what is a private candidate

This guide offers a concise overview of the considerations surrounding private candidates. It refers to the JCQ publications General Regulations for Approved Centres (GR) and Instructions for Conducting Examinations (ICE) as examples – centre staff should be well-versed in the contents of these publications.

What is a Private Candidate? A private candidate, also known as an external candidate, is typically a student pursuing a qualification who is not enrolled at an approved exam centre for that specific qualification. Private candidates may be home-schooled, privately tutored, enrolled in a distance learning course, or not attending an approved exam centre for another reason.

Private candidates are responsible for finding a centre willing to submit exam entries on their behalf and accommodate their exams. Centres are not obligated to accept private candidates, and it is ultimately the centre's decision whether to offer this service. JCQ maintains a list of centres willing to accept entries from private candidates. If your centre accepts private candidates or is considering offering this service, read on.

Gather Information from Awarding Bodies Ensure you are familiar with the information and guidance provided by awarding bodies for centres and private candidates. Investigate the qualifications (and individual subjects within qualifications) available to private candidates. Consult awarding body information and guidance to:

Identify the entry process that centres must follow Understand how to manage subjects involving non-examination assessments (where available to private candidates) Determine the information private candidates must provide to the centre and the associated deadlines Where appropriate, arrange a meeting with the potential candidate to discuss the process before making a final decision on whether to accept their entry/entries.

Accepting Private Candidates Establish your centre's policy on accepting private candidates. Ensure your policy is clear so that any staff member can confirm whether your centre considers accepting private candidates.

Determine if your centre accepts entries for any qualification available to private candidates or only those for which internal candidates are entered Confirm if there is a limit on the number of candidates your centre can accept If your centre does not have a written policy regarding private candidates, it is good practice to include a section in your general exams policy addressing this topic.

Informing Other Centres If a candidate is registered at another centre, that centre must be informed of the entry/entries made to manage possible timetable variations and invalid entry combinations.

Identifying Candidates Consider how the identity of a private candidate unknown to the centre will be verified before accepting their entry/entries. Photographic documentation confirming the candidate's identity must also be provided at the time of the exam(s).

Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments Centres must comply with the obligation to identify the need for, request, and implement access arrangements. Consider any access arrangements or reasonable adjustments that may be necessary for the candidate.

Centre Assessed Components Consider any qualifications that may contain centre assessed components.

Information for Candidates Consider creating a private candidate information pack or a series of standard templates to manage initial enquiries and beyond.

Identify your centre's fee structure. Determine any fees charged to private candidates in addition to the standard awarding body entry fee(s). Prepare information in advance to quickly address initial enquiries from potential candidates regarding service costs.

Determine other information you may need to provide to a private candidate once you have made the entry/entries. This might include, for example:

Candidate statement of entry and exam timetable information Exam rules and regulations, including relevant JCQ information for candidates documents and centre-specific exam information Required authorised materials for each exam Reporting time to the centre, arrival