FireServices Examinations Board
Frequently Asked Questions
This section answers the questions and enquiries that candidates frequently ask
about the promotion examinations. We strongly recommend that you fully read
this section if you have an enquiry.
Items marked * have recently been added, updated or amended. Latest update: 5 June 2005.
Q * |
How long will the FSEB keep documentation relating to the Written and Practical examinations and, similarly, how long should brigades hold such information? |
A |
It is recommended that all brigades retain all the FSEB documentation until December 2006, as the FSEB will be undertaking. Thereafter, it has been arranged to have all candidates examination results etc archived at the Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh, with a copy of the Scottish candidates data held by the Scottish Executive. |
Q * |
After passing my re-sit paper in March I have now passed the written Sub-Officers' examination. Since there is no longer a Practical examination, will a certificate be issued in the same way as when the full examination was previously passed or what other form of verification will there be to show proof of passing? |
A |
There will be no certificate issued. Your result letter confirms your success in the Part I examination and this is accepted by Chief Officers. |
Q |
Can I only re-sit papers that I have failed within my current 3 attempt cycle? |
A |
No. As long as you have passed at least ONE paper you will be allowed to re-sit any outstanding papers. This includes any papers that you may not have previously entered for. |
Q |
What equivalence in the academic world or with NVQs do the statutory examinations equate? |
A |
Due to the decision to end the statutory examinations with the move to IPDS they were never accredited with other qualifications. However, as the IFEs Graduateship qualification is reciprocal in terms of equivalence with the Station Officers then it may helpful to enquire through the IFE (01608 812 580) if they have accredited their own qualifications. |
Q |
I am a substantive Leading Firefighter and I am currently carrying out a temporary Sub-Officer rank. I already have my Sub-Officer part 1 and 2 examinations. Could you please tell me if I will be affected by the I.P.D.S., and will my Sub-Officer exam passes still be recognised. |
A |
Recognition will be given to your qualifications held within IPDS - this has been agreed. As to the detail behind my explanation you will need to address you enquiry to either Jan.Ozimkowski@odpm.gsi.gov.uk or Christine.Symes@odpm.gsi.gov.uk |
Q |
What are the Transitional Arrangements? |
A |
They are the arrangements during the period when the IPDS is formed within the Fire Service and the statutory fire service examinations cease. The Integrated Personal Development Advisory Board (IPDAB) who have overseen and approved the work for IPDS, have agreed that recognition will be given to both the Part I and Part II examinations within IPDS.
Individuals who have passed their Part I examination will receive recognition at the sift stage of the Assessment Development Centre (ADC) process. For the Part II qualification, candidates will be permitted to include the relevant content of the practical examinations as evidence in their personal development records. It should be noted, however, that evidence from examinations will need to be supplemented by evidence from workplace activity in order to demonstrate competence against any element of the National Occupational Standards. |
Q |
So what does this mean for the Practical Examinations? |
A |
Unlike the written examinations, candidates either 'pass' or 'fail' their practical examination in any one year. Therefore the implications for the Part II practical examinations for both Leading Firefighter and Sub-Officer are that the last examinations will be 2004. After that date there will be no further practical examinations as they will be effectively replaced by workplace assessment within IPDS. As mentioned previously, recognition will be given to candidates holding the Part II qualification within the IPDS process. |
Q |
What if I Fail my Practical Examination in 2004? |
A |
As already stated, there will be no further practical examinations after 2004, irrespective of where you are in the examination system. Failure means you will need to directly enter the IPDS process, but, as long as this wasn't your third attempt, you will have your Part I success.
Of course, you still have the right to appeal against your examination result in 2004 if you believe there are relevant grounds. Full details of the Appeals Scheme are outlined in the Rules in the Candidates Handbook. |
Q |
I understand that if I fail my Part II Practical Examination in 2004 recognition will not be given to my Part I success. |
A |
No, that is not true as long as this was either your 1st or 2nd attempt at your Practical Examination in 2004. Failure in these situations would mean that you still hold your Part I qualification. However, under the current examination rules if 2004 is your 3rd attempt and you fail then your Part I success has also lapsed.
You will still have the opportunity to re-take your Part I examination later on in the year at the final written examinations. |
Q |
What if I'm Absent from my Practical Examination or on Long Term Sickness? |
A |
It may be possible to have your test re-scheduled by the Senior Examiner if you are absent or on long term sickness. However, this will only be permitted within the current 2/3 month examination period laid down by the FSEB for the Leading Firefighters' and Sub-Officers' Part II practical tests respectively, and only where practical.
If such a situation occurs, you must contact your Senior Examiner immediately to enquire if arrangements can be made to re-schedule at an alternative date, but still within the allowed 2/3 month examination period. However, there will be no right to a re-scheduled test date and this will only be granted where the Senior Examiner can make such resources and a date available. |
Q |
What are the Implications for the Written Examinations? |
A |
For the Part I Written Examinations it was agreed that any recognition of the examination within IPDS would be applied to the whole examination and not to individual paper passes.
Therefore, it will be necessary to ensure that candidates are given the opportunity to complete their written examination within the appropriate time period. Candidates will therefore have the choice to either complete their written (Part I) examination to achieve this or choose to directly enter the IPDS process. |
Q |
How am I Eligible to Re-sit my Outstanding Papers? |
A |
Only candidates who have passed at least ONE paper will be allowed to re-sit any outstanding papers necessary to complete their overall success. Candidates without any passes after the Leading Firefighters' or Sub-Officers' examinations in September/October 2004 and Station Officers' in February 2005 will be expected to enter directly into the IPDS process. |
Q |
What if I'm unable to take the Final Examinations? |
A |
If you are in the '3 attempt cycle' and have passed at lease one paper, then you will be able to complete your examination, but only within those 3 attempts. For example, if you first took your Leading Firefighters' examination in 2003 and passed 2 papers, but were unable to take it in 2004 you will still have one further opportunity at the first re-sit examination to complete and pass your two remaining papers.
The important rule here is that you are still in the 3 attempt cycle at the final date of entering the examination and have passed at least one paper. If you are not, and have failed to take the examination at one of the 'final dates' stated, then you will be expected to enter directly into the IPDS process. |
Q |
What are the additional Re-sit Examination Dates? |
A |
As I have explained, two further examination dates will be allocated at roughly 6-monthly intervals to enable candidates to complete their written (Part I) examinations, with a third date held for any successful appeals against absenteeism or deferred entry through extenuating circumstances. |
Q |
What if I'm Absent from my Written Examination or on Long Term Sickness? |
A |
The scheme applying to absent candidates and deferred entry though extenuating circumstances will still apply to the final examination dates for entering the written examinations. However, If your appeal is upheld, you would be expected to attempt the examination at the next opportunity i.e. the first re-sit date.
You would only be able to progress to the 2nd re-sit dates if you pass at least ONE paper, otherwise you will be expected to enter directly into the IPDS process. |
Q |
Why the Decision to Foreshorten the Dates between Examinations? |
A |
The current Rules allow candidates to complete their Part I examination 'over a period of three consecutive years', although in a successful appeal situation this could extend to '4 years'. If this was to be applied to the existing timescales, there would need to be provision for examinations well into 2008.
These sort of timescales were felt unreasonable and as current legislation allows for the examinations to be conducted at 'least once a year', it has been agreed by the FSEB that the period balance re-sits would be foreshortened. |
Q |
I notice that some Examinations will be on the Same Day - why is that? |
A |
As there will be an expected reduction in candidates, it has been agreed to hold examinations on the same days. This will help to maximise centre and supervisory resources yet help reduce overall examination costs. |
Q |
When willthe Candidates' Handbooks be Amended? |
A |
The implications to the Rules for each examination as a result of the transitional arrangements will mean that amendments to the Candidates' Handbooks will be published before the end of December 2003.
For both the written and practical sections of the Handbooks, a new paragraph 4 will deal with these Rule changes. |
Q |
What will be the affect to the Bibliography during the Transitional Period? |
A |
It will not be the intention to revise the examination bibliography after the final examination dates for entering the examinations.
This will ensure that candidates sitting/re-taking papers on the subsequent re-sit examination dates are not disadvantaged by having to study different examination material. However, we will of course need to be aware of any fire service material subsequently published during this period that may invalidate existing bibliography. |
Q |
I'm still not clear about the Transitional Arrangements |
A |
Then please contact one of the examinations team either by phone or email or through the bulletin board on the FSEB's web site. Also, keep abreast of the latest news and information on our web site www.fseb.gov.uk particularly the Q&A Section which we will keep updated with the questions you ask. |
Q |
How does it all relate to me in the IPDS Process? |
A |
The Fire Examinations team can only answer questions relating to the transitional arrangements as they affect the statutory examinations.
Queries relating to the IPDS process or questions relating to the recognition of the qualification must be addressed to Jan Ozimkowski or Christine Symes at the ODPM. |
Q |
I will be taking my Leading Firefighters' practical examination and understand that the 2004 practical tests will be the last. If I fail would I be able to enter the Sub-Officers' written examination in September irrespective of my failure in the practicals? |
A |
No, this will be the last practical examination and if you fail you will be expected to enter the IPDS process. Your Leading Firefighters' Part I success will be recognised in the IPDS. |
Q |
Is there a choice of questions in the written examinations, or do all questions have to be answered? |
A |
It is now compulsory to answer all questions. This was done to maintain fairness to all Candidates undertaking the examination. |
Q |
What do I do when I receive my Examination Notice and Statement of Entry? |
A |
A candidate is expected to immediately check his/her Examination Notice to ensure that all the details are accurate particularly the papers entered for the examination. Any details that are incorrect should be reported immediately to the Local Board Secretary through the brigade. |
Q |
Where is the candidate handbook available from? |
A |
There are two places you can get the latest version from. Firstly, through your training officer who is sent any amendments that are made to the handbook after each sitting. Secondly you can download the handbook from this site, you will need Acrobat Reader to be able to view this document. Please note that any amendments to the handbooks will be made approximately nine months before the examination. It is important that you have the most up to date version for your studies. |
Q |
Do you hold comments on past examination questions? |
A |
The Past Questions, Reports and Comments page on this web site contains past question papers and the reports issued by the Assessors who mark the examination papers. They cover the Leading Firefighter, Sub-Officer and Station Officer examinations. It is hoped that they will enable candidates to improve their knowledge and understanding of the examination and what the Assessors found when marking scripts. |
Q |
I'm confused as to the implications of withdrawing from the examination and being absent on the actual day. |
A |
Candidates will not be penalised if they withdraw from their examination.
Candidates can withdraw up to 6 weeks prior to the first day of their written examination and up to three weeks for their practical test. For the written examination, if the withdrawal is in that first year then they will be deemed to have not entered and will still have another three years to pass. Absent candidates for the Part I written examinations will still have the right to appeal to the Board for one extra year if they have a genuine reason for their absence. |
Q |
Will I be barred from sitting the examination if I am absent from a sitting? |
A |
Under the new rules and syllabus introduced in 2000 you will not barred from any sitting through being absent. You will however lose one year of your three year cycle unless an appeal is made because of extenuating circumstances. |
Q |
When are the results released? |
A |
Examination results are released for the written examinations approximately eight (8) weeks after the examination. |
Q |
Will I receive my results directly from the Examination Board? |
A |
No. The FSEB will provide individual result letters to Chief Fire Officers/Firemasters for distribution to candidates in their brigade area. Candidates must therefore not attempt to contact the Board to try and find out their results. |
Q |
I've passed my Grads/Members examination - can I now claim my Station Officers' examination? |
A |
The 1978 Appointments and Promotion Regulations (as amended) confirm the reciprocal arrangements with the Institution of Fire Engineers. Candidates wishing to claim reciprocity are required to have passed the statutory Sub-Officers examination before entering the Grads or Members examination. As long as this has been achieved, under the Regulations the reciprocal arrangement is automatic.
Candidates should simply inform their Chief Officer of their success. No form of certificate is issued by the FSEB. |