FAQs

Students are registered for the service via their school or centre. We are currently piloting the service with a small number of Pearson Edexcel centres approved to use the remote invigilation service. Please use the expression of interest link or consult your Regional Development Manager if you would like to be considered for use of the remote invigilation service.

International GCSE Paper (based exams): 
Mathematics A, Further Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Science (Double Award), Geography, French, German, Spanish*, Religious Studies, Global Citizenship  
 
International GCSE (Onscreen exams): 
English Language A, English Literature, Economics, History, Business 
 
*Currently only the written components of the subjects are available via remote invigilation. Spoken examinations and coursework components are examined in the normal way via an approved Pearson Edexcel examination centre. 

Yes, please see our onscreen assessment roadmap and additional onscreen-specific FAQs. 

Learn more about onscreen assessment 

We are still in the scoping phase of how this and other subjects would work with remote invigilation because there are unique challenges related to each subject.  If your students are interested in taking this subject via RIS, please share this with us for future consideration.

We have been trialing International AS and A Levels this year and this is under review. We will communicate the availability of IALs to pilot partner schools when the review is completed.

Three separate devices are required to use the RI service. 

Main device: A laptop or PC with working webcam, speakers, and microphone. This must be connected to power to ensure the device battery has sufficient life for the duration of your exam  

Printer: A working printer with sufficient ink and paper to print a complete answer booklet (please be mindful that some answer booklets can be up to 40 pages long) 

Second device: A second (fully charged) mobile device with the ProctorExam app installed. This will be used during set up and will need to be positioned to show the complete exam environment during the exam 

Yes, the three familiarisation opportunities are included in the service fee. The mocks are limited to Maths and English. 

• Demo 
• Round 1unmarked mock (two papers) 
• Round 2 unmarked mock (two papers, one live invigilated)  

Efforts will be made to accommodate students, however if they miss a familiarisation opportunity, we cannot guarantee that another one will be made available. 

For paper-based examinations, students are expected to write their answers by hand. If your candidate uses a word processer as their normal way of working, they can type their answers instead. 

There is no requirement to process an Access Arrangements application for a word processor. No evidence is needed to support the arrangement for inspection purposes. (This also applies where a candidate is using a word processor on a temporary basis because of a temporary injury). If a student is using a word processor, spelling and grammar check/predictive text must be disabled.  

The battery capacity of the computer (if using a laptop) must be checked before an exam, and parents must ensure that the battery is sufficiently charged for the entire duration of the exam. You must ensure that both the centre and candidate number appear on each page as a header or footer.  

Each page of the typed script must be numbered, e.g. page 1 of 6. Invigilators will remind candidates to save their work at regular intervals. To make marking easier for examiners, candidates should please use a minimum font size of 12pt and double spacing.  

A word processor must not:  

• Give the candidate access to other applications such as a calculator (where prohibited in the examination), email, the internet, social media sites, spreadsheets  
• Include graphic packages or computer aided design software unless permission has been given in writing
• Include computer reading (text to speech) software unless permission has been given in writing 
  

No, it is not currently possible.

If a candidate requires a Reader or Scribe, please reach out to us at remoteinvigilationservice@pearson.com, copying in your Regional Manager, and we can have a one-on-one conversation with you to see if there is any way that we can support.

If a candidate has supervised rest breaks as an approved access arrangement, their invigilator will be made aware of this. The student will need to notify the invigilator via chat when they would like to take a break, and the timing of their exam will be paused and re-started when they are ready to continue. During the supervised rest break, the student will not have access to the question paper/answer booklet. The purpose of a supervised rest break is for a break from the exam and should not be used as ‘thinking time.’ Candidates must remain in full view of the Invigilator, for the duration of the rest break. 

Yes, if a candidate needs to leave the exam room for a toilet break, they must notify the invigilator. They must be accompanied by a nominated parent/guardian/responsible adult who will have been required to signed a formal parent declaration prior to examinations. If there is any suspicion of malpractice, this will be recorded as an incident and the candidate’s exam result may be impacted. Set-up checks, such as showing that there are no assistive devices in the candidates ears, will need to be repeated when they re-enter the exam environment. The invigilator will provide guidance if required.

Once a student has completed their exam, they will scan each page of the completed answer booklet and upload the file into the system. This can be done via a scanning app (such as Microsoft Lens) or via a physical scanner, whichever is preferable or available.  

Please note the above applies to paper-based exams only - for onscreen exams students type directly into the assessment player and simply click submit at the end of their examination. 

Results are issued to centres in the normal way the day prior to results day. Results will also be available via ResultsPlus and ResultsPlus Direct. You will need to opt-in to ResultsPlus Direct when making entries if you want your students to be able to access their results in this way.

Most issues relate to technology - if a student does not have sufficient Internet connection or doesn't have the right devices set up etc.  

The other main issue is a student (and parent) not being sufficiently prepared for their first exam, not having completed the familiarisation process, and therefore lacking understanding of the system and procedures.  

Students that have not taken advantage of the familiarisation opportunities tend to be anxious, which can negatively impact their ability to navigate the system, and complete their examination successfully.   

If a student is concerned about adequately preparing for their examinations, we would highly recommend looking at all materials available and the handbook on top of the different familiarisation sessions that we will be offering.

Please refer to the following documents: 

Onscreen setup guide   
Paper-based setup guide 

If a candidate is unable to complete an exam due to unforeseen circumstances, the parent should notify their centre, and if appropriate, the centre can consider applying for special consideration in line with the JCQ regulations.

JCQ guide to the special consideration process