Secure Download Service (SDS)

Secure Download Service (SDS) is a profile within Edexcel Online (EOL) that gives you access to confidential General Qualifications examination material. 

There may be some exemptions when question papers are not available on SDS, for example if your centre is restricted from receiving hard copy question papers. You will also only be able to access material on SDS if you have entries for that paper.

Please note: A Level Mathematics 9MA0 question papers are not available via the Secure Download Service (SDS).

If you make entries for any new papers a week or less before the date of the exam (i.e. not additional entries for a paper you already had entries for), question papers will not be available on SDS. If you require an electronic copy, these will be supplied via SFT.

Therefore, it’s not possible to make late entries and access materials on SDS at the same time. If you need further assistance, please contact Customer Services on via the our Support Portal.

To qualify to access SDS materials, a user must have a centre domain email address. Access cannot be granted to users who use public domain email addresses such as Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo! 

To meet the security requirements, the user will need to be available to receive a secure ring-back from the Customer Services Specialist on your centre's main telephone number. Once this call has been performed successfully, access to the SDS platform will be added to your account.

Additionally, the user can contact us through live chat via Edexcel online. This will ensure you have completed the initial MFA process. We will then ask 2 additional security questions before adding SDS to your account.

If you are new to the Exam Officer role and do not already have an EOL account, please complete our new EO online form. Once submitted, a Customer Services Specialist will be in touch via an onboarding call to get you set up and give you the required SDS access.

With the introduction of MFA to EOL, all centres can only have one user per account; hence, with additional security measures Pearson has in place, it will  supersede  JCQ ICE regulation 4.5, which states, "Email accounts used to access awarding body systems, including for secure material access, must belong to named individuals or be a group email account accessed solely by individuals authorised by the head of centre to handle secure materials. Where group email accounts are in place, regular checks must be conducted to ensure all authorised individuals in the group still require access".

All relevant staff at your centre should have the SDS profile on their EOL account prior to the start of exams.

You should make sure at least two people have this access, in line with the JCQ policy of having a minimum of 2 key holders for the secure storage of exam materials.

Only users with the following (primary) roles are permitted to have SDS added to their profile:

• British Council Centre Administrator
• Centre Co-ordinator/Administrator 
• Examinations Assistant
• Examinations Manager
• Examinations Officer
• Head of Centre
• Deputy Head of Centre
• Vice Principle
• MAT Admin
• MAT CEO

• Select 'Centre Accounts' on the left side menu, then select 'List Accounts'
• Scroll the page to locate the account you wish to view and click on the email address/Username
• If the user has access to SDS, you will see a grey tick next to 'Secure Download Service'.

Please create a case, and a Customer Services Specialist will be able to resolve this for you.

For standard and modified question papers (that are ordered through Access Arrangements Online) the release time of electronic question papers via SDS is 60 minutes before the published start time for each exam.

Please see below the times questions papers will be available:  

International A level (IAL), International GCSE R papers

• AM - 5:00am (BST)
• PM - 8:00am (BST)

UK Qualifications (including GCSE, International GCSE, GCE (AS & A-Level) Edexcel Award)

• AM - 8:00am (BST)
• PM - 12:30 (BST) 

Please note:  BTEC & T levels are handled through the Secure Tests section of our website. please see: External Assessments / Secure Tests / Preparatory Materials for Vocational Qualifications for additional guidance

Centres outside of the UK must deliver exams in accordance with the International exam start times. Please see our website here for further information.

Both standard and modified papers will be in the same zip file that is downloaded. Therefore, please check the version that you are printing and supplying for the candidate matches their needs.

Modified versions are made to order; therefore, you may not see all variants in the zip folder. If you require a variant that is not within the zip file, it is unlikely that we will be able to supply this version to you. However, please contact customer services to discuss available options.

Audio files will be available 24 hours before the exam (or the Friday before, if the test is on a Monday), and transcripts will be available 1 hour before.

The integrity and security of the electronic question paper must be maintained during the downloading, printing and collating process. Detailed guidance on handling electronic copies of question papers can be found here on the JCQ website.
 
Key points from the ‘Instructions for the Conduct of the Examination’ document are summarised below:  

• Electronic question paper materials must only be handled by members of staff authorised to do so by the head of centre. There should be at least two members of authorised staff and no more than six.  

• Files must only be accessed by the named individual(s) to whom they have been sent. Emails or links to secure materials must never be forwarded or shared. 

• The file must be stored locally only for the purposes of printing and must then be deleted immediately. The file must then be deleted from the deleted items folder. 

• Once printed, question papers must be sealed within a non-transparent envelope marked clearly with the exam details on the outside of the envelope. The envelope must be stored securely ready for transfer to the examination room at the appropriate time, in line with the requirements for printed question papers supplied by us. 

• If you download audio files onto a USB or burn them onto a CD, you must store these in a secure safe until the appropriate time. 

If you become aware of any issues whereby a file has not been stored securely, or a CD/USB has been misplaced, you must inform QPD@pearson.com immediately.

If Service Download Service is unavailable, an alternative Secure File Transfer process is available for appropriate centre roles.

Further information on SFT.

If you need further assistance, please contact Customer Services on via the our Support Portal.

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