CIOL Qualifications (CIOLQ) has listened to feedback received from candidates and training providers and has made the decision to adapt the way in which Unit 01 of the CIOL Qualifications Level 6 Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI) will be examined in June 2022. We are making the same change to Unit 02 of the Diploma in Police Interpreting (DPI). The initial move to online assessment in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and our decision to continue to offer online assessments in 2022 based on positive candidate feedback, has presented an opportunity for us to review and improve the way in which we assess these units.

We are pleased to announce that as of June 2022, Unit 01-Part B of the DPSI and Unit 02 of the DPI will be assessed via Microsoft Teams, as before, but using an audio recording for the assessment of simultaneous interpreting. You will be able to listen to the audio recording through headphones and interpret what you hear simultaneously. There will be no need to whisper.

For practice purposes, sample English recordings are available on the DPI and DPSI web pages, so you can test your connection and practice with your equipment.

This is important to do, as online assessment requires you to have the right equipment and set-up to have the best chance of success – and this depends on you.

Key points:

• An invigilator will support you during your exam.
• Your laptop/pc must always have a camera and microphone access.
• You must ensure you have good quality headphones.
• You must have either Microsoft - Windows 10 or for Mac OS-X10.9 or later.
• Minimum bandwidth requirement of at least 2Mbps down/1Mbps up.
• It is highly recommended that where possible an ethernet cable is used, for faster internet and more reliable connectivity.

Rest assured, while the format of the assessment has been adapted for ease of online delivery, the learning outcomes and assessment descriptors remain the same for both exams. The marking and moderation of completed assessments and results processing remain unaffected. Your achievement will still be entirely representative of the qualification as a whole.

If you have any questions, do please contact our Client Services Team (CST) by email to info.dpsi@ciol.org.uk for DPSI or info.dpi@ciol.org.uk for DPI.