An exam clash occurs when you have two or more examinations timetabled in the same session or multiple examinations timetabled for the same day. These clashes are inevitable because of the size and complexity of the examination timetable.
The Regulations
The resolution of clashes is determined by JCQ, the examinations regulator, in their instructions for conduction examinations.
If you have “two or more examinations in a session and the total time is three hours or less”, then you will be expected to sit the papers in one session. You will be given a supervised break of no more than twenty minutes between papers within a session.
The order in which papers are sat is decided by factors such as the number of candidates and the length of the papers. If there is a listening or speaking component for an examination (e.g. Languages or Music), that examination should be sat with the rest of the candidates in its timetabled session and the other examination completed later in the same session.
However, if you are “are taking two or more papers timetabled in a session and the total time is more than three hours including extra time and/or supervised rest breaks”, you may take an “examination in a later or earlier session within the same day”.
If you need to sit an examination earlier or later than the published time, you will have to follow the School’s “quarantine” procedures.
Resolved Clashes
You will a “default” timetable in December with the generic start times issued by the awarding bodies. This is a good opportunity to check you have been entered for the correct components.
The clashes are resolved in your “official” timetable which is issued in February for the summer series.
For more information, read our guide to understanding your exam timetable.
Quarantine
When it comes to exam time, the security of the paper must always be maintained. If your exam has been moved to a different session within the same day, you will be supervised by a member of staff or an invigilator under our quarantine conditions.
Supervision normally takes place in a quiet room where you can revise using your own resources. However, you must not:
- Be in possession of a mobile phone or any other electronic communication or storage device.
- Have access to the internet.
- Have contact with any candidate who has already sat the examination they are due to take.
- Be coached by a member of centre staff.
Make sure you bring a packed lunch because access to the canteen may be limited.
Overnight Supervision
Overnight supervision arrangements are only applied as a last resort once all other options to accommodate the exams on the timetabled day have been exhausted.
If all exams are taken on the same day, we can apply for special consideration for the last exam you sit.
External Examination Timetables
Timetables are regulated by the awarding bodies, and you must attend on the given date and time. If you want to plan ahead, CCEA and the other examination boards publish draft and final versions timetables at least a year before the start date. You can find the links on our external examination timetables page.
