject that you teach.
There must be at least one invigilator in each examination room throughout the examination and while any student is in the room. As an invigilator, you may be relieved from time to time, provided that there is always at least one invigilator in the room.
Students must be supervised at all times. Do not leave students or examination materials unattended.
No person other than the SACE coordinator, invigilators, an officer of the SACE Board, or students for the examination may be present in any examination room while it contains examination materials.
Teachers may not access a copy of the examination paper until the scheduled finish time for the examination.
Permitted materials
Dictionaries
The SACE Board allows students to use printed dictionaries during examinations.
Students who want to use a dictionary in their examinations must provide their own. The SACE Board will not supply dictionaries.
Schools may prefer to provide dictionaries for examinations.
Students may use printed English–English dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, and monolingual dictionaries during examinations. This use is subject to the following provisions:
- A dictionary must not contain any additional material that may provide information to help the student in the examination of the subject concerned, such as a thesaurus or maps.
- An English–English, bilingual, or monolingual dictionary must be a printed standard dictionary, not a special purpose dictionary such as a physics or chemistry dictionary.
- A dictionary used in a language examination may contain grammar sections.
Dictionaries should be inspected at the start of each examination.
Electronic dictionaries are not permitted in examinations.
Please note that the electronic examination software includes built-in access to the Collins Student's dictionary.
Notes
No notes of any kind are permitted in external examinations except for those subjects listed below:
- Essential Mathematics and General Mathematics: one unfolded A4 sheet (two sides) of notes handwritten by the student may be brought into the examination.
- Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics: two unfolded A4 sheets (four sides) of notes handwritten by the student may be brought into the examination.
Calculator manuals are not permitted in examinations; however, difficult key sequences may be included in the handwritten notes for mathematics subjects.
Notes should not be placed in plastic sleeves. Any plastic sleeves must be removed before the notes are used in the examination. It is preferable that notes are not laminated.
Check any notes before they are used in the examination to ensure they meet the subject specifications.
Calculators
Refer to the subject-specific day-by-day instructions to invigilators for information relating to the use of calculators in external examinations. For general information about the use of calculators, see Information sheet 49.
Mathematical stencils
A number of stencils with mathematical formulae printed on them are available from commercial sources. Although these are not considered to give any specific advantage to students, the following stencils have been approved for use in examinations:
- Mathaid
- MULTIRULE
- Super Rule 2000
- MATHOMAT V2.
Students who want to use other mathematical stencils in examinations must get written approval from the SACE Board. Applications for such approval should be accompanied by a photocopy of the relevant stencil. Students must bring the letter of approval to the examination.
Computers in external examinations for mathematics subjects
A specific set of invigilators’ instructions will be provided to schools that have elected to use computers in external examinations for mathematics subjects.
Before students enter the examination room
You should receive from the SACE coordinator:
- a copy of the subject-specific day-by-day instructions to invigilators for the particular examination
- materials as specified in the day-by-day instructions to invigilators
- student name labels and SACE registration number labels
- a CD/MP3 and CD/MP3 , where necessary
- the examination attendance roll
- instructions for the administration of approved special provisions (if any)
- emergency contact details for contacting the SACE coordinator and the principal or the principal’s delegate during the examination.
Check that you have:
- the correct question booklets for the particular examination and that there are sufficient copies for the number of students expected
- all other examination materials, as specified in the day-by-day instructions to invigilators.
Note any special arrangements, as specified in the day-by-day instructions to invigilators.
Contact the SACE coordinator immediately if there are insufficient copies of the question booklets or other examination materials.
Distribution of labels
Distribute the student name labels and SACE registration number labels.
A pair of labels is provided for each student for each examination.
A student name label shows the student’s name and SACE registration number. This is used to identify the desk in the examination room where the student is to sit. It is not to be attached to examination material sent to the SACE Board.
A SACE registration number label shows the student’s SACE registration number, the name of the subject, and some batching information (SEQ and BIN) (see the example below). The student must attach the SACE registration number label to either a question booklet or a script book, as instructed on the front cover of the first (or only) question booklet.
Before students enter the room:
- attach a student name label either to each desk or to a card that is then placed on each desk
- place a SACE registration number label — intact — on each desk for students to attach to a question booklet or script book when instructed to do so. Seating should be in numerical order.
Admitting students to the examination room
Distribute all materials except for the question booklets. Approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled start time for the examination given in the day-by-day instructions to invigilators, allow the students to enter the room. Read aloud the relevant instructions from the day-by-day instructions to invigilators.
All students must bring their examination attendance slip to each examination. If any student is unknown to you, ask them to provide either their examination attendance slip or other suitable identification.
Should you have any concerns, contact the SACE coordinator, the principal, or the principal’s delegate.
When students have entered the examination room
There are a number of announcements that you must make before, during, and after the examination. Before starting the examination, read aloud the relevant instructions from the day-by-day instructions to invigilators. In addition:
- collect any prohibited materials (e.g. paper, notes, smart watches, or mobile phones) that students may inadvertently have brought into the examination room
- circulate the examination attendance roll. The names are in numerical sequence on the roll, which should match the order in which students are seated
- ensure that all students sign this copy of the roll, which will be returned to the SACE Board with the examination booklets
- clearly indicate absentees on the roll with a red ‘A’. Do not rule a line through the names of absent students
- check any dictionaries and remove any notes that may be inside the pages
- ensure that students have turned off their watch alarms.
Distribution of question booklets
Before starting the examination and after reading aloud the relevant instructions from the day-by-day instructions to invigilators:
- open the sealed package and distribute the question booklets about 5 minutes before the scheduled start time for the examination. Question booklets should not be distributed to any person other than a student sitting the examination
- ensure that all students attach their SACE registration number label to the correct question booklet or script book. When there is more than one book, students should copy the information from their SACE registration number label into the appropriate places on each question booklet and script book
- ensure that students write the brand and model of their graphics calculator in the box at the bottom of the script(s) for mathematics examinations.
Any student for whom there is no SACE registration number label should also write his or her SACE registration number in the box where the number label would have been attached.
Checking for missing questions or pages, or unintentional blank pages
Ensure that the students check through their question booklets for any missing questions or pages. All pages in an examination booklet are numbered, using ‘page X of Y’ to indicate the page number and the total number of pages in the booklet.
Note: on right-hand pages, a statement is provided to remind students to turn the page over.
Starting the examination
At the scheduled start time stated in the day-by-day instructions to invigilators, tell the students that the time for the examination has begun.
During the examination
| You should: | You should not: |
|---|---|
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*You should respond as follows to any such enquiries: ‘Use your own judgment when answering that question’. |
Late arrival of students at the examination room
Students are expected to arrive at the examination room in sufficient time to be able to begin the examination at the scheduled start time. For various reasons, a student may arrive late for an examination. For any student who arrives late, immediately contact the SACE coordinator, the principal, or the principal’s delegate, who will advise you of the appropriate protocols.
For any student who arrives late, and where the principal or the principal’s delegate has recommended that the student be admitted to the examination room:
- record the student’s time of arrival on the examination attendance roll
- highlight and sign the progress made by the student in all sections of the examination at the scheduled finish time
- allow the student to have the full scheduled time for the examination.
For external examinations that require students to complete a listening component, the SACE coordinator or principal’s delegate will advise you of the appropriate protocols.
Early departure of students from the examination room
Students are not permitted to leave the examination room before 40 minutes has elapsed from the scheduled start time for the examination.
Students who leave the examination room before the scheduled finish time for the examination must not remove any examination materials from the examination room. They must hand all materials to you.
Students who are sick during an examination
Students who become ill and miss a small portion of an examination should be allowed extra time at the end of the examination to make up the time they have missed. Provide the SACE coordinator with the following information at the end of the examination:
- the time at which the student left the examination room and the time at which he or she returned
- how the student was supervised when he or she was outside the examination room
- which question the student was answering when he or she became ill
- the nature and severity of the sickness, and the action that was taken
- observations of the student’s condition for the rest of the examination.
Emergencies
If the entire group is disrupted by an emergency (e.g. evacuation because of a fire), let the SACE coordinator know immediately, and seek advice on the action to be taken.
Students must be supervised and must not communicate with each other while they are outside the examination room. If the examination can continue, students should be allowed, after the scheduled finish time of the examination, to make up the time missed.
Provide the SACE coordinator with all relevant information (i.e. the time and nature of the disruption, its effect on the students, and any time after the scheduled finish time provided to students to make up for time missed).
Absentees
Complete an absentee notice for each student who is absent, including any student known to have withdrawn from the subject but whose name is still on the attendance roll.
Attach the SACE registration number label to the absentee notice, or write on all details from the SACE registration number label.
Mark the examination attendance roll with a red ‘A’ (in place of the student’s signature) against the SACE registration numbers of absent students. Do not rule a line through the names of absent students.
Breach of rules
Report any unforeseen activity or any irregularity on the part of a student to the SACE coordinator as soon as possible. If the circumstances represent a breach of rules, complete Form 2 and give it to the SACE coordinator. Do not include such information with the examination materials.
End of the examination
At the end of the writing time specified on the front cover of the examination, read aloud the relevant instructions from the day-by-day instructions to invigilators.
Students should place any extra books used, and any multiple-choice answer sheets, inside the back cover of the question booklet or script book to which they have attached their SACE registration number label.
Where a student does not attempt a section(s) or question(s) that requires a separate question booklet(s) or script book(s), they must write ‘BLANK’ on the cover of the question booklet or script book before handing it in.
For students who arrived late and were given approval to continue writing beyond the scheduled finish time of the examination, indicate the progress that they have made at the scheduled finish time by highlighting what has been completed by that time. Sign each highlighted section.
Before any students leave, collect all examination materials in numerical sequence. Check that all of the examination materials and scribbling paper have been collected.
Complete, as applicable, forms for providing feedback on the use of approved special provisions.
After the examination
Place the students’ question booklets, script books, and so on, in numerical order, with the absentee notices (with the SACE registration number label attached) in their correct positions within the bundle.
Where students were present but did not attempt any answers, ensure that any question booklets / script books for these students are marked with the word ‘BLANK’ in bold letters on the front cover, before inserting these in the correct sequence in the bundle.
Clearly label any question booklet / script book received from a student whose name and SACE registration number are not recorded on the examination attendance roll and place it on top of the bundle of script books / question booklets. Add the student’s name and SACE registration number to the examination attendance roll.
Check the bundle of question booklets / script books and absentee notices against the examination attendance roll and sign the copy of the examination attendance roll that was signed by the students.
Return the question booklets / script books and the examination attendance roll to the SACE coordinator.