How to get the results, set an embargo, deal with errors, sort result statements, and analysis!
Exam Results Day is just around the corner, this all-important day is what students have spent their years working towards! With only a day to get all the results in, prepped into statements and available for pick up, turn around is very tight. We’ve got you covered with what can be done in advance, what to do on results day and how to do analysis. Let’s get to it and make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible.
Important dates
Results Type | Import & Embargo Day | Results Day |
AS Levels, BTecs, etc | 16th August 2023 | 17th August 2023 |
GCSEs, etc | 23rd August 2023 | 24th August 2023 |
Before The Day
Before import day you’re going to want to make sure that you have access to everything you need.
A2C Migration Application - Make sure that the login and password are working. This is where the majority of results across the examining bodies EDI or XML results files will come from.
Arbor Permissions – The Qualifications / Administer All Students permission is needed to be able to add exam results into Arbor.
Download Location – Where did those files go? Make sure the location of the results file is known. Due to Arbor being a cloud system it will need to be directed to those EDI files when going through the import process.
Embargo – Review permissions to ensure who can and can’t see results ahead of official times, be aware of school policy in relation to guardians.
P.S.: BTecs & Pearsons – The results request file will need to have been submitted in advance through the A2C site.
Before Starting To Import
As the A2C Migration Application is not linked with Arbor Exams go to the A2C site here for FAQ’s on the download process, errors and more.
Downloads can be EDI or XML files, it is recommended that only one type is downloaded and imported. Otherwise duplication of results can occur in the statement of results!
Embargo dates and times are set when importing in results files, we highly recommend that this is done! Something to consider is a parent portal embargo for guardians, we’ll cover of on that in the embargo section.
We are going to focus on the EDI files in this blog, if XML files or manual entry are being used get in touch 01376 433 633 and we’ll go over it with you.
Importing EDI Result Files
You can either download, import & embargo each result file one at a time, or download all the results files, then individually import each, setting the embargo as you go. Everyone has their own preference on this, just ensure there is a flow and all of it gets imported!
Let’s say that all the downloads are available and jump into some of the nitty gritty of the next steps:
Go to Students / Examinations / Results Administration/ Results Import
Import your file, by adding, browsing for file and selecting import. P.S. The file name will start with a R, followed by some numbers.
The results are now added and show in the Imported Results table, with a column for errors & embargo setup status.
Open up the imported results data and you can set the embargo and check for errors.
Scroll further down the same imported results data to the raw results panel - If there are errors this is where they will show, follow onscreen instructions for error resolution before proceeding.
Depending on the errors resolved, it is possible to reverse the import and reimport the file.
Work through all the imports and the exams data is in! Woohoo!
Embargo – What to Know!
An embargo, in this case, is a temporary ban on who can view / be made aware of exams results data until the official release date and time. The embargo settings in Arbor limit the access of this information until official release.
As default the Exams Officer is the only person who Arbor will give permission to view the data during embargo. However! As people do various task and need various permissions throughout the school year, they may have inadvertently gotten this permission. Eeek!
But this can be checked :
Go to Students / Examinations / Administration / Results Embargo Settings
A list of all staff who can view results ahead of embargo will be populated.
By clicking into each staff member name a popup will appear where you can remove embargo viewing! Whoop!
By using the +Add button you can give viewing permission to specific staff members.
The embargo date and time is set during the exam results import process.
Let’s make sure that curiosity doesn’t kill the cat and embargos are used to protect data and staff!
Once the embargo date and time passes all exam data becomes visible across the systems.
What this means is that all staff can now access the exams results. If student portal is used all students can access their results and this can’t be changed. And if parent portal is used and enabled for results, they can also view results – in the parent portal settings, under exams results it is possible to turn off this setting, giving guardians an extended embargo, which can be switched over again when the school wants!
All schools will have their own internal embargo policy for staff and guardians, we recommend reviewing this ahead of time!
Statements of Results
This is the all important bit, all your imports are done and the statement collates all of this together for your students. This can be issued via print, email or through student and parent portal, or any combination of these, depending on the school setup.
Found in Students / Examinations / Results Administration / Statement of Results – it is possible to individually or bulk download the statements. Don’t forget that the date range, student groups and if you want the windowed display style all need to be selected first before download. The download can then be printed out for issue to students.
If you are going the paper-free route and have already sorted your parent and student portals, as soon as the embargo time has passed the statements will automatically be available. Or back in the statement of results area you can email directly to students and guardians, just make sure that the embargo time has passed!
Analysis
Exam results can be analysed inside and outside of Arbor for KS4 Year 11 students, found through Students / Examinations / Results Analysis. This is your Arbor go to analysis page, note: it will be showing all internal candidates that were students at any point for the year, even if they have now left. Have a look at all those data columns for your breakdowns, there are summaries at the bottom for key measure totals as well! And don’t forget you can filter by course for those specific results, very nice!
Then there are the various download buttons that allow you to export your data, this is going to be key for your KS5 Post 16 students. 4Matrix have a built-in extractor for porting your results from Arbor, though the embargo won’t pull through so that needs setting up in the 4Matrix side after.
SISRA and other popular results analysis products require the results by subject and in series for your download, this can be found in Results Administration / By Subject. If you want your raw results, say for APLS connect this can be found in Results / Raw Results.
Just make sure you’re accessing your data where you need to, in the order you want and then get that download, check your totals are aligned and happy analysing!
Ta Da!
Need Help? Get in touch with us at info@swyft.co.uk or 01376 433 633, even on exams day!
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