Terms and Conditions

PRIVATE (EXTERNAL) CANDIDATES

David Game College has been a recognised examination centre since 1974.  The College accepts private candidates for many examinations set by:

• Edexcel (formerly London Examinations)
• AQA ( Assessment and Qualifications Alliance)
• OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations)

All private candidates who register for examinations at David Game College can expect:

• a fast, accurate, efficient service;
• no unnecessary restrictions; for example, you do not need to be studying the same periods of History or the same English Literature texts as our own internal candidates in order for your application to be accepted;
• timetable clashes to be resolved without fuss;
• applications for Access Arrangements (where relevant) to be dealt with tactfully and professionally (NB Please refer to our Terms and Conditions below);
• Statements of Entry to be annotated to cover timetable clashes, to show 100% correct information (subject and personal details), and to be distributed to students well ahead of the examinations they relate to;
• all issues relating to cash-in codes to be dealt with efficiently and without fuss;
• to be provided with all necessary materials where it is our responsibility.  Examples include:

1. pre-release Special Study material for OCR A level Law (H534, units G154 G156 and G158)
2. pre-release material for AQA A level Business Studies unit BUSS4
3. the scientific article required for Edexcel A level Biology unit 6BI05
4. formula booklets for Edexcel AS/A Mathematics (8371 / 9371)
5. data booklets for Edexcel A level Chemistry units 6CH04 and 6CH05

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR PRIVATE CANDIDATES

Accuracy of Entry Codes

It is vital that you provide clear unambiguous information with regard to the examinations you wish to be entered for.  This means correct unit codes and (where relevant) option details.  This is especially important in subjects with many different options such as Government and Politics, History and Religious Studies.  Please note - if information supplied by prospective candidates is missing or in any way misleading or ambiguous, the entry will not be accepted.

Payment

Payment may be made by cash, debit card (no surcharge) or credit card (2% surcharge).  Cheques (made payable to David Game College) will be accepted but only for payments where the total fee does not exceed £300.  Post-dated cheques will not be accepted.  Postal orders will not be accepted.

Payment must be made in full at the time of registration. Deferred payments or instalments will not be accepted under any circumstances. If addtional units or subjects are required after the initial registration of entries, these must be paid for in full (inclusive of any late entry fees where relevant) before the initial entries are amended.

Please note - refunds will not be issued in the event of cancellation under any circumstances.  In the event of exceptional circumstances - for example, a period in hospital which prevents the candidate from taking an examination -  the entry will be deferred to a future available examination session of the candidate's choice with no additional fees being due, provided we are supplied with documentary evidence to verify what has happened.

Access Arrangements

IMPORTANT - if access arrangements (extra time, supervised rest breaks, permission to word process an examination, permission to use a bilingual dictionary with extra time) are required, these must be requested at the time of registering the entry, and valid supporting documentation (an educational psychologist's report dated less than two years before the relevant examination PLUS documentation supplied by the candidate's previous school or college showing in full the evidence of need, in the form of the Joint Council for Qualifications Form 8 or equivalent) must be supplied.  Please note, under no circumstances will we accept applications from potential private candidates who bring us out of date documentation, promising to rectify the situation at a later date.  Likewise, any requests for access arrangements linked to a medical condition must be backed up by a valid, up to date doctor's certificate or hospital letter which describes the circumstances in as much detail as possible, and makes clear how the examination performance will be affected by the medical condition and / or side effects caused by drugs prescribed by a medical practitioner.

It is regretted that we are unable to accept applications from private candidates who require either a reader or a scribe.

We will not be able to guarantee acceptance of a request for access arrangements if the request is made after the initial registration of the examination entries.  We must meet examination Awarding Body and JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications) deadlines for registering all access arrangements.  Any information relating to requests for special access arrangements (eg extra time) must be declared at the time of registration with the obvious exception of a candidate who incurs a medical problem after the entries have been made, for example, as a result of being involved in a road traffic accident.  Candidates who fail to declare their access needs at the time of registration will have to take their examinations without the proposed access arrangements and there will be no refund of entry fees in the event of subsequent cancellation.

Please note - for each examination session, there is a deadline after which we will not accept any more applications from private candidates requiring extra time.  These deadlines are clearly shown in the notes relating to each individual examination session, which you will find in the relevant section, UNLESS this deadline has already passed, in which case there will be a statement to the effect that we are unable to accept any more applications from potential private (external) candidates who require extra time in the relevant examination session.  

Finally, it is regretted that we cannot guarantee that we will accept every application from external candidates requiring Access Arrangements.  Our decision whether to accept a particular application is final and is non-negotiable.

Timetable Clashes

Clashes between examinations taking place solely at David Game College will be resolved by the Examinations Officer (Mr Kahn), and the solution will be indicated clearly on the Statement of Entry before it is posted to you.  If a candidate is taking examinations at another centre as well as at David Game College, it is the candidate's responsibility to inform us at the time of entry about these other examinations, in order that potential clashes may be dealt with efficiently.  Failure to provide us with such information may result in a problem which cannot be solved, and candidates will not have their entry fees refunded if they are unable to attend examinations here under such circumstances.

Coursework / language oral tests / language listening comprehension tests / practical subjects

We will not accept applications from private candidates for coursework components, language oral tests, candidate-controlled language listening comprehension tests, examinations requiring a DVD player, science practicals or Art and Design.  This means that we do not accept applications from private candidates for AS/A level language comprehension tests which are part written paper, part candidate-controlled listening comprehension test.  Edexcel IGCSE language listening comprehension tests are teacher-controlled (not candidate-controlled), so we will consider applications for IGCSE languages.  Applications from AS and A level candidates who wish to carry forward coursework marks from previous examination sessions, and who are able to supply valid documentation at the time of entry will be considered; please refer to the paragraph on this point towards the top of the AS / A level entries page.

What is covered by your examination entry fees?

When you register as a private candidate at David Game College, you will be entered for the correct examinations in the name given in your proof of identity; and we undertake to:

1. provide you with your Examination Statement of Entry ("timetable")
2. solve any timetable clashes
3. send you any relevant pre-release material at the earliest possible opportunity
4. organise all your examinations efficiently
5. ensure that your scripts are sent by secure delivery methods to the examination boards
6. provide you with your results on the relevant day(s), plus information on post-results services
7. provide you with any post-results services you may request once these have been paid for

What is NOT covered by your examination entry fees?

It is NOT our responsibility to recommend textbooks, or to provide you with specifications ("syllabuses"), past papers, mark schemes or examiners' reports. These can be downloaded from www.aqa.org.uk , www.edexcel.com or www.ocr.org.uk as appropriate; alternatively, you may telephone AQA on 01483 506506 or OCR on 01223 553311 - please ask for Publications in each case. For Edexcel Publications, please telephone 01623 467467.

Courtesy

Most people who apply to be private (external) candidates are friendly and polite.  On very rare occasions, we encounter people (in person or on the telephone) who fall short of accepted standards.  All applicants should be aware that no centre is obliged to take on a private (external) candidate and that examination boards will not intervene if a centre refuses to accept an individual as a private (external) candidate.  As with all other examination centres, we reserve the right to refuse to accept a prospective private (external) candidate and we are not obliged to give a reason if we decide not to accept an application.  Our decision whether or not to accept an application from a private (external) candidate is final and non-negotiable.

Prospective private candidates will be asked to sign a declaration that they have read and understood the above Terms and Conditions before payment is accepted and entries are registered.

M. L. Kahn
(Academic Vice Principal and Examinations Officer)

mkahn@davidgame-group.com

Please note that Mr Kahn may be teaching and unable to take telephone calls.  Before telephoning the College, please check all the information in the the "Examinations for External Candidates" section of the website where the answers to most questions can be found.