General Regulations for Approved Centres, 1 September 2020

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General Regulations for Approved Centres, 1 September 2020 General Regulations for Approved Centres 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021 For the attention of heads of centre, senior leaders within schools and colleges and examination officers. Produced on behalf of: ©JCQCIC 2020 First published in 2020 by Joint Council for QualificationsCIC Ground Floor 4 Millbank London SW1P 3JA Available in pdf format from: https://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/general-regulations An interactive version of this booklet is also available via the Centre Admin Portal (CAP). i Contents 1 About these regulations ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������1 2 Who must read these regulations? ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������3 3 The agreement between centres and awarding bodies ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4 Prospective centres ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4 Centre status ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 4 Confidentiality ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������5 Retention of candidates’ work �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������6 Communication ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������6 4 The responsibilities of awarding bodies ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������7 Administrative support for centres ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������7 Reporting results �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������7 Feedback to centres ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������8 Subject-specific support for centres �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������8 5 The responsibilities of centres �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������9 Centre management ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������9 Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������11 Entries �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������12 Centre assessed work �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������13 Candidate information ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������14 Conducting examinations and assessments ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������14 Malpractice ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������15 Results ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������15 Post-results services and appeals...................................................................................................................................................................................16 Certificates ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������16 6 Personal data, freedom of information and copyright ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������17 Personal data ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������17 Freedom of information ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������18 Copyright ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������18 7 Contacts �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������20 ii 1 About these regulations 1.1 These regulations have been produced to ensure that the integrity and security of the examination/assessment system is always maintained and is not brought into disrepute. The regulations adhere to the requirements of the qualification regulators in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. 1.2 Centres should note that any reference to ‘JCQ’ or ‘Joint Council for Qualifications’ within this booklet should be read as JCQCIC or the Joint Council for QualificationsCIC. 1.3 Heads of centre, members of senior leadership teams and exam office personnelmust familiarise themselves with the entire contents of this booklet. 1.4 Changes made to the contents of this booklet since the previous version (1 September 2019 to 31 August 2020) are highlighted for easy identification. 1.5 The General regulations cover: a) the agreement between centres and awarding bodies (Section 3); b) the responsibilities of awarding bodies in providing administrative, subject- specific assessment and quality assurance support for centres (Section 4); c) the responsibilities of centres during preparations for examinations/assessments and post-examination/assessment activities (Section 5); d) obligations arising from current data protection, equality and freedom of information legislation. (Note, however, that centres should not just rely on the General regulations to ensure compliance with the legislation.) (Section 6). A centre will have confirmed its readiness to adhere to these regulations when first approved as a centre (see paragraphs 3.2-3.4). 1.6 These regulations apply to the following qualifications and may also apply to other qualifications as specified by an awarding body: • AEA • AQA Applied General qualifications • AQA Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 Technical qualifications • BTEC qualifications (BTEC Firsts, BTEC Level 2 Technicals, BTEC Nationals, BTEC Tech Awards) • Cambridge Nationals • Cambridge Technicals • CCEA Level 1 and Level 2 General qualifications • CCEA Level 3 Awards • Edexcel Awards • Edexcel International GCSE • ELC • FSMQ • GCE • GCSE • OCR Level 3 Certificates • Projects (including the Extended Project) • WJEC Level 1 and Level 2 General qualifications • WJEC Level 1 and Level 2 Vocational Awards and Certificates • WJEC Level 3 Applied Certificates, Diplomas and Extended Diplomas 1 1.7 Centres must conduct examinations and assessments in accordance with the General regulations and,
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