External Assessment - YMCA Awards
  • External Assessment

    External Assessments are assessments that are both written and marked by YMCA Awards.

    Our external assessments can either be completed as printed exam papers or on-screen using a computer.
    This page provides guidance on external assessments you will take using your computer and smartphone to allow us to supervise your assessment.

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    • FACE-TO-FACE INVIGILATION (WITHOUT E-PROCTORING)
    • REMOTE INVIGILATION (WITH E-PROCTORING)

    Face-to-face invigilation

    Guidance for learners sitting our external assessments without eProctoring.

    Before the assessment starts

    Check you have at least one pen, a traditional calculator (if permitted) and photographic ID (usually a passport or driving licence).
    Arrive at the venue at least 15 minutes before the assessment is due to start.
    Switch off your mobile phone and any other smart devices. You’ll need to leave these in the area designated by your invigilator during the assessment so avoid bringing anything you won’t need.

    Once you are sitting in the assessment room

    Check your name is printed on both the cover of the assessment paper and on your answer sheet or, if you’re completing an onscreen assessment, that the information shown onscreen is correct.
    Carefully read the instructions on the front of the assessment paper or displayed onscreen.

    During the assessment

    Leave your ID on your desk for the invigilator to check.
    Follow any instructions provided by the invigilator, on your assessment paper or onscreen.
    Sign the bottom of your answer sheet (paper-based assessments only).
    Do not attempt to communicate with anyone other than the invigilator.
    Do not make written notes on the content of the assessment paper or try to take screenshots.

    Once you’ve completed the assessment

    Leave all assessment materials (assessment paper, answer sheet and any notes) in the assessment room.
    You must remain in the assessment room for at least the first 30 mins of the assessment, unless instructed to leave by the invigilator.
    If you leave the assessment room whilst others are still working, please do so as quietly as possible.
    Once you have left the assessment room, you won’t be allowed to re-enter.

    Remote invigilation

    Guidance for learners sitting our external assessments with eProctoring.

    System requirements

    We use a third-party software application provided by Proctor Exam to allow remote invigilation. You will need the following to enable you to use the software and successfully complete your assessment:

    Click to view all you need:

    Two days before your assessment

    As soon as your training provider has booked the eProctored assessment, you will receive an email from awards.donotreply@ymca.co.uk with a link to complete your system checks. If you do not receive the email please check your junk folder. At least 2 days before your assessment, you will need to follow the instructions in the email and complete the following:

    Click to view all you need:

    Preparing your environment

    On your assessment day you will need to ensure your environment meets the following requirements:

    Environmental Requirements

    Starting the assessment

    Once you are ready to start your assessment, follow the onscreen guidance. You will need to have the following ready and nearby:

    Have the following ready:

    During the assessment

    During the assessment you should remain focused on the screen and try to avoid looking away. Continually looking away from the screen could be a sign that you’re looking for answers elsewhere in the room and could potentially invalidate your assessment. Other behaviours that will invalidate your assessment include:

    Click to view the behaviours

    Ending the assessment

    Once you’ve completed the assessment you can review your answers by clicking on the coloured numbers on the left-hand side of the screen. Questions that have been answered will be highlighted.

    Once you’re satisfied with your responses, click on the finish icon in the top right corner of the screen. You’ll receive confirmation that you’ve finished the assessment and can close the tab.

    Finally, you’ll need to click on the finish exam icon in Proctor Exam to stop the recording.

    Results

    Your training provider will be able to confirm your provisional result once the assessment has been completed.

    All results are provisional and are subject to YMCA Awards quality assurance checks. If any suspicious activity is discovered then this will be investigated by YMCA Awards in conjunction with your training provider and may result in your assessment being invalidated.