Examination FAQs

What time do the exams start?

Most exams start at 9.30am or 2pm, but you need to confirm the start time of your exam by checking the Exam Timetable. If you are siting your exam on campus please arrive at your exam room no later than 15 minutes before your exam starts.

How will I know if I have an exam to take?

Your personal BannerWeb record will give you details of what exams you will have to take. Your Faculty, Department, Programme Leader or Module Tutor can also advise you. Your examination timetable will show the dates, times and, if applicable, venues for your exams.

How can I access the examination timetable?

You can access your personal examination timetable in the same way as you do for your teaching timetable, via 'My Timetable' on the portal. Please advise your Faculty Exams Office if you do not see all of your exams on your timetable. You can also look at an overview of your Faculty's Examination Timetable on the student portal under 'My Learning', but note this document is not a substitute for your personal exam timetable.

Your Banner record and Course Handbook shows which of your modules are assessed, in part or wholly, via an examination and your Programme Leader or Module Tutor can also advise you. Although we do our best to prevent making changes to the timetable post publication, there are occasions when this is unavoidable and you are therefore advised to check your timetable carefully and on a regular basis for any last minute changes. We would especially advise you to check your timetable the day before and on the day of your exam.

Remember it is your responsibility to check the exam date and start time and for Online and Take Home exams the submission date and time.

Please check the room, building and campus of your exam and do not assume this will be the same as your peers.

What if I have an exam clash?

In devising the exam timetable, every effort is made to prevent exam clashes. If you have a clash i.e. more than one exam timetabled at the same time and on the same day, please contact your Faculty Exams Office immediately.

You will need to give your name and student ID number (beginning with 000 and found on your ID card), the module codes (e.g. ABCD1234) and full titles (not abbreviations) of the clashing exams.

What if one or several of my exams are timetabled at a time/date I would like to observe a religious obligation?

The university is committed to providing an excellent student experience for all our diverse students. We recognise that the academic year is structured around the Gregorian / western calendar and the English public holidays and that on occasion this may mean that university activities coincide with religious festivals.

For logistical reasons, the University is unable to avoid scheduling exams during religious festivals.  We will not normally be able to consider requests to move an examination for religious reasons where it is expected that daily activities will continue as normal during a festival.

What do I need to know about sitting an exam on Campus?

Where will I sit it?

Your exam timetable will show the date; time; room number of your exam(s). You may be required to take your exam at a different campus to where you study. Directions and campus maps are available on the web. The timetable for the inter campus bus may differ during exam periods, you should therefore check the bus timetable in advance of your journey, allowing sufficient time to be at the exam venue at least 15 minutes before the exam commences.

Please be aware that it is your responsibility to check the exam timetable to find out when and where your exams will be taking place. Do not assume that your exam will be at the same venue as classmates. Large exams may take place over several rooms and/or campuses you should check carefully to ensure you attend the correct venue.

You are advised to check the timetable carefully and on a regular basis for any last minute changes. This is especially important the day before and on the day of your exam.

How do I know if I'm permitted to use my calculator during my exam?

Your Module Tutor will be able to advise you. Calculators will not be provided by the university and will not be available in any exam venue. You must bring your own, non programmable, calculator in to the exam with you. You are advised to check well in advance that your calculator is in good working order as we will be unable to provide a spare calculator or batteries.

Am I permitted to use a dictionary?

University policy is that use of a translation dictionary, English dictionary or a thesaurus will not be allowed during exams.

Can I take food and drink into an exam venue?

You may bring water, a soft drink and unwrapped sweets or fruit with you for refreshment. Your drink must be in a clear bottle and not a can. Food e.g. crisps or a sandwich are not permitted. Candidates with a verified medical condition will be allowed to bring suitable provisions.

You will not be allowed to leave during the exam to buy a drink or snack.

What do I do with my personal belongings?

Invigilators will advise you where to place coats, bags and belongings as only the items required for the exam are permitted to be on your desk. Mobile phones, smartwatches or similar devices are STRICTLY NOT PERMITTED on the exam desk or on your person during the exam. Invigilators are not expected to, and will not, take responsibility for any personal valuable belongings. If you are not willing to leave such items in your bag/coat please do not bring them with you.

What do I do if I am late for an exam?

What should I do if I am going to be under 30 minutes late for an exam?

You are advised to make your way to the exam room immediately and report to an invigilator. If you arrive during the first 30 minutes of an exam you will be allowed to sit the exam but will not be entitled to extra time at the end of the exam.

What should I do if I am more than 30 minutes late?

If you are over 30 minutes late do not go to the exam room as you will NOT be permitted to sit the exam. Contact your Faculty Examinations Office to report your late arrival.

My Exam is Online, what does this mean?

How do I access my Online exam paper?

Online exam papers will be released on the module Moodle page at the scheduled time on your exam timetable. Your exam will have a set start and finish time as instructed on the front of the exam paper. Your exam timetable will reflect this duration plus, where applicable, one additional hour of time. The additional hour has been built in to enable you sufficient time to download the paper; take short breaks; accommodate any IT problems and then submit the paper. Where an additional hour is applicable this is included in the duration of your exam shown on your timetable. For example, if you are sitting an exam that is 1 hour long, your timetable for this exam will show a 2 hour slot that includes the hour for you to undertake the exam and the additional hour.

In the event that Moodle is unavailable at any point during the exam period you will see a portal announcement together with guidance on what to do next. Please check the Service Status page on the portal to get live updates on any issue. You can find a link to the Service Status page on the front page of the Portal. If your online exam is affected by a Moodle outage, please submit an extenuating circumstances claim. Claims will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please provide a screenshot showing an error message and the date and time of the issue.

If, for any reason, you experience severe IT issues, or personal circumstances that affect your ability to submit your exam within the time allowed (this includes the additional hour) then we will leave the submission link open for a further hour. This hour should only be used if you are unable to submit within the scheduled time and where you have exceptional ​circumstances. If you do need to submit your exam paper during this hour, you need to complete an Extenuating Circumstances (EC) application. Any submission made in this final hour without an approved EC claim to support it will result in the mark for your exam being capped at the pass mark.

The scheduled start and submission time will be British Winter/Summer Time. If you are studying in another country it is your responsibility to work out the start and submission time for your local time.

How many questions do I answer for an Online exam?

You will be required to complete the exam paper, following the instructions on the paper and only complete those questions required by the exam paper. The expectation is that you will provide your answers as a Word file. However, please read the instructions carefully because additional information may be provided.

In the Word document, type your answers and/or embed diagrams (something you have drawn or provides a solution to a problem that you would prefer not to write), you can take a photo and embed this into the Word document, however you must ensure that the Word document you submit has at least 20 written characters in the file or it will not upload.

We advise that you save your work on a regular basis. You can upload only one file, but you can override previous files. Take care to ensure that you upload the correct file - clearly name your file so that mistakes don't happen, e.g. 'PSYC1229ExamFinal'.

What if I have a question during the exam?

The Module Leader (or nominated person) will be available online to answer any appropriate questions for the first two hours. Remember they cannot help you answer questions, but they can respond to queries regarding any potential error in the paper or lack of clarity in the instructions. You can ask your question via the Q&A forum on the module Moodle page and the response will be posted there. The Module Leader or nominated person will only be available for the first two hours of any exam (Online or Take Home). If you have any questions after the first two hours, then your assessment instructions on Moodle will provide an email address for you to send those to.

My Exam is a Seen Paper, what does this mean?

Seen exams will be released on the module Moodle page on the date advised in your Module Handbook. The submission date and time will be on the exam timetable.

What if I upload the wrong file?

You can overwrite the file you have uploaded with another file, however, you must be mindful of the submission deadline. Please notify the Module Leader if you make a mistake and submit late due to this.

Do I have a limit on the size of the file I can submit?

While we do not expect you to exceed the upload file size limit, you do need to be mindful of this when taking photos or scans of pages. In the unlikely situation that your file is too large to upload, you should use a medium quality/lower resolution option with any photos or scanned images. Please check how to do this in advance of the exam.

I have a Greenwich Inclusion Plan/normally get more time to do my exams, what happens for me?

If you get extra time to sit an exam, then this will be added to the normal exam duration of on Campus and Online exams.

For online exams your exam timetable will reflect this duration plus, where applicable, 1 additional hour of time. The additional hour added onto the duration of your online exam has been included within your exam timetable. For example, if you are sitting an exam that is 1 hour long, and you get 15 minutes extra time per hour, your timetable for this exam will show 2 hours 15 mins which includes the hour for you to undertake the exam; the additional hour and your extra time. The 1 hour additional time has been built in to enable you sufficient time to download the paper; take short breaks; accommodate any IT problems and then submit the paper.

If, for any reason, you experience severe IT issues, or personal circumstances that affect your ability to submit your online exam within the time allowed (this includes the additional hour and extra time) then we will leave the submission link open for a further hour. This hour should only be used if you are unable to submit within the scheduled time and where you have exceptional ​circumstances. If you do need to submit your exam paper during this final hour, you need to complete an Extenuating Circumstances (EC) application. Any submission made in this final hour without an approved EC claim to support it will result in the mark for your exam being capped at the pass mark.

Please contact Student Wellbeing if you have a Greenwich Inclusion Plan and are concerned about the arrangements for your exam wellbeing@gre.ac.uk

What if I am ill and unable to sit my exam?

If you are unable to sit your Online or Take Home exam due to illness or unforeseeable or unpreventable circumstances that would seriously impact your performance, you can complete and submit an extenuating circumstance form attaching the appropriate evidence in support of your claim..

If you are unable to sit your on campus exam for reasons beyond your control, you must inform your School/Faculty and report your absence before the start of the exam. If you are unable to sit your exam due to illness or unforeseeable or unpreventable circumstances that would seriously impact your performance, you can submit an extenuating circumstance form attaching the appropriate evidence in support of your claim.

Please be advised you will be required to provide your full name, student ID number, details of the exam and the reason for your non-attendance.

When will I receive my exam results?

Your results letter will be published on the student portal. We aim to publish all results within 10 working days of the Progression and Award Board meeting. If you are unsure of the date of your Board meeting, you can contact your programme team, using the contact details provided in your Programme Handbook.

Your results letter(s) will continue to be available on the portal for the duration of your studies with us, and for up to 90 days following completion of your studies. If you want to keep a copy of your results letter, or any study material relating to your programme, you should ensure you download and save these within 90 days of completing your studies.

If you are unable to log in to the portal, please email itservicedesk@greenwich.ac.uk or telephone 020 8331 7555 and our IT support staff will be happy to help.