On-campus digital exam with written component

For this exam type, students will sit the exam in an official University exam venue using their personal or loan laptop, access the digital component of the exam via LMS Quiz or Cadmus using the relevant LockDown Browser, while handwriting their responses for questions that require written responses, such as mathematical workings and diagrams. Handwritten responses are collected and can be scanned and uploaded to Gradescope upon request.

Important: All costs associated with scanning will now be charged to faculty following all examination rounds. Please ensure that your faculty have allocated budget for this before requesting for your written component to be scanned.

Important advice for digital exam with written component

Staff must implement the following advice to ensure a seamless experience for students:

• Students will have access to both digital and written components at the same time at the start of the exam and will not receive the two exam components separately in any circumstances.
• The digital and written components should be treated separately within the exam structure. Students should not be required to switch back and forth between the digital and written components as they progress through the exam. This structure allows students to fully focus on each component of the exam at a time and to avoid any unnecessary confusion.
• It is important to thoroughly review exam questions across both components to ensure there is no duplication of content. Provide clear instructions on how to complete each component in the exam to prevent issues such as students inadvertently handwriting their responses for a question in the digital component.
• Questions that can be automatically marked, such as multiple choice, should be included in the digital component. This approach allows staff to utilise automated marking functionality to ensure both accuracy and efficiency in the grading process.
• LockDown Browser must be downloaded and installed by students prior to accessing the exam. The browser prevents students from opening additional browser windows, using other browsers, accessing other websites, or opening additional applications on their device.

To understand more about the tools that are available for the digital component, see the following guides:

• Cadmus (as on-campus digital exams)
• LMS Classic Quiz (as on-campus digital exams)

Automation if you used the Exams Portal

If you supplied the details of your exam to the Exams Office, an Assignment Group called Semester 2 exams, 2026 with 0% weighting will be created in your subject, and two exam shells for the digital and written components will be created and added to this group. For the digital component, the exam shell can be a LMS Quiz or a LMS Assignment depending on the tool you selected in the Exams Portal. For the written component, the exam shell will be created as a LMS Assignment.

After the creation of your exam shells, you are required to amend the automatically created assignment group and exam shells. The assignment group weighting will have to reflect the correct weighting for the exam, and the point values in the exam shells will have to reflect the intended mark distribution between the digital and the written components.

For the digital component, the settings within the exam shell will need to be further reviewed and updated as needed. The following guides provide detailed explanation on each exam setting and what you need to do:

• Cadmus (as on-campus digital exams) - explanation of exam settings
• LMS Quiz (as on-campus digital exams) - explanation of exam settings

Adding content to the digital component

Instructions on how to add exam content to the digital component can be found in the Cadmus (as on-campus digital exams) and LMS Classic Quiz (as on-campus digital exams) guides.

Adding content to the written component

If you have opted for the written component to be scanned and uploaded to Gradescope, you will need to submit a PDF version of this component by the due date. The exam paper submission form is a secure site where all Subject Coordinators, or their nominated exam paper authors, can securely upload draft exams.

Refer to exam paper recommendations for guidance on creating optimal PDF version of your exam for the best marking experience in Gradescope.

Preparing students for the on-campus exam

It is particularly important to prepare students for a digital exam with written component as this exam type may be unfamiliar to many students. You must clearly communicate to your students which tool is being used for the digital component as part of the exam instructions.

We strongly recommend that you conduct a practice exam for your students prior to the exam period. This will enable students to become familiar with the exam structure and the technologies involved in the exam process (especially LockDown Browser), giving them the opportunity to iron out any technical difficulties. It will also give students exposure to the type of exam questions that are asked in the exam. The setting up practice digital exams guide provides you with further instructions and things to consider.

LockDown Browser must be downloaded and installed by students prior to the exam day. It is highly advisable to have students self-enrol in the relevant LockDown Browser test community in advance of the exam date.

• LockDown Browser (Canvas Classic Quiz) Test Community
• LockDown Browser OEM (Cadmus) Test Community

Once enrolled, students can then take the practice exam with LockDown Browser installed on their laptop. If students find that their laptop is incompatible with LockDown Browser, they can request a loan laptop. The request form will be opened 2-3 weeks before exams start.