Private Centre
Teachers with sufficient candidates may hold a private centre at their own venue at any time. In order to qualify to hold your own session, teachers with sufficient learner entry fees may hold a private centre at their own venue as long as they satisfy our current minimum fee requirement, details of which can be found on the Administration Fees and Charges sheet, available from LAMDA Examinations Head Office. There is no other cost or fee, but please note if you do wish to set up and run your own private centre, LAMDA Examinations does not cover the cost of hiring the examination venue or any other expenses.
Registering as a Private Centre
In order to hold your own examination session, you must register as a private centre by completing a New Centre Registration Form.
Please click here to download a New Centre Registration Form. For guidance on how to complete the Registration form please click here,
You will need to provide your contact details, the address of the venue where the examinations will be held and the number of rooms available, along with information regarding local facilities, such as train stations and hotels. Once you return the completed form, you will be issued with a six-letter centre code, which you should quote in all correspondence with LAMDA Examinations. Once you have received confirmation of your registration, you can book your examination dates.
Booking Examination Dates
All dates are booked using a date booking request form, which should be completed by the organiser of each centre. The preferred date should be listed at the top of the form and two alternative dates should also be suggested. Should the prefered date be fully booked, we will endeavour to book your session on one of the other suggested dates.
Please click here to download a Date Booking Request Form.
If this is the first time you have booked dates for a Private centre, please click here to download a Date Booking Guide.
Date requests are required at 10 weeks ahead of the requested examination date(s). Dates are strictly allocated on a first come, first served basis, therefore it is important that you book early in order to secure the date(s) that you require.
In order to guarantee your date(s) we require a date booking deposit of £50.00 per session. A session is defined as one or more consecutive days of examinations or where a centre has two or more separate days of examinations within a single week.
The £50.00 booking deposit is non-returnable. However, once a centre organiser submits the bulk entry form or enters candidates using the Online Entry System (OES), he/she should deduct the booking deposit form the total fees.
If a centre cancels an examination session then the booking fee will be forfeited.
When booking examination sessions requests for exam dates must be submitted to LAMDA Examinations in writing with at least 10 weeks notice using a private centre date booking form. (insert link to form) Please inform LAMDA Examinations of an estimate of the examining hours you require for your whole session. If you have multiday sessions, please also outline how you wish the hours to be allocated. LAMDA Examinations will then allocate the correct number of examiners in relation to the total examination hours.
When you receive confirmation of your booking from LAMDA Examinations, please check the number of examiners for each day carefully and inform us as soon as possible if you need to make any changes. If you have more than 6.5 hours of examining per examiner per day you may need to book another date or another examiner. It is very important that you contact us immediately if this is the case.
The Online Entry System
The Online Entry System (OES) allows Private Centre organisers to input and pay for candidates securely online from this site. OES offers a host of benefits to organisers and makes the process of scheduling examination sessions easier and more efficient.
If you wish to enter candidates using OES, please click here to download a User's Guide.
To go directly to OES, please click here.
To download a bulk entry timetable form, please click here.
Closing Dates and Fee Payment
Completed entry forms together with the full fee payment must be received by LAMDA Examinations at least six weeks in advance of the first date of the scheduled examination session. Any late entries will be returned.
All cheques should be made payable to LAMDA Ltd. Please ensure you write your name and address on the back of cheques.
Administration
You will need to calculate the total length of your examination session using the Examination Timings sheet. If you have more than six and a half hours of examining time (eight hours in total, including breaks and lunch) then you will require either an additional day or an additional examiner. Please contact LAMDA immediately if you have not already arranged this.
Candidates who are taking more than one examination should be indicated with an asterisk.
If you wish the examiner to move or change rooms during the examination session please allow time for this when planning the examination schedule.
Receipt of entry forms and fees will only be acknowledged if a stamped, self-addressed envelope is enclosed.
The examination details will be sent by LAMDA Examinations 14 days prior to the scheduled examination session. Appointments cannot be changed once a centre has been scheduled. Examiners will not be able to accept any changes without authorisation from LAMDA Examinations.
Examination Session Guidelines
The examiner will contact you in advance of the examinations. When s/he does so, please discuss transport arrangements. It is always appreciated if examiners can be met from the station or their hotel, especially if the centre is not easily accessible or taxis are not available. If the examiner is driving, you may be asked for a map, directions and parking arrangements.
In the interests of health and safety, there must be a responsible person present at the venue at all times. Examination sessions generally run more smoothly when a designated steward is provided by the centre. The steward should ensure that candidates are ready to enter the examination room at the appropriate time and usher them into the room when the examiner indicates. The steward should also keep the examiner informed of any absentees.
The examination room should be quiet, well lit, at a comfortable temperature and large enough for the examinations being taken (particularly those with a strong element of movement). Please ensure that the examiner’s table and chair are suitable for a long working session and that the examining room is ready in time for the scheduled start. Please warn the examiner in advance if they will have to move or change rooms during the examination session.
Examiners are grateful for morning, afternoon and lunchtime refreshments – tea, coffee, etc. but not alcohol. If lunch is provided, the examiner will offer £5.00 towards payment.