Just wondering.....

In most cases, what happens about the cost of hiring a room for AB exams?

At our exam centre, the steward has instigated a rising scale of charges from Grade 1 upwards, which allows for the hire of a room for the exam and another for waiting. I don't have a problem with this, and neither do my students (so far), but another teacher said that she didn't think pupils or their parents should have to pay extra on top of the exam fee.

So who pays?

Is this a public centre? If so, I don't see how any extra charge could be made. If it's someone's special visit and they've hired a room for it they would need to have told you when you entered that there'd be an extra charge.

I may be quite wrong but I thought the Board undertook to pay this kind of fee if it were necessary. It might be worth contacting them to ask.

Sounds a bit dodgy to me! There is no such charge in Dublin. When exams are held in a hotel there is no warm up room or piano, but there is a waiting room. When they are out of term and held in a school or college there are a few practise rooms and a waiting space.

I've never heard of paying more to wait!

Thanks for these replies. I was quite surprised to read them, actually, because I don't know what the "normal" arrangements are for AB exams. We don't have a centre near us, and so have a special visit, held in a local church hall. I phoned the Board today to clarify, and they said it was our responsibility to book the accommodation and pay for it.

All is well!