Forma de aplicación de los principios

For Speaking exams you must arrange the following:

Non- UK centres

• Recruit and train Speaking Examiners (see Section 1.4.1). • Speaking packs: ordering, automatic despatch and top- up

orders (see Section 1.4.1).

• Order Instructions to Speaking Examiners booklet. If you need more copies close to the exam date, these can be downloaded from the support website (see Section 1.4.1).

UK centres

In addition, you must:

• Provide enough trained staff for supervising and marshalling at the Speaking test venues. • Timetable the Speaking tests (see Section 2.15.1).

• Ensure that arrangements are made for Speaking Examiners, for example, refreshments and car parking facilities, and provide them with details of whom to contact if they have any queries. There is no requirement for you to provide lunch or dinner for examiners.

1.4.1 Non- UK centres Speaking Examiners

You must not accept entries unless you are sure that you will have sufficient numbers of approved, inducted,

trained and certificated Speaking Examiners in time for the exam.

See also Non- UK centres: requirements for Speaking Examiners in the Centre administration section for information about how to recruit and train Speaking Examiners.

Speaking packs: Ordering, automatic despatch and top- up orders

Exam Ordering/automatic despatch Top- up orders/new centres

• Cambridge English: Key

• Cambridge English: Key for Schools • Cambridge English: Preliminary

• Cambridge English: Preliminary for Schools • Cambridge English: First

• Cambridge English: First for Schools • Cambridge English: Advanced • Cambridge English: Proficiency • Cambridge English: Business Certificates

We despatch Speaking packs twice a year: • Issue 1 is for the May to October exams.

We despatch it in April.

• Issue 2 is for the November to April exams. We despatch it in October. We will send you the same number of Speaking packs that were sent to you in the same period last year. You will receive email notifications in advance and will be able to tell us if your requirements have changed. Submit all changes to your requirements by the deadline given in the email reminders that we send you.

If you need more Speaking packs throughout the year, or are a new centre, order your Speaking test packs using the order form on the support website.

• Cambridge English: Legal • Cambridge English: Financial

We despatch Speaking packs once a year, for use throughout the year. These are automatically allocated based on the number of entries you make for each session. There is no need to place an order for these Speaking packs.

If you enter candidates for subsequent sessions within a calendar year, and we believe that you might need extra Speaking packs in addition to the ones previously received, these will be sent automatically, along with your other exam materials.

New centres will automatically receive Speaking packs based on the entries they make for their first session.

• Cambridge English: Young Learners You must place your order for the next year by November of the current year using the

Young Learners Speaking Packs Order Form on

the support website.

If you need additional Speaking packs throughout the year, or are a new centre, order your Speaking packs using the Young

Learners Speaking Packs Order Form on the

support website.

Please do not complete any order forms if:

• You are from a UK centre, as Speaking test packs are sent directly to Speaking Examiners.

• Your centre is not eligible to run the exam, as your request will be refused. If you wish to confirm your centre’s exam eligibility, please contact the Helpdesk.

Speaking packs: secure storage

We despatch Speaking packs in a separate consignment from the other components. You are responsible for the security of the Speaking test materials, for distributing them to the appropriate Speaking Examiners and ensuring that they are collected and made secure until the next exam administration.

You must keep the Speaking materials under the same security conditions as all other exam materials until we instruct you to destroy them. Please see Section 3.6 for regulations on the secure storage of exam materials. The instruction to destroy old Speaking materials will come in the letter accompanying your new Speaking materials. See Section 5.3.1 for more details.

You must ensure that Speaking Examiners are able to familiarise themselves with the content adequately before the start of the Speaking test window, while ensuring that the security of the materials is maintained. Examiners must be reminded of their confidential nature and the need to maintain security at all times by never leaving materials unattended. Examiners must also be reminded that these materials are to be used for live Speaking tests

only.

Each Speaking pack has a unique serial number on the back. You must use them to establish a logging and signing in/out system to record each pack by its serial number. You must log each time the pack is taken out of secure storage. This will enable Speaking packs to be tracked more easily and ensure enhanced security of the packs.

Instructions to Speaking Examiners

Instructions to Speaking Examiners are not sent automatically with Speaking packs. You must order copies of

the relevant Instructions to Speaking Examiners booklet(s) from the support website and make these available to your examiners for training purposes, and far enough in advance of the Speaking test session to allow adequate preparation. The exception to this is when a revised version of the Instructions to Speaking Examiners is issued and these will be sent to centres automatically.

Speaking Examiners MUST have a copy of the Instructions to Speaking Examiners with them when they examine so that they can refer to vital information, particularly the assessment scales. You must ensure Speaking Examiners have a copy of the Instructions with them while examining, otherwise the Speaking test results can be rendered invalid. Speaking Examiners must keep their copy of the booklet for the duration of a Speaking test session and take it on all examining assignments.

As this is a users’ manual, examiners need the opportunity to familiarise themselves fully with the contents of the booklet. Between sessions the booklet can either be kept securely by examiners or stored at the centre.

1.4.2 UK centres

Booking Speaking Examiners

Cambridge English Language Assessment manages Speaking Examiners (SEs) in the UK, including registration and training. UK SEs are responsible for all confidential exam material which they retain after the exam. You must book your examiners using the support website, by the deadlines given in the UK calendars. Cambridge English Language Assessment will provide an Examiner- in- Liaison (EL), who is responsible for checking the following with you:

• arrangements for timetabling, including break times • the actual number of candidates to be examined • location

• parking facilities

• information about any candidate who has special requirements.

The EL communicates this information to their co- examiners at least seven days before the exam day. On the day of the tests the EL is also responsible for helping to ensure that the security of completed mark sheets is maintained at the conclusion of each Speaking test session. See the Guidelines for UK Speaking Examiners on the support website for further information.

The EL for each assignment will normally contact you to check the information above. If the EL has not contacted you at least seven days before the assignment, contact them using the details provided with your apportionment confirmation. If you have problems contacting your EL, please notify the Speaking Test Team at [email protected].

If you have any increase or decrease in candidate numbers, you must notify the Speaking Test Team and your EL immediately to make sure that they have allocated adequate examiners to your centre.

Any examiners withdrawing from assignments are instructed to contact the Speaking Test Team, the centre and the EL. In this event the Speaking Test Team will allocate a replacement as soon as possible. If you have any queries about any examiner, please contact the Speaking Test Team.

Speaking test packs and Instructions to Speaking Examiners

Speaking test packs and Instructions to Speaking Examiners are supplied separately to all UK Speaking Examiners. Speaking Examiners are directly responsible for the security of materials allocated to them until receipt of further instructions from Cambridge English Language Assessment.

Note that Speaking test packs are to be used for live Speaking tests only.