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Candidate Malpractice

AIA defines malpractice as any intentional breach of exam regulations that undermines the integrity of the qualification. You must complete the exam independently and behave appropriately throughout.

Examples of malpractice include:

  • Having someone else sit the exam or sharing login details
  • Possessing unauthorised materials, even if unused
  • Copying or helping another candidate
  • Damaging another candidate’s work or causing disruption
  • Entering offensive content in your answers
  • Using unauthorised electronic devices
  • Communicating with others during the exam
  • Continuing to type after the exam has ended

 

Malpractice may result in disqualification. Make sure you understand and follow all exam rules.

If a candidate is suspected of malpractice during an exam, the Invigilator will issue a warning and report the incident to AIA. The candidate may finish the exam and will be asked to provide a statement before leaving—either written and signed, or given orally and recorded by the Invigilator. If the candidate chooses not to provide a statement, this will be noted.

The Invigilator will submit a Malpractice Report and any supporting statements to AIA. If further investigation is needed, the candidate’s results will be withheld until the process is complete. AIA’s Qualifications Committee will review the findings and decide on appropriate action, such as:

  • Formal warning
  • Loss of marks
  • Disqualification from one or more papers
  • Disqualification from the full qualification
  • Candidate debarral
  • Withdrawal of previously issued certificates

Appeals

AIA ensures exam scripts are marked to the highest standard. Any scripts showing a marginal pass/fail are automatically reviewed as part of the marking process, and will be re-marked by a second marker as part of our Quality Assurance Procedures.

Making An Initial Enquiry

If you are unhappy with your exam result please contact the AIA Exams Team to discuss the Appeals Procedure.

If you have failed a paper and you would like to query the result AIA will provide information on the Quality Assurance Procedures conducted in the marking of your exam script(s) and may undertake further checks.

Making An Appeal

If you wish to appeal against the marks awarded when a fail is recorded you should submit an appeal in writing.

The appeal must state which paper the appeal is for, outline why the appeal is felt to be appropriate, and be received by AIA within six weeks of the date on which the exam results were released. Appeals received after this period cannot be accepted.

A fee of £60 per paper appealed should be included with the appeal; an appeal cannot be accepted unless the fee is paid.

Appeal Procedure

Once your appeal and fee are received, AIA will confirm by email or post. An administrative check is carried out before your exam script is re-marked by an independent marker. You’ll receive the outcome within four weeks.

If the appeal results in a pass, your fee will be refunded. You won’t be able to view your exam script, but you’ll receive feedback on your performance.

If you’re unhappy with the process, you can request an independent review within two weeks of receiving your appeal outcome. This review checks whether the appeal was handled correctly—not the exam result itself. You’ll be notified of the outcome within two weeks, and if AIA didn’t follow procedure, your fee will be refunded. This concludes the appeal process.

Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights

You are not permitted to copy, print or produce any test material whether provided in paper format or on a computer screen.

You are not permitted access to a mobile phone during the test, except for purposes outlined in the assessment setup for enabling invigilation of your test.

You should not use your mobile phone to capture screenshots of test questions, or the test contents.

AIA offers a qualification and membership pathway for everyone.

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