Book your assessments – Speech International
ESB International offers both face-to-face and remote online assessment options for its Speech International centres who are based outside of the UK.
If you are a centre based outside the UK and you’re preparing to book your speech assessments, you have come to the right page.
How do I book Speech assessments outside of the UK?
Assessment bookings are registered onto the ESB database. The details required are the assessment date(s), expected number of learners and the qualifications/levels that are being taken.
Face-to-face assessments
Face-to-face assessments must be registered onto the ESB database. There is a minimum advanced booking period of 3 months.
Remote online assessments
Remote online assessments must be registered onto the ESB database and send an email to our Customer Experience Team requesting a remote, online booking. There is a 28-day minimum advanced booking period.
Speech International – Booking Process
After logging in to your account on the ESB database, click ‘Booking Numbers’ across the top navigation menu.
Click ‘New Booking Number’ and then click the ‘Details’ tab.
Select the CENTRE and ORGANISER names from the respective drop-down menus.
Read and approve the terms and conditions to the right and then click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the page. The Booking has now been created.
Click the ‘Sessions’ tab to start entering assessment details. Click ‘Add Session’.
Enter the DATE and TIME of your first assessment and click ‘Save’ (start time should be CUSTOMER LOCAL TIME, not GMT). Repeat this step for all other Sessions in your Booking.
On the ‘Sessions’ tab, you will now see all of the Sessions listed with dates and start times.
Click on each Session in turn and click ‘Add Exam’.
In the following menu, in the DEPARTMENT field, enter SPEECH INTERNATIONAL. Insert your QUALIFICATION, LEVEL and expected LEARNER NUMBERS into their respective fields (the maximum no. of learners per qual will be shown to you at this stage). Click ‘Save’ when you are finished.
You will now see the qualification(s) you have added on the right-hand side of the SESSIONS tab. Repeat this process until all of the Sessions for all of the dates appear on the right-hand side.
Click on the ‘Candidates’ tab to enter your learners’ names – this can be done up until 5pm the day before your assessment.
To add the learner names, select each date and qualification in turn and then you can either click on ‘Add Candidate’ to enter the names one by one or you can click on ‘Download Import Candidates Template’ and add all of the learners together.
ADD CANDIDATE – enter the learner’s FIRST and LAST names, their DATE OF BIRTH and GENDER. If a learner requires a REASONABLE ADJUSTMENT, click on the drop-down menu and select the appropriate adjustment, then click ‘Save’. No other fields are required.
IMPORT CANDIDATES TEMPLATE – enter all the details in the excel file, the ULN is not mandatory. Save this file locally and then upload it to the database by clicking the ‘Import Candidates’ button. If a learner requires a REASONABLE ADJUSTMENT, you will need to manually locate the learner’s name within the Candidates tab and click ‘Edit Candidate’ and add an appropriate Reasonable Adjustment by selecting it from the drop-down menu, then click ‘Save’. Repeat this process for all learners in your booking who you would like to apply for Reasonable Adjustments.
This completes the booking process. Once an assessor(s) has been assigned to your booking, you will be able to see their name(s) in the Sessions or Candidate tabs.
Log in to your account on the ESB database here.
If you have problems logging in, or need to register your account, please contact our Customer Experience Team.
What travel expenses are my centre responsible for during face-to-face assessments?
- The centre/organiser is responsible for all internal travel (including collection from and delivery to the airport/port/international train station), accommodation and hospitality costs for each assessor.
- ESB International is responsible for flight/travel costs from the UK to arrival in the host country.
- All travel arrangements need to be confirmed no later than 3 months prior to the start of the assessment period.
If you would like more information about fees for our Speech International qualifications, please contact our Business Development Team.
Can I alter my booking after it has been made?
- Prior to the assessment date, centres can make changes subject to the rules built into the ESB database hub. Significant changes that require the reassignment of assessors may not be possible and a Change of Booking Date fee may be chargeable. Cancellation fees may apply if a booking is cancelled at short notice. Please refer to our Prices page for a full list of amendment and cancellation fees.
- Please note that assessors have no right to sanction changes and cannot enter learners on the day of the assessment or change the level at which they have been entered. This also applies to accepting learners who were absent on a previous occasion through sickness.
Organiser's checklist
- I have organised the assessor’s travel arrangements 3 months in advance of the assessment. I have been in touch with the assessor(s) to confirm travel arrangements for the day. Assessors’ details can be found in the ‘Details’ tab of the Booking. (Face-to-face only)
- I have been in touch with the assessor(s) to confirm the video conferencing details. I have carried out a practice with the assessor 24 hours before the assessment. Assessors’ details can be found in the ‘Details’ tab of the Booking. (Remote online only)
- I have sent a copy of the learner topic lists to the assessor(s) in advance of the assessment. Topic lists include the learner’s name, ID, and items of their assessment (book, poem etc). This information must be sent securely (e.g. WeTransfer)
- I have created a running order of the assessment and shared this with the assessor(s).
- I have uploaded my learners’ names and details and any reasonable adjustments to the database at least 24 hours before the start of the assessment.
- I have ensured that all learners over the age of 18 have provided photo identification and this has been verified as an official proof of identify. The centre must be able to confirm that the learner submitting the ID is the same person as the one sitting the assessment.
- I have ensured that a responsible adult from my centre’s staff is available to sit in on assessments for under 18s or vulnerable adults. Find out more on our Safeguarding page.
For complete guidance for offering Speech qualifications outside of the UK, please refer to our Speech International Handbook.