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Examinations
The Examinations Officer is Mrs Carol-Anne Lale, contactable by email c.lale@palladianacademytrust.com or telephone 01225 838014.
External Summer Exams
Summer exams will take place between 8 May - 24 June 2025
The Joint Council of Qualifications (JCQ) have released their key dates for 2025 and have set the following contingency dates:
Wednesday 11 June 2025 – afternoon session
Wednesday 25 June 2025 – morning and afternoon sessions
Contingency days are put in place to allow resilience in the exam timetable, helping to ensure the exam series runs smoothly in the event of national or significant local disruption to exams. Students are advised to stay available up to and including Wednesday 25 June should an awarding body need to invoke its contingency plan.
Once exam entries have been made, students will be issued with their individual timetables. These should be carefully checked and any issues reported to the exams office immediately. Occasionally exam clashes can occur when two or more exams are scheduled for the same session. There is no need to notify us of these clashes as they will be routinely resolved and students advised.
External examinations are conducted under formal examination conditions using the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) regulations. Students should familiarise themselves with the information within the candidate handbook issued with candidate timetable and JCQ publications shown as links under Information for Candidates below. The awarding bodies take the security and integrity of external examinations very seriously. The handbook and the JCQ publications give students guidance on examination procedures and thereby eliminating possibilities of any suspected candidate malpractice arising in external exams which could lead to penalties and potential disqualification.
Ofqual Student Guide to Exams and Assessments in 2025
Ofqual has produced a guide providing students with information about arrangements for the qualifications we regulate. It explains what you need to know before, during and after your exams and assessments, with information about when assessments will happen, how to prepare, things you must not during an exam, when you can expect your results and what you can do if you think there is a mistake in your results.
Ofqual have produced a number of documents to help students prepare for their assessments.
Information for candidates
The following information is issued by the Joint Council for Qualifications and should be read and understood by students taking external examinations.
Information for candidates - Written Examinations
Information for candidates - Onscreen Tests
Information for candidates - Non Examination Assessment
Information for candidates - Coursework
AI in Assessments - A quick guide for students
Internal Appeals Procedure
Our internal appeals procedure covering internally assessed marks and post results services has recently been updated. Internal Appeals Procedure Policy
On Exam Day
Candidates must arrive on time.
Should you experience problems on your journey to any of your exams e.g. you are unwell or delayed, please contact the Exams Officer on 01225 838014. If we are unavailable to take your call, please leave a message including your name and telephone number in case we need to call you back.
If you arrive late, but before the published start time, go to your exam venue. You may be asked to report to the Exam Officer if your absence has already been reported.
If you arrive after the published start time you must report to the Exam Officer in the first instance and will be taken to your exam venue.
In exceptional circumstances If you do arrive later than 1 hour past the starting time:
- you will be allowed to sit the exam only at the discretion of the Exams Officer.
- a full written report will be sent to the awarding body.
- you will be advised that the awarding body may not accept your work.
Illness or absence
Illness and other absences must be reported to the Exams Officer prior to the exam beginning. A parent/carer must ring the exam officer on 01225 838014 if for any reason you are unable to attend your exam and advise her accordingly. This action should be taken before your exam takes place.
In the event of illness during your exam you must advise the invigilator at the time of your exam.
Special consideration
Special consideration is a post-examination adjustment to a candidate’s mark or grade. This is to reflect temporary illness, temporary injury or some other event outside of a candidate’s control at the time of the assessment. For further details, please see a guide to the special consideration process
JCQ A Guide to the Special Considerations ProcessYou must tell an invigilator at the time of your exam if you feel unwell or experience any other circumstances that affect your performance. You will be asked to complete a special considerations request form if you meet the eligibility criteria.
If you have been absent from an examination due to illness you will be asked to complete a JCQ/ME Form 14 and return it to the exam officer with supporting evidence.
Results Days Summer 2025
A level - 14 August 2025
GCSE - 21 August 2025
Internal Mock Exams
Internal mock examinations will be conducted under formal examination conditions using the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) regulations for students to experience the expectations for external exams. Students should familiarise themselves with the information within the candidate handbook issued with candidate timetables and JCQ publications shown as links under Information for Candidates below. The awarding bodies take the security and integrity of external examinations very seriously. The handbook and the JCQ publications give students guidance on examination procedures and thereby eliminating possibilities of any suspected candidate malpractice arising in external exams which could lead to penalties and potential disqualification.
Dates:
Year 12 Mocks: 7 - 11 July 2025
2025 Candidate Handbook Year 12/13 Mocks
External Examinations and Assessments 2024-25
Details of the courses, specification codes and awarding bodies for 2024-25 are shown below.
Certificates
You are strongly advised to make every effort to collect your certificates. Your certificates are valuable documents. Valuable in the sense that replacements can cost up to £50 per certificate but also as they are proof you studied at Ralph Allen School and completed the course. This is irrespective of the grades you achieved.
If you go on to further education at any time in the future you will need to produce them. Many employers will also ask to see them. It is in your interest to collect your certificates even if you don’t think you will ever need them.
We are only obliged to keep your certificates for one year after which they will be securely destroyed. Replacements will only be available directly from the relevant awarding bodies at a cost as previously mentioned.
GCSE Certificates Summer 2025
A celebration event will be arranged towards the end of the year allowing students to come back together and collect certificates. Further details of the event will be published on the school website and emailed to parents nearer the time.
If you are unable to attend the celebration evening, there are other ways to collect your certificates. Students remaining at Ralph Allen School will be issued with their certificates via their tutors. If students do not remain at Ralph Allen to attend sixth form, certificates will be made available for collection from the main school reception for a limited period between 1 - 5 December 2025.
A level Certificates Summer 2025
A celebration event will be arranged late 2025/early 2026 allowing you to come back together and collect your certificates. The date of this event will be published on the school website and emailed to alumni. If you are unable to attend this event certificates will be made available for collection from the main school reception for a limited period.
Previous Years Certificates
There is limited availability to collect previous years certificates and this can be done by prior arrangement only. Certificates will not be available during examinations or results periods. You should either;
1. Email Mrs Petmezas, Examinations Assistant m.petmezas@palladianacademytrust.com asking to arrange collection. If you are unable to collect certificates yourself you may email Mrs Petmezas with details of who you would like to collect them on your behalf. The nominated person will need to bring photo ID with them upon collection. Unfortunately if we cannot see any ID we will not be able to release your certificates.
2. Complete and return the to request postage of your certificates together with a payment of £4.50 to cover the cost of recorded delivery and packaging.
I’ve lost my examination certificates, where can I get hold of copies?
You will need to contact the awarding body directly to receive a replacement certificate or certified statement of results https://www.gov.uk/replacement-exam-certificate. If you cannot remember which awarding body you took your examinations with you will need to contact each in turn to see if they have a record of you achieving a qualification with them. Please note that there is generally a charge for issuing confirmation of qualifications and you will need to be able to prove that you are the certificate holder.
Examination Policy
The examination policy can be found under Trust policies, Annual reports and Statutory information.
