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Assessment readiness
November 2021
Your guide to a successful exam session
If at any point, national/local restrictions mean that you can no longer administer examinations, please
contact support@ibo.org immediately.
This resource is intended as a supplement to Assessment procedures, not as a replacement.
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2021
International Baccalaureate ® | Baccalauréat International ® | Bachillerato Internacional ®

Assessment readiness – November 2021
Contents: click to navigate
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2021
International Baccalaureate ® | Baccalauréat International ® | Bachillerato Internacional ®
Safety measures for the exam session
Checklist: pre-exam session
Exam rescheduling
Candidates and invigilators
Exam material
Checklist: the day of an exam
Points to remember before starting an exam
Adverse circumstances
Items not permitted
Monitor general stationery
Points to remember during an exam
Ending an exam
Maintaining exam security
Sending MCQ papers to the IB
Sending exam scripts to the scanning centre
Social media and information sharing guidelines
Candidate results
Contact us
Post assessment
Pre-assessment
During assessment

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Safety measures for the exam session
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The IB’s utmost priority is the health and safety of our candidates and all persons tasked with
supporting the delivery of IB examinations.
If a candidate, invigilator, or any other school support staff or contractor, shows symptoms (or have
been in close proximity to someone showing symptoms) of COVID-19, they must not travel to or
access the school premises, in accordance with national/local guidelines.
All national/local guidelines or instructions must be followed where applicable. These may include
social distancing, hygiene procedures, one-way systems within the school/examination room and the
wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE), e.g. face coverings/masks, gloves, etc.
Further information
Addendum – Conduct of Diploma Programme/Career-related Programme examinations during the
November 2021 session
To discuss issues regarding the impact of COVID-19 and national/local guidelines on your school’s
ability to deliver examinations safely, please contact IB Answers at support@ibo.org.

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Checklist: pre-exam session
1.
4.
2. 3.
Ensure that all contact details in the
MySchool portal are up-to-date at all
times. This information is required for
the planning of school inspections.
Ensure that invigilators are informed
of all authorized inclusive assessment
arrangements, and any known erratas
in the exam papers.
Place notice to candidates and items not
permitted posters outside the exam
room and distribute copies to each
candidate.
5.
Ensure your exam storage is compliant
with the latest secure storage policy.
Ensure that invigilators are familiar
with the Conduct of examinations
booklet 2021 and the addendum for
the November 2021 exam session.
6.
Create a timetable of exam weeks
in strict observance of the schedule
provided by the IB.

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Important points to remember:
• Overnight rescheduling can only be authorized when your candidate is
scheduled for six and a half hours or more of exams on the given date.
• An exam can only be moved from the morning to afternoon exam sessions
or vice versa if on the given date your candidate has been scheduled for
more than four hours of exams in either exam session.
• Rescheduling is only required when requesting that your candidate sit an
exam at a different time to their peers.
Rescheduling can only be authorized in the following three circumstances:
• Scheduling conflicts between IB exams scheduled for the same time and
date.
• Scheduling conflicts with other awarding organizations, including
university entrance exams.
Further information
ReschedulingofIBexaminationsguide
Exam rescheduling

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Candidates and invigilators
There must be a ratio of one invigilator to every 20
candidates, with a minimum of two invigilators in each
exam room.
Ensure that candidates and invigilators understand the
requirements for exam materials and stationery, as defined
in Conduct of examinations booklet 2021.
If the school requires the use of multiple examination
rooms (to ensure enough space between desks and
movement of invigilators), the IB will allow in these
exceptional circumstances for the invigilator ratio to be
increased to 1:30, with one“floating”invigilator if the
rooms are adjacent.

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Exam material storage
All exam materials must be kept in a secure storage
area. This should be a dedicated secure room for storing
confidential material, or a security cabinet in a locked room
not accessible by candidates and teachers.
Access to the secure storage area should be strictly limited;
people who are authorized to access the storage area
should be fully accountable to the coordinator or the Head
of School.
Further information
Secure storage of confidential IB examinations material
booklet 2021
Examination session stationery
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Exam material
Exam stationery
Exam stationery for the November 2021 exam session
will be sent throughout July/August.
Exam material
Exam papers and coversheets will be delivered to your
school 1-2 weeks before the written exams begin. Should
there be any delays in the delivery of exam material to
your school, please contact support@ibo.org.

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Checklist: the day of an exam
5. 6. 7.
Ensure candidates enter the exam room
in a quiet and orderly fashion, and do
not take bags or backpacks to their
desks.
Remind candidates not to communicate
with each other and to remain silent
during the exam.
Request that candidates hand in mobile
phones, smart-watches, and all other
unauthorized electronic devices.
1.
Ensure candidates know
their session number.
2.
Remove any reference
material that may be helpful
to candidates from the walls
of the exam room.
3.
Provide invigilators with
copies of Conduct of
examinations booklet 2021
and the addendum for
November 2021.
4.
Ensure there is at least
1.5 metres between each
candidate.

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Prepare a seating plan
A record of where each candidate sat in the exam room must be kept
for each exam. The seating plan must indicate the direction in which
the candidates were facing. Retain all seating plans until the close of
the examination session (15 March). In cases of alleged academic
misconduct, the IB will request a copy of the seating plan.
Open exam paper packets
This must be done in the exam room, before the exam starts, in front of the
candidates.
Read instructions to candidates
See section 18.0 of Conduct of examinations booklet 2021 for verbal
instructions to candidates. Please be aware that the instructions vary
depending on the type of examination. Please ensure candidates have the
exam paper they were expecting.
Points to remember
before starting an exam

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Adverse or unforeseen circumstances are defined as those beyond the control of
the candidate or school that may be detrimental to their performance.
Adverse circumstances relating to the November 2021 examination session
• Further information can be found in Adverse Circumstances Policy (only
applicable to the examination route) and Adverse Circumstances Policy
(only applicable to the non-examination route)
Emergency adverse circumstances relating to the November 2021 examination session
• Further information can be found in Assessment procedures.
Please note that all D2 Candidates affected by adverse circumstances forms must
be submitted within 10 days of the candidate’s last exam. Supporting evidence
must be submitted in English, French or Spanish. Informal translations of other
languages will be accepted.
Long-term physical or mental health challenges and specific learning difficulties
should be supported during the exam session by inclusive access arrangements
authorized in advance via IBIS, not by the adverse procedure.
Adverse circumstances

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Items not permitted
Refreshments: Water is permitted at the discretion of the coordinator.
Wireless headphones
Wearable technology: Please be particularly vigilant for any wearable technology.
Electronic equipment: An approved calculator is permitted in certain exams.
Books or guides
Correction fluid
Laptop / PC: Computers are not permitted unless specific authorization has been given by the IB.
Scratch/rough paper or notes

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Monitor general stationery
Pencil
Pen: Blue or black only, no gel pens allowed.
Basic geometry instruments
Eraser
Ruler
Calculators: Ensure that all graphic display calculators are set to exam/test mode.
Refer to Calculators guidance for examinations booklet 2021 for further information on calculator requirements.
All national/local guidelines or instructions must be followed regarding the wearing of personal protective equipment
(PPE), e.g. face coverings/masks, gloves, etc. at all times.
Ensure that candidates know what they should and should not bring to an exam. Depending on the subject,
candidates will need the following:

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Points to remember during an exam
Coversheets
Maintain silence
Answer booklets
Extra time
Reading time
Early leavers
All coversheets must be filled out
correctly by the candidate.
Silence should be maintained in the
exam room at all times. If a candidate is
cautioned for misconduct, make a note
of the name of the candidate and the
nature of the incident.
Answer booklets and graph paper
must be used correctly; please ensure
that candidates follow the written
instructions provided.
Please ensure that no extra time is given
to candidates, unless pre-approved by
the IB.
Candidates are permitted five minutes
reading time to carefully review the
instructions and questions of the paper.
This time is not for writing notes or
responses. There is no reading time for
multiple choice question papers.
Early leavers must not be permitted to
return to the exam room. Additionally,
no candidate is permitted to leave the
exam room during the first hour or the
final fifteen minutes of the exam.

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Collect exam materials
Collect all exam materials used by candidates to write their responses
and place them in the envelopes provided by the IB, which should be
sealed immediately within the exam room, or in a secure place under
the supervision of either the coordinator or the person designated to
oversee the examination.
Do not include the question paper, unless it is a structured paper.
Maintain silence as candidates leave the room
When the exam has ended, please ensure that candidates leave in
silence, and do not take any exam materials with them.
Social distancing
Candidates should maintain social distancing in line with local
government guidelines when exiting the exam room.
Ending an exam

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Copies for teachers
Give subject teachers a copy of the exam 24 hours after the exam has ended, but no sooner.
Academic misconduct
Report any potential or suspected cases of academic misconduct to academic.honesty@ibo.org.
Social media
Candidates, teachers and invigilators must not, under any circumstances, discuss, disclose, or
allude to the content of any IB exam for 24 hours after the examination has ended. This includes
all online communication, including the use of any social media network or messaging app.
Any candidate found to be in breach of these regulations will be subject to
investigation by the IB.
Maintaining exam security

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• Multiple choice question (MCQ) papers must always be sent in the
yellow envelopes provided by the IB.
• Only include a single subject, level and component in each yellow
envelope.
• Do not include any correspondence or material other than
completed MCQ papers in the yellow envelopes.
• Make sure that the barcode on the top of the first MCQ paper is
clearly visible through the transparent window of the yellow
envelope.
Sending MCQ papers to the IB
Address:
International Baccalaureate,
Peterson House, Malthouse
Avenue,
Cardiff Gate,
Cardiff, Wales
CF23 8GL
UNITED KINGDOM

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Sending completed exam scripts
to the scanning centre
Address:
Restore Document Management,
Unit 3, The Links,
Popham Close,
Hanworth,
FELTHAM,
TW13 6JE,
UNITED KINGDOM
• Completed exam scripts must be sent to the scanning centre within
24 hours of the exam ending. Further, the exam scripts should
arrive within 7 days of the exam ending.
• Use the blue envelopes provided and make sure that the QR code
on the top of the first answer sheet is visible through the
transparent window.
• Only include a single subject, level and component in each blue
envelope. Write on the back of the envelope the number of scripts
contained within. There is a box provided for this purpose.
• Where possible, please include at least 20 scripts in each envelope.
Do not include any material other than completed exam scripts.

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Reporting academic misconduct
Candidates (and teachers) have a responsibility to inform their school
administrators if they receive a request to share information on live exam
content, or see others doing so. Failure to do this is seen as complicity
and facilitation of academic misconduct.
Maintaining exam security
Candidates (and teachers) must not use social media to discuss live
exam content. Even conversations considered private and taking place in
closed groups (WhatsApp and similar platforms) have the potential to be
shared by any member of that group.
Social media and information
sharing guidelines

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The staggered release of results to programme coordinators
will commence at 12.00 noon on 2 January (GMT).
By default, results are released to candidates six hours after
results are released to schools. This assumes the coordinator
has issued each candidate with their personal identification
number (PIN).
Schools have the opportunity to set the access times for their
candidates any time from the same time as the school up to 48
hours later on IBIS.
Post results services
For details on the post results services, please refer to
Assessment procedures.
Candidate results
Issue of results

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Contact us
Email
support@ibo.org
Phone
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