FAQS For EC Exams for web updated 2011

FAQs
ENGINEERING COUNCIL EXAMINATIONS

Cessation of the Engineering Council Examinations 9107

Due to the cessation of the Engineering Council examinations and the last examination date
being year 2011 (re-sit only in 2012), City & Guilds is developing a successor qualification
(9210) for levels 5 to 7 in the engineering field aimed for Graduate and Post-Graduate. More
information on these qualifications will be available in Autumn 2011. Please contact
engineering_HLQ@cityandguilds.lk for more information.

For information on other methods of satisfying the academic requirements for CEng status in
the UK, please see the Engineering Council website at www.engc.org.uk or alternatively
contact your UK professional engineering institution.

What are my options for completing the Engineering Council Examinations?

The Engineering Council examinations will cease to be after 2011 with a re-sit attempt in
2012 available to previous candidates. An attempt is validated as entry to a unit that has not
been withdrawn before the closing date for entry set by the centre/branch office.

For the re-sit attempt for individual units in May 2012 - only candidates that have made a
previous attempt as described above will be permitted to enter a unit. That is someone who
has:
a. entered a unit in previous years and was absent
b. entered a unit in previous years and got a fail grade
c. entered a unit in previous years and passed but wishes to attempt to get a higher
grade.

So in theory someone who entered 5 subjects in 2011 but was absent from 3, passed 1 and
failed 1, can re-sit all 5 in 2012. They cannot re-sit units they have not previously entered.

The last date to submit the project proposal to City & Guilds Head Office will be 30 January
2012.

The last date to submit the project report to City & Guilds Head Office will be 20 May 2012.

Note these dates supersede all rules in the document, Rules and guidance for Engineering
Council examinations and in project component information.

There will not be any other opportunity to complete the requirements of the Engineering
Council Examinations.

Since the purpose of the Engineering Council Examinations is for CEng membership in the
UK, we suggest you contact your professional engineering institution whether you complete
the requirements or not for your next set of options. Registration to become a Chartered
Engineer in the UK requires membership of a UK professional engineering institution that is
licensed to assess the applicants for registration. A list of these institutions can be found at
www.engc.org.uk. Applications for CEng registration in the UK are made to the institution of
your choice.
FAQS For EC Exams for web updated 2011

What are these examinations for?

The purpose of the EC examinations is to provide an alternative route to gaining the
academic standard required to apply for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status in the UK. They
are not a degree.

What is the standard of the Engineering Council Examination?

The standard of the different levels are:

Certificate - set at the standard expected of an undergraduate at the end of the first year of
a degree course
Graduate Diploma - set at the standard of the final year of a British BEng (Hons) three year
degree course
Postgraduate Diploma - set at the final year of a British MEng first degree course which is
four years in length

I have a degree, is it accredited?

The Engineering Council keeps the record of accredited degrees you can check your degree
on their website at www.engc.org.uk

What exemptions can I get from subjects with my current qualifications?

There are no subject exemptions given in these examinations. In order to receive the award
you must gain passes in all required parts of the examinations.

I have a degree, what is the process to get it looked at by a UK engineering

institution?
In order to check your eligibility for CEng status in the UK, you are required to be assessed
by the individual case procedure of a UK engineering institution. Regrettably it is not in our
remit to assess qualifications for this level. You can only be assessed by a UK engineering
institution that is licensed to perform individual case procedures. You will find their contact
details on the Engineering Council UK website at www.engc.org.uk. Their educational
committee will review the information you are asked to present to them and will advise you of
the further learning they wish you to undertake. If a UK engineering institution is able to
register candidates at CEng level of the register then they are permitted to carry out
individual case procedure to ascertain whether your current qualifications and experience
meet the requirements to allow you to register at CEng level. If you are not eligible they will
inform you of any further learning they wish you to undertake.

What subject combination should I do?

Although the Engineering Council examinations does not set any restrictions on the
combination of subjects selected or the length of time taken to complete a component,
prospective candidates must be aware that, if they wish to join a professional institution in
order to gain Chartered Engineer registration or to further their career in general, the
institution may set its own limits in order to meet particular membership standards. It is vital,
therefore, that prospective candidates seek the advice of their professional UK engineering
institution prior to beginning their study to ascertain acceptable subject combinations. You
will find a list of the engineering institutions contact details at the Engineering Council UK
website www.engc.org.uk

Where and when can I sit the examinations?

The exams are available once a year in May and only until 2011 with re-sits in May 2012. As
you can now only sit an examination if you have already made a previous attempt, please
contact your previous centre.

What do they cost?

Costs are set by the centre so please contact them directly.
FAQS For EC Exams for web updated 2011

What letters do I get after my name once I’ve completed the examinations?
As neither the Engineering Council UK nor City & Guilds are degree-awarding bodies, the
Examination is not in itself a degree and does not entitle successful candidates to use
designatory initials such as BSc or BEng.

How do I register to become a Chartered Engineer?

Registration to become a Chartered Engineer in the UK requires membership of a UK
professional engineering institution that is licensed to assess the applicants for registration.
A list of these institutions can be found at www.engc.org.uk. Applications for registration are
made to the institution of your choice.

My degree isn’t accredited but I want to be a Chartered Engineer (CEng) in the UK.
How do I go about it? What do I have to do?
This is outside of the remit of this organisation. Please contact the engineering institution
through which you wish to apply to be a Chartered Engineer. You will find a list of the
engineering institutions on the Engineering Council UK website at www.engc.org.uk

I want to be IEng what do I have to do?

This is outside of the remit of this organisation. Please contact the engineering institution
through which you wish to apply to be an Incorporated Engineer. You will find a list of the
engineering institutions on the Engineering Council UK website at www.engc.org.uk

What examinations do I need to be IEng?

This is outside of the remit of this organisation. Please contact the engineering institution
through which you wish to apply to be an Incorporated Engineer. You will find a list of the
engineering institutions on the Engineering Council UK website at www.engc.org.uk

I want to go to a university that accepts the Engineering Council Examinations for

entry purposes. Can you send me a list?
We do not hold a list of universities that accept the Engineering Council Examinations as
each candidate will still have to apply on an individual basis dependant on the universities
requirements and the subjects and grades gained in the examinations and also the
competition from other applicants. Please contact the universities you wish to apply to
directly for information on their admission requirements.

I took some examinations prior to City & Guilds taking over the examinations and I
didn’t complete the award. What are my options?
The Part 1 and Part 2 Examinations were time delimited which means that you only had a
certain amount of time to complete the award.

Unfortunately no subjects gained under these examinations are transferable to the new style
examinations. Please contact your UK engineering institution for information on further
learning routes to gain CEng status. You will find a list of then and their contact emails at
the Engineering Council website at www.engc.org.uk

How do I get an entry form/entry prices?

Overseas - entries are done directly with your nearest City & Guilds branch or British Council
office. They will provide you with entry information, details and fees and these may be
payable in the local currency. Please ensure you use your existing enrolment to enter the
examinations or you may be charged again for registration.

UK – You will receive information on the centres by email or by post if you are on our
database. If you are a candidate but have taken examinations overseas and now wish to
take them in the UK, please send an email with your enrolment number and new postal
FAQS For EC Exams for web updated 2011

address to engineering_HLQ@cityandguilds.lk and put Change of address request to sit in UK

in the title in bold before 1st March

I can’t find a centre to take these examinations at; what can I do?
City & Guilds examinations are only run through approved City & Guilds centres.
Unfortunately if there is not a centre near you that is approved to run the examinations then
you will have to travel to a centre that is.

I need information on how to submit a project.

Please send an email with your name address and enrolment number to
engineering_HLQ@cityandguilds.lk with your request and information will be sent to you.

I’ve been given direct entry to the Graduate Diploma award. Please send me my
Certificate level award.
We confirm that the structure of the Engineering Council examinations is such that you have
been allowed direct entry to the Graduate Diploma level without having to sit the Certificate
level. This in no way implies that you have achieved qualifications that mirror this level in
examination performance nor does it imply you have covered the material in the Certificate
level.

I would like to know which of your awards are recognised under Washington Accord.
Please provide the necessary information.
The Engineering Council is the UK signatory to the Washington Accord - an agreement
which provides a mechanism for mutual recognition between signatory bodies of engineering
education accreditation processes. Each member of the group of countries involved has
expressed its confidence in the quality assurance processes of the other countries. By
extension this leads to the effective mutual recognition of accredited engineering degree
courses, and, generally, to exemption from the education requirement for practising in each
of the signatory countries.
Accreditation of engineering degree courses in the UK is not carried out directly by the
ECUK. Instead, individual engineering institutions are licensed by the ECUK to accredit
courses which meet academic standards for admission to the register, as well as to assess
the academic standards of candidates for registration who have not followed an accredited
course. Potential applicants with a UK degree are encouraged to check whether their degree
is accredited by consulting the ECUK accredited course database before applying.

Since the Engineering Council examinations are not courses in themselves they are not
accredited by UK institutions. They are accepted and used by UK engineering institutions as
an alternative route to obtaining the academic requirements for CEng status. They are also
accepted by the majority of signatories as a recognised pathway to meeting the academic
requirements. However, not all signatories accept them nor do they accept all combinations
of subjects sat. Candidates should approach the signatory they wish to apply to for
information on their current status.