On Thursday 14th August, 1,750,000 students will receive their exam results.  Those who have done Edexcel’s qualifications will receive the most technologically-advanced notification of results ever produced.

The new Individual Results Notice (IRN)

Each student will receive an IRN - Individual Results Notice - which details all the marks they have gained for the units and the grade they have been awarded.  This year's IRNs include state-of-the-art security features including heat-sensitive marks.  They are printed on photocopy-sensitive paper to stop duplication/alteration and to prevent them from being reproduced and passed off as an original by even the most sophisticated technology user.

GCSE students, the following week, will receive the same technologically-advanced IRN.

John Kerr, Edexcel’s Chief Executive, said: “Last year we introduced a new high-tech certificate - the most advanced in education.  Over 1.5 million students received these from Edexcel.  We were able to introduce the technology for students’ individual results notices so we decided to go ahead from Summer 2003.

“This is part of Edexcel’s wider strategy to introduce the latest technology into the examination system.

“As technology gets more sophisticated, we are taking every possible step to maintain the integrity of our qualifications so that students, admissions tutors and employers can continue to have total confidence in the system,” he added.

The specialist secure printer who produces chequebooks for banks and tickets for Premiership football matches has developed the new-style certificate.  Its print and design features mean it cannot be accurately reproduced by today’s scanners, printers or photocopiers.

Security features in the old-style Edexcel certificate were the latest available when it was designed in 1999.  Colleges, universities and employers can, of course, check the validity of these certificates with Edexcel.

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