Exam Information
Policies
Information for Students
Students will receive a Statement of Entry and an Individual Candidate Timetable. Students must check these very carefully to ensure that their entries are correct. If students have any queries regarding their entries, they should speak to the subject teacher/subject head and for any exam organisation queries, please speak to the Exams Officer.
By being entered for formal exams, students agree to abide by the regulations of the exam boards. Copies of the current Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) regulations are shown below. Students must read these carefully and note that any break in examination rules or regulations could lead to disqualification of some or all qualifications. The school must report any breach of regulations to the relevant awarding body.
Exams cannot be rescheduled. Medical evidence will be required from a doctor or hospital if students are too unwell to attend an exam. If they are delayed or unable to attend an exam through illness, they must contact the absence line immediately and get a message to the Exams Officer.
If any problems arise during the exam season, students should speak to the appropriate person as soon as possible:
Exams Officer: [email protected]
Exam Contingency dates for 2024 are:
Thursday 6th June - half day
Thursday 13th June - half day
Wednesday 26th June - whole day
JCQ Preparing to sit your exams
Information for candidates Privacy Notice 22-23
IFC Coursework Assessments 2023
IFC On-Screen Examinations 2023
Y11 February Mock Exams
Week 1
Date | Morning Session – 9:00am Start 8: 40 on Astro | Duration | Afternoon Session – 13:00pm Start 12:50pm on Astro | Duration |
Monday 5 Feb | Statistic – Paper 1 | 90 mins | History – Paper 2 | 105 mins |
Tuesday 6 Feb | Maths Paper 1 | 90 mins | Spanish Listening F- 35min, H 45min Spanish Reading F – 45mins, H 60mins Hospitality & Catering – 80mins | F- 35min, H 45min F – 45mins, H 60mins 60 mins 80 mins |
Wednesday 7 Feb | English Literature | 135 mins | Computer Science – Paper 1 Music H&SC Sport Science | 90 mins 90 mins 120 mins 75 mins |
Thursday 8 Feb | Science Combined Biology | 70 mins 105 mins | Geography – Paper 1 | 90 mins |
Friday 9 Feb | English Language – 105mins | 105 mins | Y11 Science Combined Chemistry | 70 mins 105 mins |
Half Term |
Week 2
Day/Date | Morning Session – 9:00am Start 8: 40 on Astro | Duration | Afternoon Session – 13:00pm Start 12:50pm on Astro | Duration |
Monday 19 Feb | Statistics – Paper 2 Religious Studies – Paper 1 | 90 mins 90 mins | Drama Further Maths | 105 mins 105 mins |
Tuesday 20 Feb | History (paper 3) | 80 mins | Geography | Paper 2 – 30 mins Paper 3 – 53 mins |
Wednesday 21 Feb | Spanish writing | F – 60 mins H – 75 mins | Maths Paper 2 | 90 mins |
Thursday 22 Feb | Science Combined Physics | 70 mins 105 mins | Computer Science Paper 2 Exam catch up session | 90 mins |
Friday 23 Feb | Maths Paper 3 | 90 mins | Enterprise & Marketing (Business) Exam catch up session | 75 mins |
Week 3: Coursework Dropdown days
Week 3 | Classrooms/dropdown days | Classrooms/Dropdown days |
Monday 26 Feb | 11C/Bs1 Lesson (Lessons 1-4) 11C/DT Lesson (Lessons 1-4) | 11B/Bs1 11B/ Bs2 (Lessons 5,6 7) |
Tuesday 27 Feb | 11B/Bs1, 11B/Bs2 (Lessons 1-4) 11B/Po1 (Lessons 1-4) | 11A/Dt1 (Lessons – 5,6,7) 11A/Ad (Lessons – 5,6,7) 11A/Po1 (Lessons – 5,6,7) |
Wednesday 28 Feb | 11C/Bs1 (Lessons 1-3) | |
Thursday 29 Feb | 11B/Dr (4 students) (Lessons 1-4) 11D/SS1 (lessons 1 -4) | |
Friday 1 March | 11D/Mu1 Lessons 1-3 | |
Subject revision sessions
Day | Subject | Location |
Monday | English History Maths (foundation) and Statistics | AG4 & AG1 AF10 AF3 |
Tuesday | Drama Business Further Maths Geography | TF4 TF6 TF2 |
Wednesday (depending on staff meetings) | Art/Photo/Food | B-Wing |
Thursday | Music Spanish Sport Science | AG10 AF1 DC1 |
Friday | Maths (higher) | TF5 |
Y11 academic club timetable
Sessions run from 3:15-4pm
You are there to work hard
Your teachers will be delighted to see you attend – every club you attend and try your best in moves you up the line of 750,000 Y11 students
Letter to parents
Dear Year 11 families,
We hope this letter finds you well. Year 11 will be performing their mock exams between Monday 5th – Friday 23rd February. The mock period will include an additional week of drop-down sessions specifically for them to complete final improvements on their coursework-based subjects, which will take place on the week commencing 26th February. Please see the mock timetable at the end of this letter to see which exams your child will be performing. Your child will receive an individual mock schedule which details information on each exam, including where they will be seated for each mock. Year 11 students are encouraged to keep this safe so they can refer to their schedule throughout the mock period.
Please support your child in attending and being punctual to school each day during the mock period. This will ensure exams start and end on time and give all students the best chance of being successful. We expect all students to be fully equipped for each mock exam.
Students should have a clear pencil case which includes:
- At least 2 black pens
- A pencil
- A pencil sharpener
- A rubber
- (A scientific) calculator
- Protractor
- Ruler
- Compass
We continue to value your support during an important year for your child. Below are some ways to best prepare your child for their mock exams:
- Familiarise yourself with the mock timetable.
- Speak with your child about their revision, both at school and home, ensuring they have an ambitious yet realistic revision schedule.
- Ensure your child maintains a healthy diet and gets enough rest each day.
- Check in with your child about how they are feeling and dealing with their exam schedule.
Please get in touch with the Year 11 team if you have any questions or require any support during the mock period. We wish your child every success in their mock exams and look forward to overseeing how this best prepares them for the national exams this summer.
Best wishes,
Nathan Richardson
Assistant Principal for Raising Attainment
Support for Parents
Mock Exams
At John Cabot Academy, we give all our Year 10 and 11 students an opportunity to sit mock exams in ‘formal’ exam conditions to ensure they are well prepared for the whole exam experience. This helps students overcome their anxieties about working for a sustained period in the exam hall and understand the pressures that they may face in their ‘real’ exams.
Access Arrangements and Special Consideration
If a student’s normal way of working in class involves additional support, they should be eligible for Exam Access Arrangements to be put in place for their official exams. If the student goes through difficult personal circumstances during the exams, Special Consideration may also be applied for.
The following links outline the most common Exam Access Arrangements that can be put in place for exam candidates and the Special Consideration process.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I have an exam clash?
Depending on the total length of the exams, arrangements will be made for you to take the exams one after the other, either in the morning or afternoon session. You will be supervised between the exams as you will still be in exam conditions.
What happens if I have an appointment on the same day as an exam?
You will need to change the appointment! Exams must happen on the date and time specified by the exam board.
What if the fire alarm sounds?
You will be instructed by the invigilator to stop writing and close your exam paper and answer booklet. You will remain seated and in silence. If you are instructed to evacuate the room, you must do so in silence and follow the instructions of the invigilator. Once you are re-seated, the exam will restart and you will be given the full working time set for the examination. The examination board will also be informed of the events.
What happens if I fall ill during an exam?
If you feel unwell during an exam, raise your hand and wait for an invigilator to come to you. You may be able to be given a supervised rest and to discuss your options with school staff.
What if I need special consideration?
The school can request special consideration in exceptional circumstances. Please talk to your teacher, tutor or the Exams Officer for information or advice.
Collecting GCSE Examination Results
GCSE results will be available to collect from the Academy on GCSE results day between 9am – 10am.
Post results services
We hope you will be pleased with your results. However, should you have any concerns, we encourage you to discuss them with the Exams Officer, a teacher, head of department or the Careers Officer. We will be able to advise on your options and next steps. This might include explaining how your grade was reached, requesting a review of marking, explaining options for re-sits and finally the possibility of asking us to appeal your result.
The PRS form below relates to post-results services that the exam boards offer, such as:
- clerical checks (checking all parts of the script have been marked, the totalling & recording of marks)
- reviews of marking (a post-results review of the original marking to ensure the mark scheme has been applied correctly)
- access to exam scripts (e.g. accessing copies of exam scripts to determine whether or not to request reviews of marking)
Before we can request any of these services on your behalf, you must sign and return the form to us, confirming that you understand that grades are not protected, meaning a grade could go down, stay the same or increase as a result of a review. Fees also apply for many of the services, payable per paper rather than per subject, and are listed in the document below.
22-23 Summer Post results services deadlines fees and charges