International Exams Officer Update 13 September 2024 |
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Welcome back to a new school year.
We hope you had a successful Summer 24 results period and were able to take a well-deserved break.
As well as calling out some key dates and processes for the coming month, we’d also like to take this opportunity to share some useful information which can be passed on to any newer colleagues who may have started working with you this term.
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As a member of the exams team, you should ensure you are set up correctly in Edexcel Online.You may be responsible for the creation and maintenance of EOL accounts for other staff members such as Teachers, Heads of Department and centre-administrators. However, responsibility for the creation of Exams staff accounts sits with Pearson. This is because those accounts carry a higher level of secure access, and additional checks are required before they can be created.
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The window to complete our annual Edexcel Online Account Confirmation is now open. The deadline to complete this activity is 14 October.
The Edexcel Online Account Confirmation is part of our ongoing duty to maintain centre and learner data security. By checking that all user accounts and contact details on Edexcel Online are up to date, we can ensure that we contact the right people when we need to and access to secure information is limited to those who need it.
Please work with your head of centre to review and update your centre’s Edexcel Online accounts. Your head of centre will then need to access the Edexcel Online Account Confirmation to confirm that your centre accounts are up to date. If your centre has multiple subsites, you will need to confirm the account list for each subsite separately.
If you don’t deliver vocational qualifications with us, there is also a tab within the confirmation screen to accept our updated terms and conditions, which your head of centre will also need complete as part of this activity.
Read our centre guide to the Edexcel Online Account Confirmation
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You can also browse our extensive catalogue of support articles. This function works like Google in that you can search using keywords or phrases and will then be presented with the relevant support.
Why not try it yourself? Visit the support portal and search ‘Essential’ you will then be presented with articles, including the EO Support: New Academic Year Essential Information article. This is an index of all the key processes and direct links to detailed information that you will need to be aware off as we navigate the beginning of a new academic year. Please be sure to bookmark this page.
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Our new dedicated space for Exams Officer training. We have created this as part of our commitment to you to offer enhanced support and training in 2024 and beyond.
Features
Access our library of interactive modules alongside live training, curated support articles, and the most useful documents from our website. We have brought everything you need to one place to save time when you need to upskill or refresh yourself on a topic.
- Pause interactive modules and return to them later
- Make notes in the notepad that you can refer to and download later
- Receive email alerts when new content is released.
- Follow curated learning paths for a particular qualification or process
Exams Officer Update live sessions
We are currently finalising details for the first live International Exams Officer Update, further details will be provided in the next edition of this update. |
The likelihood is that Pearson won’t be the only awarding organisation that you or your centre work with, and this means that you will receive lots of different communications. Some of these may be more relevant to your role than others, so it’s important that you and your colleagues are signed up to receive the regular updates that matter to you. Its also important that Edexcel Online accounts are accurate as these are used to determine who needs to receive ad hoc communications.
As Exams Officers you will be responsible for the creation and maintenance of Edexcel Online account for those in other roles, such as Teachers or other curriculum staff. Whilst doing this you could also sign them up to receive the relevant subject advisor updates.
Here is a full list of all the regular updates we send, including an archive of previous editions and the sign-up forms.
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There are multiple ways to contact the customer service teams at Pearson. The Customer Support Portal allows you to choose a method that best suits you.
- Support case – This is much like an email, but we will see all the information you have already populated. You can then log back in to the portal to track the progress of these cases.
- Live chat – A team of agents is waiting to answer these during normal working hours.
- Phone – If you would like to speak with us, we have a team of agents waiting to take your call.
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Cyber Security
Whether you’re a new or experienced Edexcel Online user its important that we are all aware of the possible threats to our collective data. We would encourage all Exams staff, new and old to visit our cyber security webpage and watch our short training video.
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Multi Factor Authentication
Multi factor authentication was successfully rolled out to nearly a quarter of a million Pearson Portal users last year. Although it has now become a standard way of accessing our systems, that we should all be familiar with, it can sometimes present challenges if a smart device is lost or replaced. You can read more information, see a quick start guide and access FAQs and troubleshooting for our authenticator app in our Pearson Portal Authenticator support article.
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Date |
Description |
14 October |
Deadline to complete Edexcel Online Account Confirmation and Terms & Conditions. All centres 2024/2025 |
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As learners are enrolled on to their BTEC programmes (including BTEC Tech Awards), you should make their BTEC registrations within 60 days of enrolment to avoid any late fees. You should check that your centre has approval for the programme they will be following, and if you need to gain approval to run a course you should do this straight away.
Where learners have completed a BTEC programme, and are moving on to a larger sized qualification this year, you should “top up” these learners, and not create a new registration. You can create a top-up once the learner’s previous qualification has been certificated.
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Date |
Description |
13 September |
Entry deadline International GCSE November 2024 |
20 September |
Deadline to request modified papers GCSE English Language and Mathematics, International GCSE November 2024 |
27 September |
Deadline to submit access arrangements applications International A level (IAL) October 2024 |
30 September |
English as a Second Language, Chinese and French – speaking tests may begin International GCSE November 2024 |
4 October |
Entry deadline GCSE English Language and Mathematics November 2024 |
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If any of your learners sitting these examinations have additional requirements, it is important your centre applies for these arrangements on their behalf.
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You can expect to start receiving standard and modified question papers from the following dates:
4ES1 (English as a Second Language) Speaking Materials: Monday 9 September
iPLS: Monday 9 September
International A Level (IAL): Monday 16 September.
International GCSE: Thursday 3 October
If your candidates are resitting their GCSE Maths or English exams in November, you can expect to start receiving standard and modified question papers from Thursday 10 October.
You will be able to track your standard question paper despatch for General Qualifications via Edexcel Online.
You can expect to start receiving attendance registers and labels for IAL from 16 September, iPLS from 23 September and International GCSE from 7 October.
If you require electronic copies of these question papers, please check your EOL accounts are up-to-date, ensuring you have access to our Secure Download Service (SDS) service.
For further guidance on this service, please visit our Support Portal.
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All of our Autumn exam timetables are now final and can be found on our qualifications website timetable page. |
The Key dates and General Qualification entry code sections of the online Exams Officer Information manual are now live.
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If your centre is concerned about any summer 2024 exam results, our post-results services are still available. The deadline for the majority of reviews of marking and moderation (RoMMs) is 26 September.
These articles provide full details on key dates and deadlines:
You can find detailed information on which services are available to you using these articles from our support portal:
Finally, if you would like dedicated training on post results and appeals, the following on-demand e-Learning modules are available on the Pearson Development Hub.
All of our bitesize modules are designed to give you the essential information that you will need to successfully administer our qualifications. The courses take about 20-30 minutes to complete, are fully interactive and offer a certificate as proof of completion. |
Our colleagues at The Exams Office will once again be hosting a face to face event aimed at supporting international customers through the administration of qualifications and exams.
You can read more about the training available here |
Don't forget we have a dedicated Pearson Exams Officer Support page on Facebook. This provides you with a quick and convenient way to stay up to date with our latest news and live updates from the team.
Important and informative announcements will be posted on the page daily and messages will be monitored 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday by Charlie, Emma and Seren; our dedicated Social Media Team. Message them with for help with your queries throughout your working day. |
Sign up to receive these updates
If you would like to sign any of your colleagues up to receive these updates, you can do so here. You can view previous editions of the EO Update on our support portal. |
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