Guidance

Exam system contingency plan: England, Wales and Northern Ireland

This joint contingency plan is in place to deal with any major disruption that may affect exam candidates.

From:
Ofqual and Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment
Published
13 February 2015
Last updated
7 May 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales

Documents

What schools, colleges and other centres should do if exams or other assessments are seriously disrupted

Ref: Ofqual/21/6839

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Details

The joint contingency plan is designed to ensure a consistent and effective response to any major disruption to the examination system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Examples of disruptions could include severe weather, widespread illness, travel disruption or system failures.

Updates to this page

Published 13 February 2015
Last updated 7 May 2024 + show all updates

  1. Updated to include DfE’s guidance for education settings on protective security and preparedness.

  2. This document was updated in October 2023 to include Ofqual’s final decisions on long-term resilience arrangements, and the Department for Education (DfE)’s guidance for education settings with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

  3. Updated 'General contingency guidance' to include 'Handling strike action in schools from the Department for Education in England'. Updated 'Widespread national disruption to the taking of examinations or assessments' section to notify that the Department for Education has updated its guidance on handling strike action in schools.

  4. Removing information related to pandemic disruption for 2021 to 2022, adding links to newly published guidance and updating existing links.

  5. Links in the document updated to point at the latest resources and information.

  6. Updated guidance document republished with updated links.

  7. Updated guidance document; included a link to the Joint Council for Qualifications' joint contingency plan.

  8. Updated the attached guidance document.

  9. Updated attached guide.

  10. First published.

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