Examinations Information

We recognise that for many students, sitting a formal exam is likely to add to normal levels of stress and anxiety.

In addition, some students may be unfamiliar with the rules and regulations around sitting exams at Colchester Institute, so we will be taking steps to help prepare students in advance.

We have produced a video that will show you what it is like to sit an exam at Colchester Institute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRrkcZG4-zc

The summer term will focus on “Destresstival” with support and information for students to be ready for the exam and assessment season including:

• Familiarisation with exam rules and processes
• Strategies to cope with exam stress
• Support and drop-in sessions/workshops
• Wellbeing activities to promote good mental and physical health

Stress is normal. It is often a result of feeling under pressure or having multiple demands on us. When we have a lot to do and lots to think about, we can feel we have lost control. Stress can be helpful at times – it can give us drive and motivation, and encourage us to be productive. However, if we are feeling too stressed for long periods of time, it can then have an impact on our general wellbeing and mental health.

When people are revising for and preparing for exams it is very normal to feel stress and also high levels of anxiety, so you shouldn’t think you’re unusual – not many people actually enjoy exams! The trick is to find strategies that work for you to help you cope with how you are feeling, and hopefully turn this into a positive thing.

We think this video sums it up well and shows how you can feel overloaded by stress at times – well worth a watch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GgaoQR5shg

Anxiety

Anxiety and stress often go hand in hand, and anxiety is a normal response to any situation we may see as threatening or frightening. The problem comes when the level of anxiety is no longer rational in comparison to the event. Unfortunately, anxiety can very quickly, manifest into a problem for someone, and at times, can lead to panic attacks.

Many people experience anxiety at some point in their lives, often in response to triggers, and exams can quite often be a cause.

You may find this video helpful: WARMS STOPP technique – YouTube

Helpful free resources for reducing stress

We understand that preparing for exams can be very difficult and sometimes overwhelming so we have provided some links to other organisations in case you may need some extra support.

https://www.colchester.ac.uk/support/

Also, the following are free resources that you might find helpful.

Headspace – Headspace is a comprehensive meditation app, with guided and unguided meditations to help you through all phases of your life. The free app offers ten sessions, however, there is an optional ‘in-app’ subscription allowing you to access many more hours of extra content.
CALM – This is an app designed to help you to be calm; with stunning backgrounds that you can stare at for ages, and a range of meditations, CALM provides a space to get away from it all, without having to go anywhere.
SAM – This is a self-help app for the mind – providing a range of self-help techniques organised into several wellbeing themes, together with tools for recording and monitoring changes in your wellbeing.

The Joint Council for Qualifications has produced essential and useful information for candidates who are either taking written exams or submitting assignments. Please use the links below to familiarise yourself with the regulations and other useful information :

Information for Candidates – Coursework Assessments 2023

Information For Candidates – Written Examinations 2023

Please view the Ofqual Student Guide 2024 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which provides lots of helpful information about this year’s arrangements for qualifications regulated by Ofqual, including preparing for your exams and assessments, and result day information.

BTEC January Exams Results Day – Thursday 21^st March 2024

Students can view their exam results on the Learner Hub by clicking here. You will need to log in using your college email address and password.

On here, students can view their overall exam result, and UMS Points achieved in each exam. It will look like this:

If you’re viewing results on your phone, you may need to scroll across the page to view the UMS points. Do this by turning your phone onto the side so you’re viewing it in landscape mode or by pressing the red arrows at the bottom of the page:

Students can also review results via the CI Connect App if they have this, however, they cannot view their UMS points here. Results will be visible by 9am on Thursday 21^st March.

There is an opportunity to re-sit these exams in the summer. If you receive a Fail or if you didn’t sit one of the papers then you will be automatically entered for a re-sit and you won’t need to take any action.

If you achieved a Near Pass, Pass or Merit and want to improve your grade, you MUST pay for the BTEC re-sit via our Online Store here. The deadline for payments is the end of the day (midnight) on Tuesday 26^th March. If you are in receipt of a college bursary and would like to improve your grade, you will need to pay for the re-sit yourself by Tuesday 26^th March as, unfortunately, the college bursary does not cover re-sit fees.

Post Result Services

If you believe that there are any clerical errors with the scores/marks you have received, you can pay for one of the ‘Post Results’ services detailed below on the Online Store, providing this is before the deadline for that service (Friday 5^th April).

For more information, please refer to the ‘Post Results Service Information’ tab.

Learners studying GCSEs and other level 2 qualification, such as BTECs, will receive their results on Thursday 22nd August 2024.

The provisional results day for most level 3 programmes will be Thursday 15th August 2024.

All results will be available to view on the CI Connect App so it is worth downloading this now in preparation for results day. https://www.colchester.ac.uk/ci-connect/

Students will also be able to view their provisional results by logging into their Colchester Institute account online on the Learner Hub here: https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/XURDCoV92SXP9wWUzonmB?domain=apply.colchester.ac.uk

We recommend downloading the CI Connect App, or logging into your account using the link above in advance to avoid any problems on results day. If you are unable to log in, please contact iltservicedesk@colchester.ac.uk who can help you. We are anticipating that phone lines will be extremely busy on results days so it’s best to check that you can log in now and contact us in advance if you have any problems.

Please do not attend campus on results days, unfortunately we are not able to provide results in person.

Please choose your qualification from the drop-downs on the ‘Receiving your exam results’ tab for additional information regarding results, and certificates.

If you don’t see your awarding body listed here, don’t worry – details with regards to all other awarding bodies/qualifications will follow shortly. Please visit this page regularly for new and updated information.

Please contact iltservicedesk@colchester.ac.uk if you are having problems accessing your Colchester Institute account or have forgotten your password.

If you have any other questions, please contact the Exams Team on: examsofficecolchester@colchester.ac.uk

If your child or young person is preparing for exams there are actions that you can take to help support them, this video might be a good starting point so that you are familiar with the regulations

There are several things that you can do on exam days to help improve your young person’s experience, and hopefully their result! (good advice which we know won’t always work with teenagers)

1. Help them to be rested, fed and watered; encourage a good night’s sleep and to have a healthy breakfast. Provide a bottle of water which they can take into the exam with them, this will need to be in clear bottle with labels removed).

• Make sure they get to College early; they will need to have plenty of time to get to their exam room without feeling too rushed, which can add to stress levels. In some cases the course area will arrange to meet students first to keep thing calm before getting to the exam room.

• Check they have ID with them; exam regulations mean we have to check all candidate’s identity when they enter the exam room. The easiest way is if they have their College ID card but a back up could be a passport, driving license or other form of photo ID.

• Check they have all the equipment that they need; including a black pen (amazing how many students come without a pen!) if they want to bring a pencil case this must be see through. Some maths papers allow the use of a calculator or other equipment so it is helpful if they have this with them if needed.

• Remind them of what they can’t have in an exam; all mobiles must be switched off and hand in all mobile phones and watches for the duration of the exam.

• Check they can easily read an analogue clock; we increasingly find that some students struggle to tell the time on an analogue clock. Imagine being in an exam and having a big clock on the wall to mark the start and finish time, and not being able to read it – maybe just check that this isn’t going to be something to add to their stress!

Other helpful videos and other resources you could refer to could include:

• Reducing Exam Stress for teachers and parents

• Help your child beat exam stress: NHS

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/children-and-young-adults/advice-for-parents/help-your-child-beat-exam-stress/

• Ofqual’s Chief Regulator Dr Jo Saxton has also written an open letter to parents to explain arrangements and the support in place for exams this summer, as well as the information available to students.

• Young Minds: Exam Stress – a parent guide

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/a-z-guide/exam-time/