Foundation & General Certificate - Support FAQ

The Foundations of Brewing and Distilling, and General Certificate in Brewing, Distilling, Packaging, Malting and Cider Making are all multiple choice examinations that are assessed in an online proctored session on the IBD Examination Platform.

Candidate should note that multiple choice questions can include multiple answers. Questions will indicate if multiple responses are required.

All candidates will be given a 15 minute window before the examination begins. This window is used to allow candidates to check their set-up, complete a system check, check ID and confirm with a proctor that they are ready to begin their examination.

March 2022 and May 2022 Examination session

Upcoming Foundation and General Certificate Exams

No, all of our General Certificate and Foundation level examinations are online.

The examination is an online proctored session, therefore the examination can be taken in a location convenient to you. It is important that candidates think about their environment when deciding where to take the examination. All candidates must ensure they take their examination under exam conditions so candidates must ensure they choose their environment wisely.

Please note that all candidates must read and adhere to the information noted IBD Examination Regulations document as all candidates must comply with the rules stated within the document, regardless of examination location.  

Candidates must have access to a good, stable internet connection (minimum internet speed of 516kbps).

Candidates must use either a laptop or desktop PC and this must have a working webcam and microphone. No Chromebooks, tablets or phones can be used to take the examination.

To make sure that the proctor can see you and your desk, you will need to have a webcam that is moveable, whether that’s by moving a laptop or moving the web camera.

The IBD online proctored exam platform works well on both Mac and Windows operating systems.

Immediately prior to the examination:

If candidates are unable to access the internet or are aware of issues with their connection immediately prior to the examination they must apply for a mitigating circumstances claim directly to the IBD Exam Policies

On the day of the examination:

If candidates experience issues with access to the internet during the examination they should work with the proctor in the first instance, to see if the issues can be resolved. If it is not possible to resolve the issues candidates must submit a mitigating circumstances claim directly to the IBD Exam Policies

If you have a medical reason that prevents you from taking exam, please contact the IBD at accounts@ibd.org.uk to provide you with further details on when the next available exam session will be available and steps on how to reschedule. A medical note must be provided for any deferral request.

Full guidance for what to do if you experience any problems during your exam is contained in the joining instructions that will be emailed to you before the exam date.

In most cases, you will be able to continue with your exam once you have regained your connection and you may be able to communicate with your proctor via the chat box.  However, if the loss of connectivity is longer than the scheduled exam time or you are unable to complete the exam then please follow the guidance noted in the IBD Mitigation policy Exam Policies. If there are any issues candidates must submit a mitigation claim and IBD will look into all claims on a case by case basis.

Yes, there are strict rules that must be followed. These are detailed in the IBD Examination Regulations Exam Policies

No. No papers, notepads, notes etc, are allowed on your desk when taking the exam. As part of the checks by the proctor, candidates will be asked to move their camera to show that your desk and surrounding area is clear and there are no prohibited items present.

Yes, you are permitted as the examination may include some calculations.

On the day of your examination, you must:

• Bring Identification – On the day of the examination you will be required to show a government issued photo ID to the proctor via webcam. Acceptable forms of identification include: Driving License, Passport or Government issued photo identification card.

Your identification must be in date. Expired ID will not be accepted.

No other forms of ID will be accepted.

• Username and password – You must ensure you have your username and password ready to log in at your start time. If you cannot remember these you must contact the IBD BEFORE the day of your examination so these can be re-sent to you.
• Login to Portal – Login into the IBD Examination Portal, TestReach and connect with the online proctor.

Yes. All the online proctored exams are recorded for marking and moderation quality purposes.

If a candidate requires a Comfort Break they must contact the proctor as the validation checks will need to be re-confirmed before the exam can continue.

For full details please also refer to the Examination Guidelines Exam Policies

No.

All parts of the syllabus may be covered in the examination questions. Questions will cover the breadth and depth of the syllabus so candidates are recommended to cover all aspects as part of their revision preparation.

The IBD Examination Board has a sequence of procedures that it needs to follow to ensure that the exams are marked and moderated correctly.

The IBD aims to release candidate results within 6-8 weeks from the date of the last examination.

All results are published in a candidate’s MyIBD account.

All candidates will be sent an email confirming when the results have been published. The email will explain how to access results through your MyIBD account.

*^{Passing grade   ** failing grade}

Any candidate who fails to meet the minimum passing grade and wishes to take the assessment again is required to register via the IBD website (www.ibd.org.uk) to book a new examination. Candidates must check the website for details of when the next registration window will open. Resits are not permitted.

The Examination Board do not offer any feedback to candidates, only the grades. We can recommend, however, that the candidate goes back through their scores in the practice tests in the online learning materials and see how they scored in those, as these should be able to give the candidates some insights.

Formal feedback is something that the Examination Board are reviewing for the future but are unable to offer at this stage.

IBD provides certification via a secure digital platform.  Once the results are published and uploaded to this platform, you will receive log in details and guidance to access your certificate. 

The certificates can be viewed by any third party that you give access to for verification.

All our learning material is hosted online via Moodle. To access your specific exam material, visit https://learn.ibd.org.uk. Once on this new page, click on the image of the computer or select the link.

This will take you to the login page where you can gain access to your learning material.  The login instruction would have been sent when you purchased the exam.

When you have logged in, there will be a menu bar displaying learning material that is available to you.

After you have selected the qualification that you are preparing for, you will arrive at the course home screen.

All our courses are split into units.

Each unit will have a list of lessons followed by a multiple-choice quiz at the end of the unit to test you on what you have just learned, so you can assess your knowledge step by step.