Exams at York College

For A Level and GCSE exams; morning exams start at 9:15 and afternoon exams start at 13:30.

On-demand exams or vocational exams may have different start times – consult your tutor.

York College uses a variety of Awarding Bodies for our courses. Please contact the Exams Office for any specific enquiries.

Student timetables are accessible via the Student App.

Most exam locations are published on your exam timetable, available via the Student App. Where there is no location specified, check the seating plan displayed in the Atrium on the day of your exam for exam room locations.

Yes, you will be permitted to revise for your upcoming exam while in isolation, but you will not be permitted to use any electronic devices.

You must contact the Exams Office if you believe you will be late for the exam. Students who arrive 30 minutes after the exam has started may be able to sit the exam – but the awarding organisation might not accept your exam paper. Students who arrive after their exam has finished will not be permitted to sit the exam.

A Level and GCSE exam dates are not changeable; you cannot sit them at a later date. Re-sits are only available in very exceptional circumstances and have to be agreed by a member of the senior leadership team.

For on-demand and vocational exams, you should contact your tutor to see if you can re-sit an exam you have missed.

You must bring a black pen, pencils, any mathematical instruments and calculators, and any other equipment required for the exam. Highlighters are permitted, but you must only write answers in black pen.

Pencil cases must be transparent/fully see-through and water bottles must be transparent/fully see-through with no labels.

If you require medication during your exam, speak to the Exams Office or invigilator beforehand.

You must bring photographic ID to your exam, such as your York College ID Card. Students without photographic ID, whose identity cannot be confirmed, will not be permitted to sit the exam.

Yes, you must raise your hand to request a supervised rest break if this has been agreed as part of your Access Arrangement.

We recommend storing any personal belongings not permitted in the exam (phone, rucksack, books) in your student locker or at home.

Otherwise personal belongings will be stored away from the exam and you will not be able to access them. Personal belongings are stored at your own risk.

You should contact the Learning Support Office immediately.

In exceptional circumstances exam rooms can change. You should always check the Atrium on the day of your exam to confirm the location of your exam.

A Level exams usually begin in the second week of May and end in the last week of June. Full exam dates are published by the awarding organisations.

For November exams, timetables are published in mid-October.

For summer exams, timetables are published in April.

On-demand and vocational exam information will be given to you by your tutor.

You must contact the Exams Office immediately.

You must contact the Exams Office immediately.

No, you should bring your own packed lunch and a drink, and you will be permitted to have these over lunch while you are under supervision.

You should contact the Exams Office if you are unable to attend the exam. If you have experienced an unavoidable exceptional circumstance beyond your control that has caused you to miss your exam, we may be able to apply for special consideration, but you must provide evidence.

Endeavour to arrive a minimum of 15 minutes before the scheduled start time of your exam.

You cannot bring any electronic devices into the exam room. You cannot bring coats, scarves, or hats into the exam room, without prior arrangement with the Exams Office. You cannot bring food into the exam room, without prior arrangement with the Exams Office. You cannot bring dictionaries into the exam room – if you are entitled to a dictionary this will be provided by the Exams Office.

Students found to have brought prohibited items into the exam room are liable for disqualification.

No, you must stay for the whole duration of the exam even if you have finished.

York College does not provide coloured overlays for exams – you must provide your own. We cannot give you one if you forget yours.

No, you will not get any extra time for going to the toilet during an exam.

You must check the front of your exam paper to ensure everything has been completed. Candidate number, paper code and where applicable sign your name, the invigilators will not be able to complete any missing information. All answer booklets are checked by staff before being sent off to the awarding organisations for marking, but if you have any concerns please come to the Exams Office.

Certificates must be collected from the Exams Office, 1F117.

Summer GCSE, A Level, T Level, BTEC certificates are usually received in college in late November. We will email you to advise availability for collection.

November GCSE certificates are usually received in college in the following March. We will email you to advise availability for collection.

No, we do not keep copies of certificates. You will need to contact the awarding organisations directly for replacements.

Sometimes certificates arrive in the Exams Office out of order, and your friends may receive certificates before you do.

Yes, we can send certificates abroad, as long as you have paid for the postage. This must be paid for via the online shop. Make sure you update your address with us so that we don’t send correspondence to your old UK address.

We hold certificates for 12 months in the Exams Office before destroying them, in line with the Data Protection Act.

We only hold student information for seven years, in line with the Data Protection Act. If you studied here longer than seven years ago we will not have any information.

You will have to contact the awarding organisation directly to request and pay for replacement certificates. We can assist you if you require your candidate or registration number.

Our Centre Number is 48357.

If you have received a certificate and your personal details (name, date of birth etc) are incorrect, or you believe the grade is wrong, please contact the Exams Office exams@yorkcollege.ac.uk as soon as possible.

You will have to return the original certificate to be securely destroyed before any amended certificates can be issued.

Contact the Exams Office, or see the Contact us page for details of other York College contacts.

We may be able to help you, please contact the Exams Office.

You must make Learning Support aware as soon as possible of any arrangements you may require as there is a strict deadline, set by the awarding organisations, to when access arrangements can be applied for. You may not receive any access arrangements if you apply to Learning Support after this deadline.

For students taking November re-sits who require access arrangements and who have only joined York College in September, we advise you do not take GCSE re-sits immediately that November, as there will not be enough time to establish your normal way of working and York College would not have the required evidence to provide any access arrangements. You should apply for re-sits the following November.

If you suffer from an unexpected injury after this deadline, which may impact your performance in exams, please contact Learning Support immediately.

If you were entitled to any access arrangements in secondary school, it is important to know that these will not carry forward to York College, and in most instances you will have to be reassessed by Learning Support. This is because we will not have evidence that establishes your normal way of working.

If you feel you have been disadvantaged during your exam due to unavoidable exceptional circumstances beyond your control, please contact the Exams Office as soon as possible after your exam. Evidence is required and you must contact us within seven days of the exam. Requests made after this may not be accepted.

The dates for the November GCSE Re-sits are as follows:

Tuesday 7^th November – English Language Paper 1 (8700/1)

Wednesday 8^th November – Maths Paper 1 (1MA1 1F/H)

Thursday 9^th November – English Language Paper 2 (8700/2)

Friday 10^th November – Maths Paper 2 (1MA1 2F/H)

Monday 13^th November – Maths Paper 3 (1MA1 3F/H)

If your results are lower than you expected them to be or you think that your marks are incorrect, you should contact the Exams Office exams@yorkcollege.ac.uk about the post-results service.

To apply for the post results service you must complete a Post Results Service & Candidate Consent Form, as well as pay the appropriate fee on the York College online shop.

Note: a separate form is needed for each subject

There are strict deadlines for post-results services, and any requests handed in after the deadline cannot be accepted.

The latest Post-Results Service Deadlines and Fees Document will be made available here when available.

York College cannot order replacement certificates if you have misplaced your original certificates. To order replacements, please contact the awarding organisation directly. There is usually a charge for this service. If you do not remember what awarding organisation or your candidate number/registration number, contact the Exams Office and we may be able to help you.