Phase 4 – Before the exams

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Find all our administrative forms and guidance documents on this page.

This phase is about getting everything in place so that you are ready for the start of the exams. This includes storing your question papers securely, preparing the exam room and training invigilators.

On this page you can find information about:

Forecast grades

We ask you to submit forecast grades for all of your candidates. A forecast grade is the grade the teacher expects each candidate to achieve for each syllabus they are entered for. We use forecast grades:

to inform decisions about syllabus grade thresholds
to help make a post-exam adjustment to a candidate’s mark if you need to apply for special consideration to make allowances for some adverse circumstances, for example illness, bereavement or temporary injury
to carry out checks before we release results

If you do not submit forecast grades you will disadvantage your candidates. We cannot apply the above quality assurance processes without them.

Submit your forecast grades by the following deadlines:

June series: 30 April
November series: 31 October

Submit your forecast grades using one of the following methods:

Cambridge International Direct
A2C Migration Application: This method is only available to UK centres. Depending on your MIS package, you may be able to create your forecast grades file and then submit it to us through A2C.

See Part 4 of the relevant Cambridge Handbook for more information.

VIDEO: Our video explains how to submit forecast grades.前往优酷观看 View on YouKu

Pre-exam despatches

We will send you a number of pre-exam despatches so that you have all the materials you need to administer our exams. They are:

Cambridge early question paper despatch: Question papers and exam materials for specific components, such as practical, project or speaking components where materials are needed before the main timetable period.
Cambridge entries confirmation despatch: Documents confirming the details of your entries.
Cambridge pre-exam despatch: Exam stationery, key administrative documents, despatch labels and envelopes. This despatch also includes a guide explaining what you need to do with each item. Download the relevant pre-exam despatch guide below.
Cambridge pre-exam despatch guide November 2023 (International) (PDF, 602KB)
Cambridge pre-exam despatch guide November 2023 (UK) (PDF, 602KB)
Cambridge bar-coded labels despatch: Bar-coded labels for timetabled exams to identify the contents of each script packet you send back
Cambridge question paper despatch: Confidential question papers and supporting materials.

For guidance on handling confidential materials, download our poster from the Administrative forms and guidance documents page, under ‘Before the exams’.

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Please do not worry if you do not receive materials for any late or amended entries in the main despatches; they will arrive at a later date. You can find out more about your pre-exam despatches in the Cambridge Handbook, including what to do if a despatch does not arrive or if you are missing any items.

Early question papers and pre-release material

You can access early question papers and pre-release material in one of three ways:

School Support Hub
You can access some materials on the School Support Hub from the relevant syllabus page.
Digital File Despatch (DFD)
We will send you some materials via the Digital File Despatch (DFD) area of our website. To access these early question papers and pre-release materials, you must first submit final entries.
Printed
We send some materials in print. For some syllabuses, we are no longer sending materials in print, even if we have sent them in print previously.

See the table below which outlines how your school will receive early question papers and pre-release material for the syllabuses for which you have made entries. Please share this information with the relevant subject teachers.

Early question papers and pre-release material – June 2024 (XLSX, 10KB)

Additional exams material

We update the Additional Materials List before each exams series. The list includes:

additional materials candidates need in each exam
exam materials we provide
information about whether candidates should answer directly on the answer paper, on multiple-choice answer sheets or on an answer booklet provided as an insert in the question paper.

Additional Materials List – UK (PDF, 489KB)

Additional Materials List – International (PDF, 759KB)

Damaged, open or missing paper packets

When your question paper despatch arrives check that you have all the materials listed on the despatch note. If any of your question paper packets are damaged, open or missing you must let us know straight away. To do this complete and return the relevant form below:

Missing question paper packet – Before the exams – Form 2 (PDF, 542KB)

Damaged or opened question paper packet – Before the exams – Form 3 (PDF, 687KB)

Storing confidential materials

Before the exams start we will send you question papers and other confidential materials. You must keep them stored unopened, in a secure place at all times. See Part 4 of the Cambridge Handbook for detailed guidance

You can also view our video below.

VIDEO: The security of confidential materials is vitally important. View our video on how to receive, check and store confidential materials.Video transcript 前往优酷观看 View on YouKu

Preparing the exam room

To give all candidates the same experience each room needs to be set up in exactly the same way.

Desks 1.25m apart in all directions
No helpful display material visible
A clock that all candidates can see
Appropriate heating, lighting and ventilation
Noise levels outside the exam room at a minimum
Display the centre number, start and finish time so all candidates can see them
Display the Notice to Candidates and Candidate warning poster both inside and outside the exam room. We send these in your pre-exam despatch. You can download additional copies here.

For more information see Part 4 of the Cambridge Handbook.

Training invigilators

You are responsible for conducting a training session with your invigilators before the exam, even if they are experienced.

You need to make sure that they:

Recognise key terms used in exams
Understand what is expected of them
Know the regulations for conducting our exams
Feel confident and supported so they can invigilate all your exams effectively.

See the links below for our presentation, accompanied by step by step training notes to help you run this training session. The training is interactive and includes information for less experienced invigilators. You can adapt the training to your invigilators based on their experience. You can download the presentation and notes below.

Invigilating Cambridge Exams 2024 training presentation (PPTX, 3MB)

Invigilating Cambridge Exams 2024 – trainer document (PDF, 136KB)

We have written some guidance about why our question papers sometimes include widely debated topics or content that might be considered controversial or sensitive. Invigilators may find this guidance useful when preparing for students to sit exams.

Managing science practical exams

We have created some guidance for exams officers, teachers, and supervisors in centres that offer Cambridge International science qualifications that include a practical component. The document below offers advice on how to use and store confidential instructions, chemicals and materials, and ways in which to manage the number of candidates in practical exams.

How to manage science practical exams (PDF, 71KB)

Guide to planning practical science (PDF, 783KB)

Information Technology, Computer Science, and Information and Communication Technology practical exams

We provide guidance to support you with running practical exams for Information Technology, Computer Science and/or Information and Communication Technology. You can download the practical test instructions for the following syllabuses below.

Cambridge IGCSE ICT (0417) (PDF, 156KB)

Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) ICT (0983) (PDF, 172KB)

Cambridge International AS & A Level IT (9626) (PDF, 183KB)

Cambridge International AS & A Level Computer Science (9618 (PDF, 158KB)