What Makes a Good Exam Invigilator?

Are you interested in an exciting new opportunity with the responsibility of invigilating exams in secondary schools? In this post, we will be exploring what the role entails and answering the question, ‘what makes a good exam invigilator?‘ If this role sounds right for you for, keep an eye on our training events as we regularly run online exam invigilation training.

In the UK, an invigilator is responsible for ensuring that all examinations are conducted in a fair and secure manner. This includes overseeing the exam process, ensuring that candidates follow the rules, and preventing any instances of cheating or malpractice with the question paper. The role of an examination invigilator is crucial to maintaining the integrity of the examination process and ensuring that all candidates are given a fair chance to succeed. Exam invigilators are especially in demand for supporting secondary schools in the build-up to GCSEs and A-level exams.

What Qualifications and Experience Do You Need?

In order to become an exam invigilator, or examination officer, there are no formal educational requirements, however, in most cases, you will need to have completed exam invigilator training – offered through Prospero Teaching! It is also important to have experience in the field of education or a related industry.

This includes experience working in a school, college or university environment. It is also beneficial for exam invigilators to have experience working in a supervisory or leadership role.

What does the Exam Invigilator’s role consist of? What are the Responsibilities of Exam Invigilators?

The primary responsibility of an invigilator is to ensure that all examinations are conducted in a secure and fair manner during the busy exam period. You act as a practical assistant for the admin around question papers.

This includes overseeing the exam process from start to finish, ensuring that all candidates follow the rules and regulations, and preventing any instances of cheating or malpractice.

Exam Invigilator job duties include:

1. Preparing the examination room – Before the exam starts, the exam invigilator must ensure that the examination room is set up correctly. When conducting examinations, this includes setting up desks and chairs, ensuring that there is enough space for all candidates, and checking that all necessary materials are available. Instructions for conducting examinations must be followed accurately. This may vary depending on the examination venues.
2. Checking candidates’ identification – Before the exam starts, the exam invigilator must check the identification of all candidates to ensure that they are eligible to sit the exam.
3. Explaining the rules – The invigilator must explain the rules and regulations of the exam to all candidates before the exam begins. This includes explaining the consequences of cheating or malpractice.
4. Supervising the exam – During the exam, the invigilator must supervise all candidates to ensure that they are following the exam rules and regulations. This includes monitoring GCSE students’ behavior and ensuring that they are not cheating or engaging in any malpractice.
5. Dealing with any issues – If there are any issues during the exam or mock GCSE, such as a candidate becoming ill or a disturbance occurring, the exam invigilator must deal with the situation quickly and effectively.
6. Collecting and distributing exam materials – At the end of the exam, the exam invigilator must collect all exam materials, including scripts, examination papers, and answer sheets, and ensure that they are distributed correctly.

What makes a Good Exam Invigilator?

A good exam invigilator is someone who is reliable, responsible, has excellent attention to detail, and good communication skills. They must be able to follow instructions carefully, as well as have the ability to make quick and effective decisions in the event of any issues during the exam.

A good invigilator must be able to maintain a calm and professional demeanor at all times, while also being approachable and helpful to candidates who may have questions or concerns about exam papers.

Exam Invigilators must also be able to communicate effectively, both with the candidates and with other staff members. Overall, a good exam invigilator is someone who is committed to ensuring that all candidates are able to take their exams in a fair and secure environment, and who is willing to go above and beyond to make sure that this goal is achieved.

Why do exam invigilator jobs offer an exciting opportunity?

• Above average salary per hour
• Casual hours Part-time
• Flexible work
• Equal opportunity position
• Prospero Teaching are available over the phone if you need support
• Experienced invigilators can use this to find other jobs in education

Thank you for reading our post on the role of exams officer! Are you looking for an exams invigilator position ahead of a busy summer exam period? Prospero Teaching recruits exam officers!

If you are on the lookout for examination invigilator jobs, you can view all our latest school vacancies here.

If you’re open to considering other ‘non-classroom’ roles in education, read our guide.

Our specialist consultants are always happy to help new and experienced invigilators on their career journey – register and we’ll get in touch with you. In the meantime, why not try our free CPD-accredited training courses?  Do we offer training? In the build-up to exam season, we offer an online training session for new invigilators. Here you will receive detailed instructions for conducting examinations in accordance with JCQ regulations.

We also offer exams invigilator training – check out our events page for upcoming courses!