Instructions for Invigilators

The main functions of an Invigilator are to ensure that an examination commences, continues and concludes in an orderly and timely manner, and that candidates are kept under constant and effective supervision throughout an examination.

1. GENERAL

1.1 Invigilators assigned to a venue on campus are required to report to the Examinations Office at least 30 minutes before the start of the examination (45 minutes in the case of Chief Invigilators). RDS Invigilators report to the Chief Invigilators in the RDS 45 minutes before the start of the examination.

1.2 Examination sessions commence at 9.30am, 2.00pm and 6.00pm.

1.3 Invigilators must wear a TCD Invigilation lanyard which must contain your current TCD ID card. Invigilation lanyards will identify you to candidates and examiners as a supervisor of examinations. Lanyards must be collected from and returned to the Examinations Office immediately before and after your vigilation session. Invigilators based in the RDS may collect and return their lanyards in the RDS. Invigilation lanyards are the property of the Examinations Office. A €10.00 fine will be applicable for the non-return or loss of a TCD Invigilation lanyard.

1.4 Invigilators should present themselves in smart, casual attire which should not be distracting to examination candidates.

1.5 Invigilators are expected to know the location of examination venues and Health Centres before the examinations commence. A nurse will be available in the dedicated 'Health Centre' in the RDS.

1.6 Examination booklets are colour­coded according to Faculty and are ‘Anonymous’ for undergraduate annual and supplemental examinations, or ‘Standard’ for all postgraduate and Scholarship examinations.

1.7 An ‘XID’ is an Examination Paper Identification Number, and appears on the top­right hand corner of each page of every examination paper.

1.8 Invigilators are asked to make sure that their own mobile phone is switched off when in an examination venue. Venue phones, supplied by the Examinations Office, are for official use only.

1.9 Smoking breaks are not permitted during an invigilation session.

1.10 You should not invigilate in the same venue where a member of your family or close friend is sitting an examination, or where you tutor a particular class of candidates.

1.11 Attendance at your allocated invigilation session is essential for the smooth running of the examinations. If you are unable to attend an invigilation session for which you have been scheduled, please try to swap your session with another invigilator of the same grade. If you are unable to swap your session, please contact the Examinations Office (exams@tcd.ie) to cancel the session with at least 24 hours notice, where possible.

2. ON ARRIVAL AT THE VENUE

2.1 Invigilators must help the Chief Invigilator to lay out the question papers and other materials provided for the examination.

2.2 Please check the details on the front page of the examination paper and ensure all permitted materials are available in the venue. If necessary, please contact the Examinations Office as early as possible and ensure you have the XID code of the examination paper to hand.

3. ANNOUNCEMENTS TO CANDIDATES ON ENTERING THE VENUE

3.1 The Chief Invigilator will make the following announcements as the candidates enter the venue. (In the absence of the Chief Invigilator, another invigilator should make the announcements.) Invigilators should ensure that they can be clearly heard while making all announcements.

Candidates should be reminded:

• to check the seating list for their seat number before entering the venue - invigilators should assist candidates who are having difficulty finding their seat;
• to read the notices beside the seating list;
• to leave their personal belongings, including bags, coats, hats, etc. in the designated area of the venue;
• that mobile phones, or other electronic or communication devices, are not permitted in examination venues ­ if a mobile phone is found on a desk or rings/emits noise during an examination, even it it is switched off, or if it is discovered in any other way in the venue, will be confiscated. Candidates should be reminded that confiscated materials may only be retrieved from the Junior Dean's Office, East Theatre (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9.30am and 11.30am) on payment of a €35 fine per item. This fine is non-negotiable, and no appeals will be accepted by the Junior Dean or any of his Assistants.
• to make sure there are no materials on their person which are not permitted in the examination venue;
• to make sure they have their current TCD student ID card with them and to place it on the right­hand side of their desk;
• that a ‘ clean­desk’ policy applies: no pencil cases, calculator cases, etc. should be brought to desks. Only pens, pencils, rulers, student ID card should be placed on desk;
• to maintain silence once they have entered the venue;
• that no candidate is allowed to start an examination until instructed to do so by the Chief Invigilator;
• that candidates may start filling in the front covers of their answerbooks while they are waiting for the examination to begin.

4. INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES AT THE START OF THE EXAMINATION

4.1 When candidates are seated, and before announcing the start of the examination, the Chief Invigilator should advise candidates of the following:

• that if they are still in possession of any non­permitted items, they should now place these items with their coat/bag etc. in the designated area of the venue;
• that if they have an alarm set to go off during the examination time on their mobile phone it should be de-activated even if the phone is switched off;
• that random pocket searches may be conducted during an examination session; on request, candidates should remove all items from their pockets for scrutiny by an invigilator. Failure to empty pockets when requested is considered a disciplinary offence and will be referred to the Junior Dean;
• that they should make sure they have been given the correct examination paper;
• the duration of the examination session (3 hours, or 2 hours,etc.);
• that they may not leave the venue during the first half hour or the last half hour;
• that they may not leave the venue at other times unless accompanied by an Invigilator.

5. DURING THE EXAMINATION SESSION

5.1 While the examination session is in progress, the Chief Invigilator should ensure that the procedures outlined below are followed:

• all candidates present in the venue should be accounted for by marking the ‘Chief Invigilator’s seating list’;
• check candidate ID cards (or other photo ID) to verify the identity of candidates;
• make sure the number of candidates for each paper is recorded on the ‘Invigilator’s venue form’;
• make sure all invigilators sign the blue or white venue form ­ this is necessary for payment;
• when examiners call into the venue at the start of the examination, make sure you get a contact number for them in case a candidate has a query about the paper;
• if a candidate has a question about their examination paper, the examiner should be contacted immediately. In the event that an examiner is uncontactable, call the Examinations Office for advice;
• invigilators should patrol the aisles regularly with spare answer booklets, and report anything unusual to the Chief Invigilator;
• the Chief Invigilator will assign invigilators to collect particular batches of scripts at the end of the examination.

5.2 Invigilators are asked to notify the Examinations Office immediately of any irregularities during and examination session, for example:

• there is a delay in starting the examination;
• an examiner is not contactable;
• extra examination booklets or materials are required;
• there is any disturbance to candidates (eg. noise outside the venue);
• a candidate appears distressed or unwell;
• suspected cheating;
• there is an emergency in a venue.

5.3 If there is a delay in starting an examination or extra time is needed, the Chief Invigilator should seek approval from the Examinations Office before making an announcement about extra time. Once authorisation is received from the Examinations Office, candidates should be informed of the revised end time for the examination.

5.4 Dictionaries are not allowed at examinations.

5.5 Programmable calculators are not allowed at examinations.

5.6 If a candidate chooses to leave the examination early, and the invigilator has established that the candidate does not need to go to the Health Centre, their answerbooks should be collected before they go, and a note made of the time on the seating list.

5.7 If a candidate feels unwell during the examination, they should be asked if they wish to go to the College Health Centre (or if they wish to see the nurse in the RDS). If they choose to go, they must be accompanied by an invigilator, preferably of the same gender, and the Chief Invigilator must be informed. In some cases, it may be possible for a student to continue their examination later (usually in an alternative venue) if recommended by the Health Centre.

5.8 During examinations the College Health Service provides an emergency service for those students who may need urgent medical attention. The general opening hours of the College Health Service are: Monday to Friday, 09.00hrs–12.30hrs, 14.00hrs–16.30hrs. The contact details are: Tel. 8961556/8961591.

5.9 Examination candidates should be accompanied to the bathroom by an invigilator of the same gender, where possible. Please complete the 'pink' bathroom form with the required details.

5.10 Candidates should be informed of the time thirty minutes before the end of the examination, and again ten minutes before the end of the examination.

5.11 Five minutes before the end of the examination, the Chief Invigilator should remind candidates to make sure that the cover pages of their answer booklets are correctly filled in, that the name flap on each anonymous booklet has been sealed, and that all answer booklets and any other materials which they wish to submit are fastened together with a treasury tag.

5.12 At the end of the examination, the Chief Invigilator should tell all candidates to stop writing and to wait in their seats for an invigilator to collect their answerbooks.

5.13 If a candidate does not stop writing, report them to the Chief Invigilator.

5.14 Make sure that no candidate leaves the venue with an answerbook or any other materials provided for the examination. Where a question paper (in its entirety) must be handed up at the end of an examination, invigilators should ensure that the question paper is collected with the examination scripts.

6. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE EXAMINATION SESSION

6.1 Invigilators should make sure that their bundles of scripts are sorted properly – in seat number order – and are labelled properly. Spare copies of a question paper should be included in the batch of scripts corresponding to that question paper.

6.2 Examiners are not permitted to collect scripts from a venue.

6.3 If you are required to complete an Invigilation Report Form, please ensure your report is clear and concise and written legibly.

6.4 Answer booklets that have been written on, but not submitted, by candidates should be returned to the Examinations Office in the special ‘rubbish bag’ provided. Make sure that booklets or other examination materials are not left lying on the ground. Only examination materials should be returned in the special rubbish bags.

6.5 Invigilators should ensure that all unused materials are put back in the right boxes ready for the next examination.

6.6 All invigilators at the venue should help to carry the scripts back to the Examinations Office or to the collection points in the RDS.

6.7 Invigilators should remember to return their Invigilation lanyards promptly to the Examinations Office (or appropriate place in the RDS).

6.8 Confiscated materials should be returned to the Examinations Office after each examination session. Please label and bag each item with the candidate's name, seat number, examination XID. Candidates should be advised that confiscated items may be retrieved from the Junior Dean's Office, Green Room, East Theatre on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays only between 9.30am and 11.30am. A fine of €35 per item will be imposed.

7. RESPONDING TO STUDENT ANXIETY

7.1 In examination situations candidates may experience acute anxiety (panic) which will prevent them from performing to their ability. It may also be a distraction to other candidates. Acute anxiety can be recognised by the following signs:

• rapid shallow breathing
• rapid heart rate or palpitations
• missed or irregular heart beats
• a feeling of being unable to take a deep breath
• a feeling of anxiety
• tightness across the chest
• a lump in the throat
• difficulty swallowing
• feeling faint or fainting
• blurred vision
• tremor or shaking
• headache

For healthy candidates, these symptoms are generally a sign of acute anxiety and emergency medical attention may not be required.

7.2 WHAT TO DO

Reassure the candidate that their experience is common in exam situations and that their symptoms are signs of anxiety. The symptoms are not life-threatening and will not last. Encourage them to sit down and take deep breaths and let them out slowly. Allow the student time to relax and let the symptoms pass.
Refer to points 5.6 to 5.8 above in relation to providing extra time or visiting the health centre as appropriate.

8. IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY

8.1 In the event of an emergency (eg. fire alarm activation/discovery of fire, etc.) the Chief Invigilator must try to ensure there is an orderly and organised evacuation of the examination venue:

• note the time;
• announce to candidates to leave the venue in a calm and orderly manner;
• leave all materials on the desks;
• leave all personal belongings in the venue;
• escort candidates out calmly and quickly;
• contact the Examinations Office at the earliest opportunity;
• do not re-enter the venue until advised it is safe to do so.

Contact the Examinations Office, located on the First Floor of West Theatre, on (01) 896 2345, (01) 896 3710 or (01) 896 1518 or email exams@tcd.ie.