Qualifications Handbookcontent-web3.highfieldqualifications.com/media/1478/functional-skill… · Qualifications for approval. Centre Application (new Centres): If you are not yet

Functional Skills Qualifications Handbook v3.0 1

Highfield Functional Skills Qualifications in English and

Mathematics at Level 1 and Level 2

Qualifications Handbook (Administration Guide)

Version 3.0 April 2018

Copyright © 2017 HABC Ltd. All rights reserved Highfield House, Heavens Walk, Lakeside, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN4 5HZ, United Kingdom

Tel +44 08452260350 Tel +44 01302363277 Fax +44 08452260360


Contents

Welcome ..................................................................................................................................... 4

General Information .................................................................................................................... 5

Centre Approval ................................................................................................................................. 5

Nominating Tutors .............................................................................................................................. 5

Nominating Assessors/IQAs ............................................................................................................... 6

Invigilators .......................................................................................................................................... 6

Purchasing Registrations/Registering Learners .................................................................................. 6

Access to Assessment Arrangements ................................................................................................. 8

Functional Skills Assessment .............................................................................................................. 9

On Screen Examinations ............................................................................................................ 10

Introduction to On Screen Examinations ......................................................................................... 10

System requirements ....................................................................................................................... 10

Accessing habc.surpass .................................................................................................................... 11

Setting Up Additional Invigilators ..................................................................................................... 12

SecureClient...................................................................................................................................... 14

Booking a Demo Test ........................................................................................................................ 14

Booking an On Screen Examination ................................................................................................. 15

Adding Learners to an Examination ................................................................................................. 16

Removing Learners from an Examination ........................................................................................ 16

Viewing a Booked Examination ........................................................................................................ 16

Amending a Booked Examination .................................................................................................... 17

Absent Learners ................................................................................................................................ 18

Offline and Online Options ............................................................................................................... 18

Downloading Examinations for Offline Use ..................................................................................... 19

Adding Extra Time for On Screen Examinations ............................................................................... 19

Invigilation Support .......................................................................................................................... 20

Accessing the ‘Invigilate’ area .......................................................................................................... 21

Noting the Keycode and Pincode ..................................................................................................... 21

Checking the state of an examination .............................................................................................. 22

Monitoring activity during an examination ...................................................................................... 23

Taking the On Screen Examination .................................................................................................. 23

Uploading On Screen Examinations to Highfield Qualifications ...................................................... 24

Pausing Examinations in an Emergency ........................................................................................... 25

Technical Support ............................................................................................................................. 25


Paper-Based Examinations ......................................................................................................... 27

Dispatch of Paper-Based Examinations ............................................................................................ 27

Booking a Paper-Based Examination ................................................................................................ 27

Amending Booked Paper-Based Examinations ................................................................................ 27

Secure Storage of Examination Papers ............................................................................................ 28

Invigilation Support .......................................................................................................................... 28

Returning Paper-Based Examinations to Highfield Qualifications ................................................... 28

Paper-Based Assessment Checklist .................................................................................................. 29

Post-Examination Services ......................................................................................................... 30

Results .............................................................................................................................................. 30

Resits ................................................................................................................................................ 30

Certification ...................................................................................................................................... 31

Spiky Profiles .................................................................................................................................... 32

Post-Results Support ........................................................................................................................ 32

Version Amendments

V3.0 amendments effective from 18 April 2018

Purchasing Registrations/Registering Learners: Paper-based examinations will be sent to

your centre upon registering learners. Subsequently, the requirement to return unused

paper-based examinations to Highfield within 2 weeks of the examination scheduled date

has been removed

V3.0

On Screen Examinations (various sections): On screen examinations may be taken at any time within 90 days of the date for which the examination is scheduled.

V3.0

System Requirements: Updates made to the minimum specifications requirements for on screen examinations

V3.0

On Screen Examinations (various sections): Greater emphasis is placed on the recommendation to adopt a naming convention for all PCs used for testing and record the PC used for each examination

V3.0

Adding Learners to an Examination: It is recommended that no more than 20 learners are added to an on screen examination booking

V3.0

Absent Learners: Clarification is provided regarding absent learners for on screen examinations

V3.0

On Screen Examinations (various sections): Greater emphasis is placed on the requirement that invigilators must have access to a separate PC/tablet to enable them to access the ‘Invigilate’ area of habc.surpass whilst examinations are in progress.

V3.0

Results: Examination scores are now recorded alongside the learner’s examination result for registrations purchased on or after 18 April

V3.0

Resits: Centres can now purchase a quantity of resit papers in advance. When distributing resit papers, centres must ensure that the learner is not given a previously taken papercode.

V3.0


Functional Skills Qualifications Handbook

Welcome Welcome to the Functional Skills Qualifications Handbook. This document aims to provide Centres with administrative support relating to the following qualifications:

• Highfield Functional Skills Qualification in Mathematics at Level 1;

• Highfield Functional Skills Qualification in Mathematics at Level 2;

• Highfield Functional Skills Qualification in English at Level 1; and

• Highfield Functional Skills Qualification in English at Level 2.

Staff involved in the delivery and assessment of these qualifications must have access to, and understand the requirements of:

• the associated qualification specification;

• for English, the Centre Support Pack for Speaking, Listening and Communication;

• Examination and Invigilation Procedures (On Screen Examinations for Functional Skills) and/or;

• Examination and Invigilation Procedures (Paper-Based Examinations for Functional Skills)

Highfield Qualifications recommends that Centres become familiar with these documents prior to registering learners. If you have any questions, please contact your account manager.


General Information

Centre Approval

To deliver Highfield functional skills qualifications, Centres must apply to Highfield Qualifications for approval. Centre Application (new Centres): If you are not yet a Highfield Qualifications-approved Centre, you must complete the online Centre application. The application requests information on general Centre policies and procedures and how the Centre will deliver the qualifications it is requesting approval for. On securing approval, your Centre will be assigned a Centre number and given access to the Members Home area of the Highfield Qualifications’ website (www.highfieldabc.com) (referred to hereafter as Members Home area). Centres will be supported by a dedicated account manager who will be on hand to answer any questions you may have relating to Highfield’s qualifications and processes. Qualification Approval (new and existing Centres): Approved Centres must inform Highfield Qualifications of their intention to offer functional skills by completing the Functional Skills Centre Approval Declaration to confirm that they meet the requirements for the qualification as outlined in the qualification specification, this handbook and the Centre Support Pack for Speaking, Listening and Communication. Within the declaration, Centres must nominate tutors, assessors and IQAs who work within the Centre and are involved in delivering, assessing or quality assuring functional skills qualifications. If you are planning on using on screen assessment, you will nominate one person to act as the habc.surpass primary administrator. More information is provided in the On Screen Assessment section of this document. Upon submitting this declaration, Centres will be contacted by Highfield Qualifications and may be visited by our External Quality Support (EQS) team. Please contact your account manager to request a copy of the declaration.

Nominating Tutors

Staff members delivering, assessing or quality assuring Highfield’s functional skills qualifications must be made known to Highfield Qualifications. This is to support Highfield Qualifications with the external quality assurance of our qualifications. Tutors need to complete a short online application that will be reviewed by Highfield Qualifications. This is done by logging into the Members Home area and clicking on ‘Manage Nominated Tutors’. You will be asked to add the tutor’s name and email address. Once the tutor has been added to the list click on the tutor’s email address to send a link to the tutor to the online application. Full instructions are given on the Manage Nominated Tutors page.

http://www.highfieldabc.com/


Upon approving the application, tutors will be issued with a ‘nominated tutor number’. To seek approval for an existing tutor, please contact your account manager. Your account manager will request the appropriate information and review this before confirming approval for functional skills.

Nominating Assessors/IQAs

Assessors and IQAs (required for functional skills in English only) will also need registering with Highfield Qualifications, however there is no application process to complete.

Assessor’s and IQA’s details are registered via the Members Home area and by clicking on Manage IQAs. Upon adding the assessor’s/IQA’s name and email address, Centres will be asked to tick a box to confirm the suitability and competency of the assessor and/or IQA. Although Highfield Qualifications do not request to see documentation to support the registration of assessors/IQAs at this time, the Centre must ensure that all relevant certificates and documentation for these staff members are available for review during quality assurance visits.

Invigilators

Centres must keep a record of the invigilators they use for functional skills examinations. Prior to invigilating their first on screen functional skills examination, each invigilator must complete the Functional Skills Invigilator Declaration.

Purchasing Registrations/Registering Learners

Each learner wanting to take Highfield’s functional skills qualifications must be registered on the qualification prior to assessment.

Paper-based examinations are dispatched to centres upon purchasing registrations. Centres using paper-based examinations must therefore ensure that a sufficient number of registrations have been purchased at least 5 working days before the intended examination to enable us to process the paper-based examination order and deliver the examination(s). If you require paper-based examinations for learners registered prior to 18 April, please contact your account manager to arrange for papers to be dispatched for all previously purchased registrations.

Please contact your account manager if you require papers for learners who have not been registered 5 working days before the planned examination date. Paper-based examinations requested with less than 3 working days’ notice will be processed at Highfield Qualifications’ discretion, although Highfield Qualifications will not be able to guarantee that the examination papers will be received in good time. Such requests may be subject to an additional post/courier charge. Details of all fees can be found on the website. The 5-day rule does not apply for learners being assessed using on screen examinations.


To purchase registrations, Centres must log in to the Members Home area, click on ‘Purchase Registrations’ and follow these steps:

• select ‘Functional Skills’ from the categories in the first drop-down list;

• select the appropriate qualification, checking you choose the correct subject (e.g.

English or mathematics) and the correct level;

• add the quantity of registrations that you want to purchase;

• Learners may be registered at the time of purchasing registrations by clicking on ‘I

want to enter learner information now’ and completing the required information.

• Alternatively, registrations can be purchased in advance and the learners’

information entered at a later date. In this instance, the registrations will be stored

in the ‘Registration Bank’ where you can add learners’ details to each registration

at a later date.

• Add the quantity of learners that will be assessed on screen. Note: Papers will be

dispatched for all other registrations.

This information will be confirmed on your confirmation email.

• Continue to enter the required information to complete your purchase of

registrations

For assistance with this process or if you later need to change the format of examination, please speak to your account manager. See Paper-Based Examinations section for further information.

In this example, you are

registering 10 learners. 5

paper-based examinations

will be dispatched.

In this example, you are

registering 25 learners. 25

paper-based examinations

will be dispatched.


Access to Assessment Arrangements

The tutor/assessor should refer to the following documents if they feel the learner has circumstances that may affect assessment:

• Highfield Qualifications’ Reasonable Adjustments Policy; and

• Highfield Qualifications’ Special Consideration Policy.

An overview of the permitted adjustments is provided within the qualification specification.

Centres must ensure that access arrangements do not affect the reliability or validity of assessment outcomes nor must they give the learner an assessment advantage over other learners taking the same or a similar assessment. Should a learner be eligible, a maximum of 25% extra time may be added to an examination by the Centre without the need to apply to Highfield Qualifications for approval.

On screen: permitted extra time must be added prior to starting the examination. If the examination is to be run offline, the extra time must be added prior to downloading the examination. Please refer to the On Screen Examinations section: ‘Adding Extra Time for On Screen Examinations’ for instructions.

Paper-based: permitted extra time must be monitored by the invigilator. The invigilator must ensure the start and finish time is recorded on the front sheet of the examination paper in the spaces provided.

Centres must keep a record of any adjustments made (including the learner’s name, the examination taken, the date of examination and the reason for allowing the adjustment) in accordance with the Highfield Qualifications’ Reasonable Adjustments Policy. Should a learner require longer than the permitted 25% extra time, Centres should make an application to Highfield Qualifications a minimum of five working days in advance of the examination date. Please contact your account manager should you have a query relating to accessing functional skills assessments.


Functional Skills Assessment

Functional Skills Qualification in English at Level 1 and Functional Skills Qualification in English at Level 2 Each functional skills in English qualification is made up of three mandatory components:

• Reading;

• Writing; and

• Speaking, listening and communication.

All three components must be successfully completed to achieve the qualification.

This handbook provides instructions for undertaking the reading and writing examinations that are set, marked and moderated by Highfield Qualifications. The reading and writing examinations are both available in on screen and paper-based formats. Important For instructions and guidance relating to the assessment of the speaking, listening and communication component, centres must refer to the Centre Support Pack for Speaking, Listening and Communication. This is available from the Download Area in the Members Home menu. Functional Skills Qualification in Mathematics at Level 1 and Functional Skills Qualification in Mathematics at Level 2 One examination must be successfully completed to achieve the qualification. This handbook provides instructions for undertaking the mathematics examination, which is set, marked and moderated by Highfield Qualifications. The mathematics examination is available in on screen and paper-based formats.


On Screen Examinations Introduction to On Screen Examinations

This section explains how a Centre will book, access and run the on screen examination for functional skills.

On screen examinations are computer-based examinations that learners can take on-demand. Learners may take their examination at any time within 90 days of the date on which the examination is booked.

Examinations can be run either online or offline. Information on both of these options is provided in this section.

Centres wanting to use on screen examinations for functional skills must have access to the following:

1. The habc.surpass website: https://habc.surpass.com

2. SecureClient

System requirements

In order to run on screen assessments, Centres must ensure the equipment used for testing is suitable. The minimum system requirements are outlined below:

• Processor minimum specification of 1.80GHz or faster x86- compatible processor (we

recommend Celeron processors are avoided);

• RAM – minimum 1GB;

• Graphics card with at least 128 MB of memory,

• Screen resolution of 1024x768;

• Two button mouse and keyboard;

• Windows 7 or higher;

• Microsoft.NET Framework 4.0 or higher;

• Browsers – Internet Explorer 9+, Google Chrome 28+ or Mozilla Firefox 24+;

• Adobe Flash Player 18+ and Adobe Reader required;

• Bandwidth/broadband speed: a connection of a minimum of 2Mbps is recommended

for every 30 tests being sat at the same time.

• It is advisable to download the test in advance; and

• 3G/4G network cards / dongles are not recommended as they do not guarantee a

constant network connection.

This information was updated on 3 April 2018. To check the most current minimum system requirements please visit: https://habc.surpass.com/LaunchTest

https://habc.surpass.com/

https://habc.surpass.com/LaunchTest


Accessing habc.surpass

Upon qualification approval, Highfield Qualifications will set up your Centre’s habc.surpass account. On your qualification approval declaration, you will be asked to provide the name and email address of one person at your Centre who will have primary responsibility for overseeing the management of the on screen examinations. This person is referred to as the ‘habc.surpass primary administrator’. Highfield Qualifications will set up the habc.surpass primary administrator and they will receive an automated message like the example below:

From: [email protected] [mailto: [email protected] ] Sent: 17 June 2016 14:15 To: Mary Example <[email protected] > Subject: Welcome to Surpass Hi Mary, Welcome to Surpass, the market-leading solution for creating and delivering on-screen assessments. Your username is mexample To set your Surpass password and security question, please click on the link https://habc.surpass.com/Auth/Recovery/23c64fce-2aa0-40b5-91e0-7123f6 and follow the instructions. Thanks, The Surpass team

Upon receiving the email, click on the link and follow the instructions to set your password and security questions. Please make a note of your username and password as you will need these each time you log in to habc.surpass.

If you think you should have received an email and it hasn’t arrived, please check your ‘junk’ or ‘clutter’ email folders.

If you forget your log in details these can be reset by clicking on ‘can’t access your account?’ on the habc.surpass home screen. You will be sent another automated email with a reminder of your username and/or new temporary password.

Once logged in, the habc.surpass primary administrator will be able to:

• set up other invigilators for your Centre; and

• invigilate an examination (see Invigilation Support section below).


Setting Up Additional Invigilators

To set up additional invigilators follow these steps:

1. Log in to https://habc.surpass.com;

2. Click on the ‘Set Up’

3. Click on ‘Users’

4. Click on ‘Create User’:

5. Click on ‘Centre’ and then continue:

6. Enter the personal details of the person you are setting up as an invigilator. For the username, we suggest the following format, SurnameFirstname, as shown in the example below:

7. Click on ‘Select Centres’:

Your Centre should appear in the left-hand column. Click on the arrow to move

your Centre to the right-hand column. Click on



8. The next screen allows you to allocate roles to the user you are setting up. If this person is to invigilate only, then the following boxes must be ticked:

9. If you want the invigilator to also be able to set up other invigilators, for example, a team leader who needs to be able to set up other invigilators in their team, then also tick ‘Setup’ and ‘Manage Users’. Keep the assignable boxes unticked;

10. Click ‘Create User’. The user has now been created. An automated email will be sent to the email address you added in the personal details fields; and

11. To set up another user with the same permissions, follow the instructions on-screen.

Please note that it is the Centre’s responsibility to ensure that any person given invigilator permissions on habc.surpass reads and understands the Highfield Qualifications’ Examination and Invigilation Procedures (On Screen Examinations for Functional Skills) and completes the Highfield Qualifications’ Functional Skills Invigilator Declaration prior to invigilating any functional skills on screen examinations.


SecureClient

SecureClient is the software through which all functional skills on screen examinations are delivered. SecureClient needs to be downloaded on each PC that is to be used for testing. We recommend that the following steps are taken at least 10 working days prior to the date of the first examination to allow for sufficient time to resolve any issues you may encounter. 1. Check that all PCs that are going to be used for functional skills examinations are working correctly. It is advised to have spare PCs (we suggest at a ratio of 1 to 10) in case of any malfunction. 2. Download SecureClient to each PC by following these steps:

1. Open this link: https://habc.surpass.com/launchtest;

2. Click on the ‘Secure Delivery’ tab;

3. Click on ‘Download SecureClient’:

4. Click ‘Run’;

5. Follow the instructions;

6. Once completed you will have a new icon on the desktop:

7. Double click on the icon to ensure SecureClient launches correctly. Important: SHOULD YOU EVER NEED TO UNINSTALL SECURECLIENT YOU MUST ENSURE THAT ALL EXAMINATIONS ALREADY TAKEN ON THAT PC HAVE UPLOADED TO THE SERVER.

Booking a Demo Test

A technical check (or demo test) should be performed in the following situations:

• SecureClient is being used on a PC for the first time;

• SecureClient was previously uninstalled (and reinstalled as above); and

• SecureClient has not been used on a PC for over 3 months.

It is advisable to run a demo test at least 10 working days prior to the date on which you first want to use the PC for testing, to allow time to resolve any identified issues. Please contact your account manager to book a demo test. One demo test should be booked for each PC you wish to check, i.e. if you have 4 PCs you will need to book 4 demo tests. When using multiple PCs for testing, we strongly recommend numbering each PC (e.g. PC1, PC2 etc..) and booking the test using the adopted naming convention. This will help you to identify which PCs (if any) encountered a problem should an issue be detected with the demo test (or subsequent live tests).

https://habc.surpass.com/launchtest


Highfield Qualifications will provide you with a keycode and pincode for each demo test. Upon receiving the keycode and pincode for the demo test(s), follow these instructions:

1. Open SecureClient; 2. Enter the keycode provided DO NOT CLICK OK NEXT TO THE KEYCODE

BOX AS THIS WILL START THE EXAM; 3. Click ‘Download Exam to Take Later’; 4. Click ‘OK’ on confirmation box; 5. Once complete enter the same keycode; 6. Click ‘OK’; 7. Check the box and confirm the details; 8. Enter the PIN code; 9. Take the short test, clicking ‘Next’ after the first question and ‘Finish’ after

the second question; 10. Repeat the process for each PC being used for testing; 11. Email/phone your account manager (Mon-Fri) to let them know that this

is complete. If you experienced any issues during the demo test, please let Highfield Qualifications know;

12. Your account manager will check the system to ensure that the demo test has successfully uploaded to the Highfield Qualifications’ system;

13. Your account manager will confirm whether the test has been successful: Successful – you will be able to use the PC for testing your learners Unsuccessful – we will work with you to resolve any issues. You must not test learners until a successful demo test has been taken.

Booking an On Screen Examination

On screen examinations are booked through the Members Home area. Follow these steps: 1. Click ‘Manage Exams’;

2. Click ‘Book an Exam’;

3. Complete the exam details – qualification*, unit (for English you must select either reading

or writing), date/time** and venue details;

4. Tick ‘Use On Screen’; and

5. Click ‘Save Exam’.

* Following system updates made on 18.4.18, when booking exams you will have two qualification titles to choose from for each Functional Skills qualification e.g:

Highfield Functional Skills in English at Level 1 *registrations PRIOR to 18.4.18* Highfield Functional Skills in English at Level 1 *registrations AFTER 18.4.18*

To ensure that the learner is available to be added to the exam booking, you will need to select the qualification title depending on when you registered your learner. Please note that learners registered PRIOR to 18.4.18 will have to be booked on a separate exam to those registered AFTER 18.4.18.

** learners have 90 days from this date/time in which to take the examination.


Adding Learners to an Examination

Once the examination has been booked, you will need to add learners to the examination. We recommend adding no more than 20 learners to any one exam. Follow these steps:

1. Click ‘Select Delegates’;

2. ‘Tick’ the learners you want to attach to the exam from the list available. Only

learners registered on the corresponding qualification will appear in this list. If your

learner does not appear, check they have been registered for the qualification (see

the Registering Learners section of this document) or that they have not already

taken this examination; and

3. Click ‘Update Delegates’ to attach the learners to the exam.

The examination is now booked and the details will automatically be transferred to habc.surpass. Learners can be added to an examination at the time of booking or at a later date. If you want to add learners later you can find the exam (see section Viewing a Booked Examination) and follow the steps above. Learners cannot be added to the exam once the date/time has passed.

Removing Learners from an Examination

Please refer to ‘Amending a Booked Examination’ section.

Viewing a Booked Examination

To view or check that an examination has been booked, you must log in to the Members Home area. Follow these steps:

1. Click on ‘Manage Exams’;

2. Use the search criteria to locate your exam booking; and

3. Click on the pencil icon next to the booking to view the examination details.

If any details are incorrect or need changing, follow the steps in the ‘Amending a Booked Examination’ section below. Please note that examinations will only appear in the invigilation area of habc.surpass area 3 days before the date of the examination so you should not use this area to check the examination booking unless the examination is in less than 3 days’ time.


Amending a Booked Examination

If you have booked an on screen examination and want to change it to a paper-based one, please contact your account manager. If you need to amend the time and/or date of an on screen examination or remove a learner from an examination due to absence or withdrawal from the qualification (bearing in mind for both instances that learners have 90 days from the date of the exam to take it), please follow the steps below, noting the 2 different processes according to how soon the examination is due to take place: Four or more days before the date of the examination: Examinations can be changed by following the steps below. a) To change the date, time and/or venue for all learners booked on to the same

examination:

1. Locate the examination (see ‘Viewing a Booked Examination’ section);

2. Click ‘Edit Examination’; and

3. Amend the date, time and/or venue of the examination.

IMPORTANT: any changes made will apply to all learners booked on to this examination.

b) To change the date, time and/or venue for specific learners only (i.e. if they will not

complete the examination in the 90-day window) you will need to remove them from

this examination and, if required, book a new examination:

1. Follow the steps in ‘Viewing a Booked Examination’ section above to locate the

examination;

2. Select ‘Select Delegates’;

3. Untick the box next to any learners you wish to remove from the examination;

4. Click ‘Update Delegates’; and

5. Removed learners will reappear for selection against new examination bookings.

Follow the steps in the Booking an Examination section.

Less than 4 days before the date of the examination, within the 90-day window or after the 90 window has passed: Examinations can only be changed by ‘voiding’ the examination by following these steps:


2. Click on ‘Test Administration’;

3. Click on ‘Invigilate’

4. A list of examinations booked at your Centre will appear. You can apply filters to

the list to help you locate an examination by clicking on the arrow next to the

column headings. For example, you can search by exam date or learner name.

5. Select the learner(s) you need to void;

6. Click on:



7. Select the reason for voiding the examination from the available options and click

on :

8. The learner’s examination is now voided and will not be available to be taken;

9. Next you need to log in to the Members Home area;

10. Click on ‘Manage Exams’;

11. Use the search criteria to locate your exam booking;

12. Click on the pencil icon next to the booking to view the examination details; and

13. Click on ‘Select Delegates’. Untick the learner(s) that you have voided from the

exam in habc.surpass.

Once you have completed this process, the learner(s) will be available for selection when booking a new examination. A new examination can be booked following the steps in the ‘Booking an On Screen Examination’ section.

Absent Learners Learners have 90 days from the date/time on which the examination was scheduled to take the exam. Should the 90 days pass and the learner not have completed the examination, the above steps must be followed if the learner is to be booked another examination. Please note that learners will be voided automatically by the system 7 days after the expiration of the 90-day window.

Offline and Online Options

Online: If the internet connection is reliable at the examination venue, you may choose to run the examination online. Internet connection is required to start the examination, however, should the internet fail once the examination has started the examination will continue to run. If this is your preferred option, please move to the ‘Taking the On Screen Examination’ section below. Offline: Examinations can be delivered ‘offline’. This option should be used where an internet connection is not available or is known to be temperamental. An internet connection is required to download the examination in advance of the learner taking the examination. Examinations can be downloaded up to 48 hours in advance of the date on which the examination has been scheduled. See the ‘Downloading Examinations for Offline Use’ section.


Downloading Examinations for Offline Use

Examinations can be downloaded up to 48 hours in advance of the date on which the examination has been scheduled or at any time during the 90-day examination window. The examination must be downloaded to the PC that the learner is taking their test on. When using multiple PCs for testing, we strongly recommend numbering each PC (e.g. PC1, PC2 etc..) and recording which PC each examination was downloaded to. This ensures that the learner only attempts to take their examination on the PC to which the examination was downloaded and makes it much easier for Highfield to provide effective support in the unlikely event of an issue occurring.

Note: Permitted extra time must be added before downloading an examination (see ‘Adding Extra Time for On Screen Examinations’ sections below).

Follow these steps to download a test in advance:

1. Open SecureClient; 2. Enter the keycode provided - DO NOT CLICK OK NEXT TO THE KEYCODE

BOX AS THIS WILL START THE EXAM; 3. Click ‘Download Exam to Take Later’; 4. Click ‘OK’ on the confirmation box; 5. You will receive a pop-up to tell you if the download was successful; 6. AGAIN, DO NOT CLICK OK NEXT TO THE KEYCODE BOX AS THIS WILL

START THE EXAM; 7. To download another exam to the same PC, enter the next keycode; 8. When all exams have been downloaded, close SecureClient by clicking on

the x in the top right-hand corner; and 9. Check that the exam has been downloaded by logging in to habc.surpass.

Go to the invigilation area and the following symbol will appear next to the exam in the ‘state’ column to show that it was downloaded:

Once the examination has been downloaded, you should follow the steps in the ‘Taking the On Screen Examination’ section below. IMPORTANT: a downloaded examination must be taken on the PC on which it was downloaded. Once downloaded, the key code for that examination will not work on any other PC.

Adding Extra Time for On Screen Examinations

If, in accordance with Highfield Qualifications’ Reasonable Adjustments Policy, a learner is eligible to have extra time added, this must be added prior to the exam starting (online) or prior to the exam being downloaded (offline). To add 25% extra time follow these steps:




4. Select the learner needing extra time;

5. Click on:



6. In the ‘Duration’ field, add the TOTAL amount of time the examination will now

last (i.e. if the exam is 60 minutes write 75 in the box to add 25% extra time). The

percentage added will appear next to the duration so you can be assured you are

adding the correct amount of time:

7. Select a ‘Reason’ from the drop-down list or select other and add the reason in

the free text box which will appear (note you must enter at least 10 characters):

8. Click ‘OK’; and

9. The amended time will show in the ‘Duration’ column as shown:

If you need to add more than 25% extra time please contact Highfield Qualifications. Please note that examinations will only appear in the invigilation area of habc.surpass area 3 days before the date of the examination so you cannot add extra time unless the examination is in less than 3 days’ time.

Invigilation Support

All invigilators of on screen examinations must complete the Highfield Qualifications’ Functional Skills Invigilator Declaration prior to invigilating an examination. Functional skills examinations must be invigilated in accordance with the Highfield Qualifications’ Examination and Invigilation Procedures: On Screen Examinations for Functional Skills. This document can be downloaded from our website.

Invigilators must have access to a separate PC/tablet to enable them to access the ‘Invigilate’ area of habc.surpass whilst examinations are in progress. From this area Centres can:

• find the keycode and pincode needed to access the examination;

• check the state of an examination;

• monitor activity during an examination; and

• pause an exam in the event of an emergency/technical issue.


Accessing the ‘Invigilate’ area To access the ‘Invigilate’ area follow these steps:




4. A list of examinations booked at your Centre will appear. You can apply filters to

the list to help you locate an examination by clicking on the arrow next to the

column headings. For example, you can search by exam date or learner name.

Please note that examinations will only appear in the ‘Invigilate’ area 3 days before the date of the examination. If you want to check your examination booking before this date, please follow the instructions in the ‘Viewing a Booked Examination’ section. If the examination is less than 3 days away and does not appear in the invigilation area, please contact your account manager.

Noting the Keycode and Pincode

Prior to the examination, invigilators must make a note of the keycode and pincode which are required to access the examination in SecureClient.

You have two options for recording the keycode and pincode: 1. Print the Invigilator Pack (for multiple or single learners)

a) Access the ‘Invigilate’ area (see above);

b) Highlight the learner(s) you wish to print a pack for;

c) Click on:

; and

d) Follow the on screen instructions. You will have the option to print an

attendance record (giving the keycode and pincode), invigilator report and

keycode slip (to give to the learner).

2. Manually record the keycode and pincode:

a) Access the ‘Invigilate’ area (see above);

b) Locate the learner you wish to note the keycode and pincode for;

c) Write the keycode and pincode as stated on the screen



Checking the state of an examination The state of an examination is shown in the left-hand column of the ‘Invigilate’ screen. The invigilator may want to check this to see, for example, that the examination is ready to be taken, whether the examination has downloaded to SecureClient or if it is awaiting upload etc.. Here are some of the state symbols you may see:

These are the most commonly seen symbols: Locked – An exam will be locked until the exam is within its scheduled window. This symbol should disappear two calendar days prior to the date of the scheduled exam. Ready - The candidate can enter their keycode when instructed by the Invigilator. The exam

must be ‘Ready’ for the keycode to be accepted. The unique keycode is displayed within the

‘Invigilate’ screen and in the printed invigilation packs.

In Progress –Once the learner clicks the ‘Start Exam’ button, the examination state will

change to ‘In Progress’. The learner will have a few pages of introductory materials to read

before starting the examination.

User Disconnected – If an examination loses its connection to the central server, this state

will appear. Once an examination has started, the examination will continue to run even if

connection to the internet is lost. Internet connection is however needed to uploaded the

examination.

Paused - The invigilator can pause an exam at any time by selecting an exam and clicking the

‘Pause’ button on the ‘Invigilate’ screen. Click the ‘Resume’ button to allow the candidate to

continue with the exam. See ‘Pausing an Examination in an Emergency’.

Finished – The examination’s state will change to ‘Finished’ when the candidate clicks the

‘Finish’ button at the end of their exam. The examination has successfully uploaded to the

central server.

Awaiting Upload – The examination has finished but has not uploaded to the central service

so will not be able to be marked. Follow instructions in the ‘Uploading On Screen

Examinations’ section.

Voided – The examination has been cancelled and cannot be taken.


Monitoring activity during an examination

When using SecureClient the PC is ‘locked down’ and you cannot access any other area of the PC. The invigilator must therefore have access to a separate PC to access the ‘Invigilate’ area while examinations are in progress. Invigilators should monitor the state of an examination (see above) during an examination to ensure that the examination state remains as ‘in progress’ and check that it has uploaded after the examination has finished. It is strongly advised that the invigilator keeps a record of which PC each learner takes their examination on. This is to enable Highfield to provide appropriate support should, for example, a completed examination not automatically upload to habc.surpass.

Taking the On Screen Examination

Before opening SecureClient, the invigilator should check that the examination is ready to be taken. Log in to habc.surpass and go to the invigilation area. Check the symbol next to the exam in the ‘state’ column:

The examination is locked and is not yet ready to be taken. An exam will be locked until the exam is within its scheduled window. You must wait until the examination is ‘ready’ or reschedule the exam (refer to the instructions in the section ‘Amending a Booked Examination’).

If you see this symbol, the examination is ready and you can proceed with the examination. Follow the steps below.

All examinations (whether online or offline) are taken through SecureClient. Before the learners arrive: 1. Open SecureClient on each PC by clicking on the icon:

Note: SecureClient checks for updates each time it is opened. If you experience any

difficulties try closing and reopening SecureClient. Although rare, if difficulties do persist,

try uninstalling and reinstalling SecureClient. BEFORE UNINSTALLING SECURECLIENT YOU

MUST ENSURE THAT ANY EXAMINATION ALREADY TAKEN ON THAT PC HAS UPLOADED

TO THE SERVER. Contact Technical Support if necessary.

2. Check you have noted the keycode and pincode for each learner.


When ready, allow the learners to enter the examination room: 1. Invigilators must check learners’ IDs;

2. Provide the learner(s) with their keycode(s);

3. Once IDs have been checked, instruct learners to input the keycode and click OK. NOTE: A

DOWNLOADED EXAMINATION MUST BE TAKEN ON THE PC ON WHICH IT WAS

DOWNLOADED;

4. Learners must read and confirm their details. If there are any inaccuracies, check that you

have provided the correct keycode to the intended learner;

5. Once all learners are ready, the invigilator must inform all learners to input the pincode.

This will ensure that all learners start the examination at the same time;

6. Invigilate the examination in accordance with the Highfield Qualifications’ Examination

and Invigilation Procedures (On Screen Examinations for Functional Skills).

After the examination: 1. Check all learners have clicked ‘Finish’ and logged out of SecureClient;

2. Make a written account of any issues or disturbances and report this to the Centre; and

3. Check the examinations have uploaded (see below).

Uploading On Screen Examinations to Highfield Qualifications

Once an examination has been completed, Centres must ensure the examination is uploaded to Highfield Qualifications within 2 working days of the examination taking place. IMPORTANT: examinations not uploaded to Highfield Qualifications within 7 working days will not be marked.

Online: examinations should automatically upload to Highfield Qualifications as soon as the learner has finished the examination. An internet connection is required for this to happen. As internet connectivity is sometimes intermittent, invigilators must check that the examination has uploaded. It is the Centre’s responsibility to check that the examination has uploaded (see steps below).

Offline: once the learner has completed the examination, the Centre must reconnect the PC to the internet within 2 working days. The examination should automatically upload once the PC reconnects to the internet and SecureClient is opened. It is the Centre’s responsibility to check that the examination has uploaded (see steps below).

You can check that the examination has successfully uploaded to habc.surpass by the symbol in the ‘State’ column in the Invigilation Area of habc.surpass. If your exam has successfully been uploaded, a green tick will be shown. If the examination has not yet been uploaded you will see this symbol:

If you see this symbol, identify which PC the learner has taken the examination on (as examinations are securely stored on the local PC until it is uploaded).

Check the PC is connected to the internet and then open SecureClient. Wait a few moments for it to launch and then close it by clicking the X in the top corner. Check the state of the exam again in the invigilation area. Contact your account manager if, after launching SecureClient whilst connected to the internet, the exam is still showing as ‘awaiting upload.


Pausing Examinations in an Emergency

In the event of an emergency, and only if safe to do so, the invigilator may pause an examination.

To pause an examination:

1. Access the ‘Invigilate’ area

2. Highlight the examination(s) you need to pause and click on:

3. To resume an examination, highlight the examination(s) and click on:

Highfield Qualifications will identify that an examination has been paused. The invigilator must report to Highfield Qualifications the reason why the examination was paused.

Technical Support

Should you experience difficulties with on screen examinations, please contact Highfield Qualifications on 01302 363277 and ask to speak to Functional Skills On Screen Assessment Support. This service is available during office hours 8:30-17:30, Monday to Friday.


On screen Assessment Checklist

Equipment check

1. Have you installed SecureClient on each computer that is being

used for testing?

2. Have you completed a demo test on each PC and received

confirmation from your account manager that this was

successful?

Pre-assessment

1. Have you scheduled your learners on to the correct assessment

and at the correct level?

2. Do you have the KEYCODE and PIN for each learner?

3. If running the assessment offline - have you downloaded the

examination (this can be done up to 48 hours in advance of the date

on which the examination has been scheduled) and made a note of

which PC you downloaded the examination to?

At the time of assessment

1. Have you checked learners’ IDs?

2. Are the learners sitting the correct examinations?

3. Is the examination being invigilated in accordance with the

Highfield Qualifications’ Examination and Invigilation Procedures

(On Screen Examination for Functional Skills)?

After the assessment

1. Have all learners logged out of the assessment?

2. Have all assessments been successfully uploaded?

3. If any issues occurred, have you reported these to your Centre

Contact and informed your Highfield Qualifications’ account

manager?


Paper-Based Examinations

Dispatch of Paper-Based Examinations

Highfield Qualifications will send functional skills examination papers to centres upon registering learners. Please refer to the Registering Learners/Purchasing Registrations section.

If you have not received your examination papers 3 working days prior to the scheduled examination, please contact your account manager.

Booking a Paper-Based Examination Paper-based examinations are booked through the Members Home area.

Follow these steps: 1. Click ‘Manage Exams’;

2. Click ‘Book an Exam’;

3. Complete the exam details – qualification*, unit (for English you must select either reading

or writing), date/time* and venue details;

4. Select ‘Paper Based; and

5. Click ‘Save Exam’

* Following system updates made on 18.4.18, when booking exams you will have two qualification titles to choose from for each Functional Skills qualification e.g:

Highfield Functional Skills in English at Level 1 *registrations PRIOR to 18.4.18* Highfield Functional Skills in English at Level 1 *registrations AFTER 18.4.18*

To ensure that the learner is available to be added to the exam booking, you will need to select the qualification title depending on when you registered your learner. Please note that learners registered PRIOR to 18.4.18 will have to be booked on a separate exam to those registered AFTER 18.4.18.

In accordance with the Highfield Examination and Invigilation Procedures (Functional Skills Paper Based Examinations), paper-based examinations must be booked on Highfield Central least 5 working days before the examination(s).

Amending Booked Paper-Based Examinations

Please contact your account manager if you need to change the time, date or venue of an examination that you have booked or if you need to change the format of the examination to on screen.

As stated in the Highfield Qualifications’ Examination and Invigilation Procedures (Paper-Based Examinations) for Functional Skills document, in the event of an examination being cancelled or amended, it is permissible to use the examination papers for an examination at a later date, as long as the procedures set out in the examination and invigilation procedures are adhered to.


Secure Storage of Examination Papers

Assessment material is highly confidential and must be stored securely in line with the Highfield Qualifications’ Examination and Invigilation Procedures.

Invigilation Support

Functional skills examinations must be invigilated in accordance with the Highfield Qualifications’ Examination and Invigilation Procedures (Paper-based Examinations for Functional Skills). This document can be downloaded from our website.

Returning Paper-Based Examinations to Highfield Qualifications

All completed assessments must be returned to Highfield Qualifications within 2 working days of the assessment taking place. Assessments must be sent using secured/registered post. Unused assessments must not be used as practice assessments or as teaching materials. The photocopying of functional skills examinations (completed or unused) is strictly prohibited.


Paper-Based Assessment Checklist Pre-assessment

1. Have you scheduled your learners on to the correct examination

and at the correct level?

2. Have you checked the examination covers to make sure the

correct papers have been received? Do not remove from their

tamper-proof packets. Report any discrepancies to Highfield

Qualifications immediately.

3. Have the examinations been stored securely?

4. Have all the learners’ names been accurately added to the

Highfield Qualifications’ Examination Learner List and Declaration?

During the assessment

1. Have you checked each learner’s ID?

2. Is each learner sitting the correct assessment?

3. Is the examination being invigilated in accordance with the

Highfield Qualifications’ Examination and Invigilation Procedures

(Paper-Based Examinations for Functional Skills)?

4. Has all the information on the front cover been correctly

completed?

5. Has each learner signed the Learner Declaration at the bottom of

the script?

After the assessment

1. Has the invigilator completed and signed the Highfield

Qualifications’ Examination Learner List and Declaration?

2. Have you returned completed examinations within the

prescribed timescale?


Post-Examination Services Results

Once the examination has been marked and moderated, Highfield Qualifications will send a results notification email to the Centre contact to advise them that the results are available. Results can be checked in the Members Home area. Results for functional skills will show as either a pass or a fail. Highfield Qualifications introduced score reporting in April 2018. Scores will be recorded beside the examination result for learners whose functional skills registration was purchased on or after 18 April 2018. For example:

The pass mark for each functional skills examination is determined by an awarding process. Highfield Qualifications is responsible for undertaking the awarding process and confirming the pass mark for each examination. Each examination is given a papercode and it is common for different papercodes to have different pass marks. Highfield’s functional skills examinations are designed to have pass marks that lie in the following ranges:

Examination Pass Mark Range Total Marks Available

Level 1 Mathematics 24-28 40

Level 2 Mathematics 30-32 50

Level 1 Reading 13-14 20

Level 2 Reading 18-20 30

Level 1 Writing 24-26 40

Level 2 Writing 30-32 48

When viewing a learner’s scores, this table will help determine how close they were to the pass mark.

Resits

Should a learner fail a functional skills examination, they are able to retake the examination. There is no limit to the number of resits a learner can take. We recommend that the learner takes a diagnostic assessment prior to retaking a functional skills examination to highlight any areas that the learner may still need to work on and to enable Centres to plan to support the learner in these areas prior to any subsequent examination.


A quantity of resit papers can be purchased in advance. The fees for resit papers are as follows:

Quantity Maths

Reading or Writing

1-10 £20.00 £10.50

11-24 £15.50 £7.50

25+ £14.00 £7.00

Note: The number of resit papers purchased cannot be more than the number of active registrations. Our systems are currently being upgraded to enable you to pay for resits online. We will inform you when this option is available. In the meantime, please contact your account manager to purchase resit papers. The purchase of resit papers does not constitute an examination booking. An examination must still be booked against the learner’s registration. See Booking a Resit Examination below. When distributing resit papers to learners, the centre must ensure that the learner is not given the same papercode twice. Papercodes are recorded against the original exam taken. This information can be found via ‘Manage Exams’ within the Member’s Home area. To book a resit please repeat the instructions in the ‘Booking an On Screen Examination’ or ‘Booking a Paper-Based Examination’ section as appropriate for your chosen method of assessment. When speaking with your account manager to book a resit examination, it is important to state that you are booking a resit.

Please note: it is important that you book a resit examination against the existing learner registration. DO NOT purchase a new registration as this will be chargeable at the full qualification price.

Certification

Functional skills in mathematics: certificates will be issued upon notification that the learner has passed the mathematics examination. Functional skills in English: certificates will be issued once the learner has passed all 3 components (reading, writing and speaking, listening and communication). Please refer to the Highfield Qualifications’ Centre Support Pack for Speaking, Listening and Communication for instructions on notifying Highfield Qualifications of the completion of the speaking, listening and communication component.


Spiky Profiles

A spiky profile is only possible in qualifications where there are 2 or more individually assessed components (i.e. functional skills in English) and occurs when a learner completes the components at differing levels. Learners are awarded the qualification at the lowest level achieved across all components.

Post-Results Support

Should you have any queries after the results have been issued, please contact your account manager in the first instance.

Documents

Qualifications Handbookcontent-web3.highfieldqualifications.com/media/1478/functional-skill… · Qualifications for approval. Centre Application (new Centres): If you are not yet