Seating plan

Date Awarding Paper

Subject title
body number

DD MM YYY
Y

Session 

AM AM
Exit door

Invigilator desk
Seating
Candidates plan
face this template
way

A B Delete this textC D

box when the information E is understood F
contained below G
This template is provided as a good practice example only and is designed for use as a manually produced seating
Row 1 plan (i.e. where a centre does not have a MIS system that facilitates the production of seating plans etc.) using
candidate numbers, as example

Row 2

Customise this template for use in your centre by:

 deleting information that is not relevant
Row 3  amending/adding information that may not be included here that is relevant
 adding additional rows and/or columns/deleting rows and/or columns to mirror exam room
sizes/capacity in your centre
Page 2 confirms the JCQ ICE (2019/20) regulations relating to seating arrangements/plans and provides some
Row 4 seating hints and tips.

Row 5

Row 6

Row 7

Row 8

NOTES

I confirm this is a true record of the seating arrangements for this exam room
This template is provided for members of The Exams Office only and must not be shared beyond use in your centre
Seating plan template (2019/20)
Name: ....................................................... Signature: ………................................ Job title: ……………………………

This template is provided for members of The Exams Office only and must not be shared beyond use in your centre
Seating plan template (2019/20)
JCQ regulations relating to seating arrangements/plans (taken from ICE 2019-2020)

Section Requirement

11.10- The seating arrangements must prevent candidates from overlooking (intentionally or otherwise) the work of others. The
minimum distance in all directions from centre to centre of candidates' chairs must be 1.25 metres.
11.13
Wherever possible, for timetabled examinations:
a) all candidates should face in the same direction;
b) each candidate should have a separate desk or table big enough to hold question papers, maps (as appropriate) and answer
booklets. Candidates who are not working at individual desks must be far enough apart so that their work cannot be seen by,
and contact cannot be made with other candidates;
c) candidates who are working on a drawing board set on an easel or other non-horizontal surface must be arranged in an
inward-facing circle or in some similar pattern.
Where centres are using screened booths for GCE and GCSE MFL Listening examinations or for candidates awarded readers,
scribes or word processors, the invigilator(s) must be able to see the candidates at all times. Additionally, candidates must not
be able to overhear or distract one another.
Candidates should normally be seated in candidate number order.

11.14- You must create a seating plan that shows the exact position of each candidate in the examination room.
11.16 Any changes made to seating arrangements during the examination must be noted on the seating plan.
The seating plan must be available to an awarding body upon request.
Candidates with access arrangements must be identified on the seating plans that are held as part of your centre records.
Any other written external examination may be held in the examination room at the same time, as long as it does not cause any
disturbance.

12.3 …keep signed records of the seating plan, the invigilation arrangements and the centre’s copies of the attendance registers for
each examination. The awarding bodies may need to refer to these records. You must keep them until the deadline for reviews
of marking has passed or until any appeal, malpractice or other results enquiry has been completed, whichever is later. The
deadlines for GCE and GCSE examinations are stated in the JCQ publication: Post-Results Services, Information and guidance
to centres - http://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/post-results-services

19.2 Before candidates are allowed to start the examination, the invigilator must always:
a) make sure that candidates are seated according to the set seating arrangements, see section 11, pages 18-19 of these
Instructions…

Seating arrangements hints and tips

 Seat candidates in a way that will keep any potential disturbance/distraction to all candidates to a minimum
 To support accurate completion of the attendance register and the safe collection of scripts, seat candidates in attendance
register order (by exam) in a snake pattern - in most cases this would normally also be candidate number order (by exam)
 To minimise disruption to any candidates carrying on working for their allocated exam time, seat candidates with the
shortest exam duration nearest the exit
 Seat any candidates granted extra time and/or supervised rest breaks where they will least be disturbed as they carry on
for the full time allocated to them as other candidates leave the room at the end of their exam
 Where any candidates may be using a word processor (computer, laptop, tablet) ensure other candidates cannot see any
screens or be disturbed/distracted by the use of a keyboard etc.
 Seat any candidate who may need to leave the room temporarily (accompanied by a member of centre staff who is not
the candidate’s subject teacher or a subject expert for the exam in question) near the exit
 Where room capacity allows, leave an empty desk(s) near the exit in case a candidate is feeling unwell during the exam
and may need to leave the room temporarily (accompanied by a member of centre staff who is not the candidate’s subject
teacher or a subject expert for the exam in question)
 Where appropriate, display column letters (A B C D etc.) at the front of each row (as example, hanging from the front of
the first desk in each column) and display row numbers (1 2 3 4 etc.) on the wall to the side of each row to enable a
candidate pre-allocated a seat in the exam room to quickly find their seat (as example, a candidate to be seated in desk
C3)

This template is provided for members of The Exams Office only and must not be shared beyond use in your centre
Seating plan template (2019/20)