Last updated: 27 July 2021 top
To view an answer please click on a section/question:
When will the service be available to use?
The service is now live, please complete the Intention to Offer form if you would like this service to be available for you to book.
Do I need to gain approval to enter learners for remotely invigilated assessments?
No, you will not need to gain any additional approval, however we will ask you to complete the Intention to Offer form so that we set your centre up on our new service and grant you access to be able to book remote invigilation when making your onscreen test bookings.
How will I make entries for the Remote Invigilation service?
Once we have sent you confirmation that we have set your centre up to be able to use the service you will book your assessments in the usual way on Edexcel Online and will have the option to add the Remote Invigilation service at time of booking. You will also be required to provide us with your learners email address once you have made the test booking. You will be able to access a form to provide us with your learner's email address on the test booking page and the test booking confirmation page. You must complete and submit the form to us for each learner you make a test booking for with remote invigilation, if we do not receive this information we will not be able to set your learner up with access and they will not receive any emails from us.
Can all learners be entered to take assessments in this way?
The centre is responsible for ensuring that the learner is ready to take assessment and has completed practice tests as usual before entering them to take the live assessment.
The learner should have a point of contact in the centre available to them before, during and after their test.
We have provided detailed information and guidance in both the Benefits for Learners and Benefits for Providers sections of the Remote Invigilation webpage. You must ensure that you discuss what taking an assessment this way entails with the learner and that the equipment that they have available is suitable to meet the technical requirements before making a test booking.
When is the current interim solution coming to an end?
The interim solution for FS/EPA Centre Remote invigilation came to an end on 18 June, 2021 as our Remote Invigilation service is now live. Find out more - Remote Invigilation
To ensure learners are not disadvantaged and can continue their learning journey, we will continue to offer Employer Remote Invigilation service for those learners who are unable to access Remote Invigilation from home or access a provider location. Please complete this form to use this service - Remote Invigilation |Exemption request form
What support is available for learners during the checks/set up?
Learners will have access to a chat function on the Remote Invigilation website which they can use if they come across any issues when doing the initial checks/setup for the proctoring solution. If the learner cannot pass the checks, they must inform their centre immediately.
Back to top
What if the learner does not pass the checks in the first email?
If there are issues during the checks, the learner can use the chat function in ProctorExam for help. If they cannot pass the checks, they will need to inform their centre and will not be able to take the test using Remote Invigilation.
Back to top
Will there be any difference in how results are released?
No, results will be issued in the usual way and within the usual SLA.
Back to top
How are the assessments reviewed?
There will be 3 recordings from the assessment session – Webcam, Mobile Camera and Screenshare – these recordings will be reviewed and flagged if there is any suspicious activity. Flagged recordings will be reviewed a second time, if they are deemed to be suspicious the assessment will be escalated to the Candidate Malpractice team who will contact the centre and investigate following usual BAU processes.
Back to top
Can an assessment be recovered if the response does not upload for any reason?
No, the assessments are taken fully web-based using an online test player which means an assessment will not be recoverable if does not upload to us.
Back to top
Can this service be used to deliver Functional Skills ICT assessments?
No, due to the way in which Functional Skills ICT assessments are delivered they are currently not available to be delivered using Remote Invigilation.
Back to top
What is the fee for the Remote Invigilation service?
The fee for remote invigilation is £24.75. This is an additional fee charged alongside any assessment booking fee. If you cancel a remotely invigilated assessment more than 96 hours in advance of the assessment date neither the assessment fee nor the additional remote invigilation fee will be charged.
Back to top
What happens if I want to cancel an assessment?
If you cancel the assessment booking within 96 hours of the assessment date booked or if a learner does not attend on the assessment date we will still charge the additional remote invigilation fee of £24.75.
Back to top
My centre does not offer onscreen tests in centre at the moment, can I still request to use the Remote Invigilation service?
We will need to give your centre onscreen approval to allow you to be able to book onscreen tests with the remote invigilation service. You must have alternative provision available to deliver tests for learners where remote invigilation is not suitable or whose equipment does not meet the technical requirements.
If there is no alternative to onscreen delivery for the qualification or you are not approved to deliver paper based assessments, you must make the assessment available for learners to take in centre using our onscreen platform. You must also facilitate practice onscreen tests for your learners, this will allow them to get familiar with how the test appears in our test player. The practice tests can be found on the qualification page.
If in the future you decide to deliver onscreen tests in centre you can find information about the software required for in centre delivery on our Pearson Onscreen Platform webpage and you must contact us to arrange a demo test after you have installed the software before running any live tests.
Back to top
Is the Remote Invigilation service replacing the delivery of onscreen tests in centre?
You can continue to deliver onscreen tests in the usual way with an invigilator present, the remote invigilation service is an additional service to allow even more flexibility to our onscreen delivery options.
Back to top
topb
What are the technical requirements to be able to take assessments using the Remote Invigilation service?
Learners will need a computer with a Windows operating system, working webcam, speakers and microphone with Google Chrome web-browser on the machine they will be using to take the assessment. They will also need a second device which they will be able to install the remote invigilation solution App on and that has a working camera. We have provided full detailed technical requirements in the Benefits for Learners section on the Remote Invigilation webpage.
Will the learner need to install the test player?
No, there is no install required to be able to access the test player. Learners will be able to access a link to our test player once they have passed all set up steps for remote invigilation.
Is there any install of any kind required to use the Remote Invigilation service?
Learners will need Google Chrome for both the test player and the remote invigilation service to work, they will also need to be able to add a Chrome plug-in as part of the set up for the remote invigilation service. A working webcam, microphone and speakers is also required on the computer that the assessment will be taken on.
Does a learner have to login to take their tests at the scheduled start time?
Learners can access the remote invigilation service 1 hour before the scheduled start time and up to 3 hours after to take their test. We would strongly recommend that a learner makes every effort to login in within an hour of their start time especially if they have more than one test scheduled to be taken using remote invigilation. If the learner attempts to start their test in the Pearson Test Player 4 hours or more after the time that you scheduled it for the test will not begin as its outside of the testing window.
Can I use a reader or scribe for a remotely invigilated test?
We are aware that remote invigilation may not be suitable for everyone and many learners will need to continue taking onscreen tests face to face in centres.
For remotely invigilated tests the learner has to be alone and it is not therefore possible to have a second person in the room under any circumstances. This includes a human reader or scribe in the test room as well. We are looking at ways to accommodate a second person in the room to facilitate these arrangement but at the moment learners who require these Access Arrangement swill need to continue to take their onscreen tests in centre with their tests invigilated in person.
Back to top
Can assessments be booked back to back using Remote Invigilation?
We strongly advise that you leave a gap between assessments, this will allow learners to take a break before starting another assessment. And will reduce the amount of time that they have to be sat in the same position.
If learners have more than one assessment booked using Remote Invigilation they will receive separate emails for each assessment and will be required to go through and pass the set up checks for each. Once they have completed the checks from the first emails, the will receive a second email for each assessment with unique links to access the relevant test.
Back to top
How much notice is required for Remote Invigilation test bookings?
Onscreen tests with Remote Invigilation require at least 7 days notice on bookings, this is to allow time for learners to be set up on the system and give them time to do the checks ahead of the scheduled start time/date of test.
When booking a test with remote invigilation you must provide us with the learners email address, if you do not provide this we will not be able to set the learner up to receive the links to access their test remotely. You will be informed on how to provide us with this information when we confirm to you that the service is available for you to use.
Back to top
How far in advance of the test date will the learner receive the first email?
The first email will be with the learner at least 48 hours ahead of their scheduled test date – this is dependant on Pearson receiving the correct email address for the learner when the test is booked.
When booking a test with remote invigilation you must provide us with the learners email address, if you do not provide this we will not be able to set the learner up to receive the links to access their test remotely. You will be informed on how to provide us with this information when we confirm to you that the service is available for you to use.
Back to top
What form of identification does the learner need when taking their assessment this way?
A valid form of photographic ID will need to be shown to the webcam clearly at the start of the test, learners should ensure that they have their ID available and to hand before starting their remote invigilation session. Valid ID can be - passport, driving license, photographic work ID or photographic college ID.
If when conducting the review of the assessment Pearson cannot confidently identify the learner from the image shown we will contact the centre to investigate further to gain confirmation of the identification. If we are not able to do this it could lead to the learners test to be void.
Back to top
newa
Can headphones be used during the assessment?
No, headphones are not permitted.
Are toilet breaks permitted during the assessment?
No, due to the nature of the assessment, learners are not permitted to leave the room, view of the webcam and mobile camera at all for the duration of the assessment.
Are food and drink permitted during the assessment?
Only a drink in a clear glass or bottle is permitted during the assessment, no other food or drink items are permitted.
What if someone/something interrupts the learner during the exam?
This will be picked up in our review process where each instance will be considered on a case by case basis. If an interruption does occur during the test such as someone entering the room, a knock on a door or a telephone ringing, the learner should not engage in any conversation with the person and politely asking them to leave.
If there is anything identified which could be considered as potential malpractice during a learners exam our Candidate Malpractice team will contact the centre and investigate following our usual processes.
What support is available to the learner when using the Remote Invigilation service?
The centre is responsible for ensuring that the learner is ready to take assessment, that they are happy to take their test using remote invigilation and that the learners equipment meets the requirements to use the service. The learner should have a point of contact in the centre available to them before, during and after their test.
There is a Live Chat function that learners can use if they have any problems with completing the checks or during the set up of their remotely invigilated test. There is a also a support document that the learner can access at any point during their test if they come across any problems.
Please note: as these tests are taken completely online using our browser based test player, if internet connection drops/fails or if there are any other technical issues the learners responses may not be received by Pearson. If this happens the learner should inform their centre immediately after completing or abandoning their test.
Related Article:
Remote Invigilation Service: Introduction/Overview
