One of the many benefits of being a private Trinity exam centre is that you have a degree of autonomy as to how it is managed. One such model for digital exams is for the centre to enter and record the candidates' exams, but to hand the submission of the video over to those at home - making them the Submitter. This can be a great way of managing the administration, particularly if entering a large number of candidates. However, it is important that parents feel confident in doing this, especially if the centre isn't always going to be on hand to support them, as might be the case during school holidays. Read on for some tips on how you can make sure those uploading exams have the information they need and where to point them to if they need help.
Exam info
If you're planning to delegate the submission of digital exams videos to the candidates' parents or carers, it is vital to make sure they have all the necessary information. This might seem obvious, or even unnecessary if assumed that the candidate can relay this information to them, but a piece of paper or a short email with the following information can provide all the clarity a Submitter needs. You might want to include:
- What exam is being taken - exam suite (Classical & Jazz or Rock & Pop), grade or diploma level (e.g. Grade 3, Grade 7, ATCL) and instrument (e.g. Classical or Acoustic Guitar, Saxophone or Jazz Saxophone)
- Whether the candidate is taking the Technical or Repertoire-only pathway (Classical & Jazz only)
- The names and composers of the pieces/songs being performed and in what order
- Whether the pieces/songs are from a Trinity publication, a non-Trinity publication or an own composition
- What technical work they have performed (Classical & Jazz Technical pathway only)
- Which Technical Focus song they have performed (Rock & Pop only)
Preparing the video for submission
In many cases, it will make sense for the task of preparing videos for submission to be assigned to the person who has recorded the exam, as making sure the file is of a manageable size and naming it correctly will aid distributing the videos out to the necessary parties easier. However, if this is something the Submitter is going to be doing, you may want to provide some additional guidance on the following:
File size limit: particularly for higher grade and diploma exams, it may be necessary to compress the video file before upload to make sure it complies with our 1GB limit. There are many file compression websites available but any recommendations you can make may help to reassure the Submitter. Please also remember to remind them to play the video through after compressing to make sure nothing is missing from the start or finish, and that the sound quality hasn't been impeded.
File naming conventions and file types: we request that video files should be named in the following format:
ForenameSurname_ClassicalandJazz(Instrument)_Grade(Number)
ForenameSurname_RockandPop(Instrument)_Grade(Number)
ForenameSurname_Instrument_Level
Hopefully, if the filming guidelines have been followed correctly, the video file is already in .wav or .mov format, but it is important to make sure that the file type is included at the end of the file name. An example of this might be:
BillyJoel_RockandPopPiano_Grade6.mov
Following these guidelines will not only make sure that the video is uploaded ok, but that it can be viewed successfully by the examiner too.
Collating documentation
For many of our exams, it is also necessary for the Submitter to upload copies of the music or a programme. If you have agreed that the Submitter will collate all of the paperwork on behalf of the candidate, you may also want to ensure they are aware of the following:
- Which pieces need scores uploading
- Which file types are accepted: .doc, docx, jpeg and pdf are the preferred options
- The 5 document per piece limit - longer pieces will need to be collated into single documents rather than uploading a page per file
Help and support
There is lots of help and support available to people submitting digital exams which we would encourage you to signpost to Submitters. These include:
But, of course, more personalised support is always available through the following methods:
We hope you have found these tips and suggestions useful and it helps to create a seamless experience for entering our digital exams!
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