JC Wood Technology exam-day guide
JC Wood Technology · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Admission document and photo ID
Bring the entry slip/admission card and the photo identification your awarding body requires (national ID, passport, or school-issued candidate card). Names must match the entry exactly. Which ID types are accepted, and whether a school letter can substitute, is set by the provider - confirm with the provider before exam week rather than on the morning.
Candidate/index number written where you can see it
Write your candidate number, subject, and paper/session on a small card you keep on the bench, and put it on every drawing sheet, cutting list, and finished workpiece label. Scripts and practical work unlabelled with the correct number cannot be credited.
Personal hand tools (if the centre does not supply them)
Typical kit: 300–350 mm jack plane (sharpened and set), 250 mm try square, marking gauge, mortise gauge, 600 mm steel rule, bevel/scriber, 20–25 mm bevel-edge chisel plus one mortise chisel, tenon saw and crosscut/coping saw, mallet, pincers, nail punch, and a smoothing block with abrasive. needs_review - confirm with the provider whether tools are supplied at the bench or candidates must bring their own, and whether power tools are permitted.
Sharpened pencil, eraser, and marking-out stationery
Two pencils sharpened to a chisel/knife point for marking on timber, a hard pencil for drawing, eraser, 300 mm rule, protractor, and a pair of 45°/60° set squares. Blunt or round-pointed pencils blur marking-out lines, and marking-out accuracy carries marks.
Calculator (only if permitted)
A basic non-programmable calculator is useful for cutting lists, material costing, and waste allowance. needs_review - confirm with the provider whether calculators are allowed in the practical paper and whether memory/programmable models are banned.
Personal protective equipment
Safety goggles for boring, chiselling, and machine work; dust mask for sanding and machining; ear defenders near machinery; apron or overalls with no loose sleeves, cuffs, or drawstrings; fully enclosed footwear. Tie back long hair and remove rings, watches, and bracelets before any machine operation.
Non-smart wristwatch
You will be managing a timed sequence of operations (marking out, cutting joints, assembly, finishing) without a phone. A plain analogue or non-connected digital watch keeps you on schedule. Confirm with the provider whether any watch is allowed at the bench.
No phone, smartwatch, or unauthorised notes
Leave phones and smart devices in the designated storage area or at home. Possession at the bench, even switched off, is normally treated as malpractice. Check with the provider where devices must be deposited.
Read the drawing and check the timber before the clock starts
As soon as you are allowed to inspect the bench, confirm you have the stated number of pieces, the correct species/size, and timber free of serious defects. If a piece is undersized, warped, or split, raise it with the invigilator immediately and get the replacement recorded - do not start cutting a defective piece.
Bench set-up and a clean datum
Face-side and face-edge marked, workpiece secured with a bench hook or in the vice with softwood packing, tools laid out in the order you will use them, and the bench cleared of offcuts and shavings that hide the marking-out lines.
Working drawing, cutting list, and sequence plan
Bring or prepare a one-page sequence (marking out → waste removal → joint cutting → dry assembly → gluing → cramping → levelling → surface preparation → finish) with the minutes you intend to spend on each stage. Confirm with the provider whether the working drawing is issued at the start of the exam or in advance.
Water and a light snack for the break
Long practical sessions run several hours and dehydration and low blood sugar cost you accuracy on fine work. Confirm with the provider what food, drink, and supervised break arrangements apply in the workshop.
Plan the day
Re-read the syllabus practical objectives and the assessment criteria you were given, then list every operation the paper can ask for (marking out, planing to a line, sawing to a line, chiselling, boring, joint cutting, assembly, finishing). Identify your two weakest operations and rehearse only those.
Sharpen and set every edge tool: plane iron, chisels, and scraper. A dull chisel is the single most common cause of torn grain and slipping off the line under time pressure. Check saw teeth for set and sharpness, and check that your try square is actually square against a proven straightedge.
Do one full timed dry run on a scrap piece using the same sequence you plan to use in the exam, timing each stage. Record where you lost time - usually marking out and joint fitting, not the cutting itself.
Confirm logistics in writing with the provider or centre: start time, workshop location, tool policy, PPE policy, calculator policy, and whether the break is supervised. Do not leave any of these to the morning.
Pack the tool roll, check the cutting edges are protected, and lay out ID, entry slip, pencils, rule, set squares, and PPE in one bag. Confirm your transport and arrival time, allowing extra margin for workshop access and bag checks.
Do a light review only: read through your sequence plan, the tolerance/accuracy requirements, and the safety rules for the machines you may use. No new techniques, no late-night practice. Eat properly and sleep - fatigue shows up first as inaccurate marking out.
Eat a proper breakfast, dress in close-fitting clothing and enclosed footwear, remove jewellery, and tie back long hair. Arrive at least 30–45 minutes early so you can find the workshop, deposit your phone, and be seated without rushing.
Listen to the invigilator's briefing in full and read the paper from end to end before touching anything. Note the total time, any supervised break, and the stopping signal. Identify which parts carry the most marks so you do not spend 40 minutes on a 5-mark detail.
Inspect the timber and check quantities against the cutting list. Mark the face side and face edge, then mark out everything from those two datum faces - never from a sawn or planed-off edge. Check every dimension twice before the first saw cut; marking errors cannot be recovered later.
Work in the planned sequence and cut joints slightly on the waste side, then fit by paring. Do a dry assembly before any glue. Keep the bench clear and re-check squareness and diagonals as you go, rather than discovering a wind or twist at final assembly.
Stop cutting new joints. Use the remaining time for the marks you can still earn: remove pencil and glue marks, sand along the grain, check that surfaces are flat and edges are eased, label the work with your candidate number, and clear your bench and offcuts. Report any damaged tool or machine fault to the invigilator before you leave.
Stop all work immediately, put tools down, and do not touch the workpiece again unless instructed. Hand in drawings, cutting lists, and finished work exactly as directed, and confirm with the invigilator that your work has been labelled and accounted for.
Rules to check
Bring the ID and admission document specified by the awarding body and place them on the bench when asked. If you arrive without acceptable identification, the centre decides whether you may sit - confirm with the provider in advance what happens in that case.
No phones, smartwatches, earbuds, or unauthorised notes in the workshop. Deposit them where directed before the briefing. Possession at the bench is normally treated as malpractice, and the penalty is set by the provider, not the invigilator.
Do not start any operation before the instruction to begin, and stop immediately at the signal to stop. Continuing to cut, plane, or finish after time is called can void marks for the section.
Work only at your own bench and on your own workpiece. Do not borrow tools, materials, or assistance from another candidate, and do not let anyone else work on your piece. Ask the invigilator for a replacement tool or material instead.
Use all guards, push sticks, and dust extraction as instructed, and wear the PPE required for each operation. Unsafe machine use can lead to your being stopped for the rest of the session, and safety is normally a scored criterion as well as a conduct rule.
Report any defective tool, damaged machine, or injury to the invigilator at once. Do not attempt to repair centre equipment yourself, and do not continue using a chisel with a cracked handle or a plane with a loose iron.
Leave the workshop only with permission. If you need the washroom or feel unwell, raise your hand and wait for an escort - confirm with the provider how supervised breaks are handled and whether any time is added.
Marks are awarded for accuracy within the stated tolerances, quality of finish, sound construction and fit, correct sequence and use of tools, and safe working practice, not for speed. A slightly slower, accurate job normally scores higher than a completed but poorly fitted one; the exact mark breakdown is published by the provider - confirm it before exam day.