When will they arrive?

A few days after the exam you'll start to receive completed exam papers (scripts). Bulky envelopes - containing up to 200 scripts - are sent to you directly from schools or colleges where the exam took place. These are usually delivered by secure carrier who will expect you to sign for the scripts you receive.

Exam centres can be anywhere in the country or even in another country altogether. The address of each centre will be listed on your exam centre allocation list sent to you before the exam. This list will show you not only the name and locations of your allocated centres, but also the number of scripts that each centre will send.

Open your parcels as soon as you can

Every day for the next week, parcels will be delivered to your door. If you expect to be out when the parcels arrive you can arrange for re-delivery on a day that suits you, or nominate a neighbour to take the scripts in for you. Contact your awarding body for information on script deliveries, or go to the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency website at www.qcda.gov.uk.

Scripts usually arrive in official looking parcels bearing the name of your awarding body. It is important that you receive all the scripts that you expect, so open all your post as soon as you get home - don't leave any envelope or parcel unopened.

Check the contents

Each exam centre's scripts is accompanied by a list of candidates. Check the name written on each script against those on the candidate list.

You may come across a parcel with no candidate list. A centre with over 300 candidates, due to their sheer weight, might divide the scripts and post them to you in several parcels - but only one of the parcels will contain the candidate attendance register. This means you'll have to look back through your other parcels to find an attendance register.

Each exam centre is assigned a unique centre number. All scripts from one centre will show this number. Check the centre number shown on the script against the attendance register from the same centre.

What if a script is missing?

If a name appears on the candidate list with no corresponding script, don't panic. First check the script hasn't been misfiled. It isn't unusual for scripts to become out-of-order before being posted, so check your missing script isn't somewhere in the rest of the pile.

If you still can't find it, double-check the candidate actually took the exam. The candidate list may show a letter 'A' next to the name. 'A' means absent - the student didn't turn up for the exam and so had no script to return.

Sometimes you might receive a script from a candidate not listed on your attendance register. Check with your awarding body what you should do in this instance, but usually you'll just add the name onto the attendance register and mark it as normal.

If you still can't find a script then phone your awarding body.

If it has been more than five days since the centre posted it off then your awarding body will take over from here and activate the missing script procedure.