BCS The Chartered Institute for IT BCS Higher Education Qualifications (HEQ)

BCS The Chartered Institute for IT
BCS Higher Education Qualifications (HEQ)
Examination entry admission notes
Important: Please read these carefully before attending HEQ Examinations.
BCS reserves the right to take action against any candidate who
breaches these regulations.
Entry fees:

Entry fees will only be refunded or transferred within 14 working days of the date
shown on your exam admission letter.

If you do not attend you will be marked as absent.

Requests for refunds/transfers should be emailed to [email protected] with supporting
evidence.
Exam Day:
It is your responsibility to ensure you know where your examination venue is using the
venue details provided in your admission information.

Please arrive 30 minutes before the start of the examination.
If you arrive more than 30 minutes after the start time you will not be allowed to sit the
examination.
Important: There will be occasions when venue changes are required. You will be
notified of these in advance of the examination by email. Therefore it is critical
you regularly check your emails before the start date of the examination.
Additional identification for admission to venue:
On the day of the exam, you will be required to provide a copy of your admission
letter/email (please bring a paper copy as all phones and hand held devices must be
switched off inside the examination venue).
You will also be required to show identification in the form of an official document
comprising of a recent photograph of yourself and your signature, e.g. a passport,
identity card, employee pass.
Rubric
Please take time before the exam to read past examinations papers on our website to
familiarise yourself with the rubrics.
Past question papers (last three years) are available on our web pages
www.bcs.org/exam.
Examiners’ Reports (including answer pointers, examiners’ comments) are also available
on the web.
All questions at all levels will include marks and the rubric will indicate that "the marks
given in brackets are indicative of the weight given to each part of the question".
In the examination room

On entering the examination room, you must leave your bag/s and coats where
instructed by the invigilator, along with any other material not specifically permitted.
(See below).

You are NOT allowed to retain any of the following: books, leaflets, paper of any
kind, handheld devices with data storage or external connectivity e.g. PDAs, mobile
phones. All such material must be left in the area as instructed by the invigilator1.
Important: Mobile phones must be switched off before entering the
examination room. In the examination room they should be placed face down
on your desk. If you are found with a device on your person you will
automatically be found to be in breach of the regulations.

You are required to sit in your allocated seat only.

You must provide your own pens/pencils etc. and flow chart stencils.

Once the examination has started, you cannot leave the examination room during
the first hour and you cannot leave during the last 15 minutes of the examination.
When you leave, you should go quietly to avoid disturbing any remaining candidates.

Candidates must not leave their seats until their work has been collected by an
invigilator.

You should raise your hand if you wish to attract the attention of the invigilator.

BCS will only allow non-programmable calculators for the following Diploma Level 5
examinations:
o
o
Computer Networks
IT Project Management
Such calculators must be independently powered, silent and suitable for use on a
desk.
Calculators must NOT be capable of communicating with any other
1
BCS accepts no liability for any injury, loss or damage to persons or property and we advise that
you do not take any valuables with you unless you are covered by your own personal insurance.
calculator, computer or information source such as the internet. They must not be
capable of text storage, retrieval or manipulation, of language translation or retrieval
of formulae. If a calculator has a memory then it must be cleared prior to the start of
an examination. Instruction manuals or similar must not be brought into the
examination room. Calculators shall be presented for inspection on request to any
invigilator.

You must not, for any reason whatsoever, communicate with other candidates during
the examination.

All rough work must be handed in with the answer book. Spare answer books must
not be taken from the examination room.

You must hand in the question paper to the invigilator.

If there is evidence that you have breached these regulations you will be subject to
stringent action by BCS. You will be given a zero mark for the examination(s) in
which you have been shown to have cheated and may also be given a zero mark for
all examinations and project taken at that sitting Furthermore, BCS members who
have breached these regulations may be subject to disciplinary action.
After the examination
Results:

You will be sent an email where possible to notify you that the results are available to
view securely online. You will also receive a copy in the post.
Your results will be despatched by the Higher Education Examinations team by the
following dates:
April sitting - by 7th July
September sitting - by 21st December
Examination results are confidential and will not be given out over the telephone or
by email.

Evidence of any extenuating circumstances for poor performance in the
examinations must be received no later than two weeks after the last date of your
examination; where applicable a medical certificate should be emailed to
[email protected] medical certificates must cover your examination date.

Requests for remarking should be submitted, by email to [email protected] within two
weeks from the release of the examination results. You should be aware that you will
not automatically receive a change in your result and, in some cases; your result
could go down. The decision of the examiners is final.
BCS operates an Appeals Procedure; details are available from [email protected]
on request.
Examination re-sits:
If you fail your module/s, subject to availability, you will be given the opportunity to re-sit
your module/s at the next available sitting.
April sitting – re-sit closing date 31st January
September sitting – re-sit closing date 31st July.
Contact us:
If you have any queries about Higher Education Qualifications please contact the
Customer Services team on www.bcs.org/contact or telephone: +44 (0) 1793 417424.
Cancellation and refund policy:

If you are a UK consumer, you have the right to cancel your order under the The
Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations
2013.

To cancel your order and obtain a full refund you must contact us by emailing
[email protected] or telephoning (+44 (0) 1793 417424) within 14 working days of this
notice. Although these regulations do not apply to business users or non-UK
customers we want to ensure your satisfaction and so will apply the same policy to
all customers registering for HEQ examinations.
Please note any refund will normally be made to the card you used to make the original
payment and may take several days to reach your account. If you paid by cheque or
bank draft we will refund you by post. This may be subject to bank charges.