FAQs for International Exams

Only registered ISTD teachers with current membership can enter candidates for examinations. You will find all the information you need to apply for examinations on QUEST by clicking here.

Teachers can request in-person examinations by submitting an Intent to Enter application under the relevant Traditional Exam Periods for their country on QUEST, by the advertised deadlines.

In-person examinations can also be requested under the exam periods with local examiners, where applicable. If you are interested in this type of examination, please get in touch with the examinations officer for your country at least one month in advance of your preferred exam date(s) or contact us at internationalteachers@istd.org so that we can advise you further of your options.

Please note that in-person sessions are subject to volume of entries and venue location. If we are not able to include you in a tour, we will inform you of alternative options.

ISTD is offering a hybrid model of examinations which means that exams can be held throughout the year, except for the period between Christmas and New Year and Good Friday through to Easter Sunday.

The Examination Periods are advertised on QUEST along with the relevant Intent to Enter and Final Entries deadlines. You can login on QUEST to review the examination periods available for your country. If you have any questions please get in touch with the examinations officer for your country or with internationalteachers@istd.org.

Remote examinations: Remote examinations are available year-round at discounted fees, offering flexibility to members by allowing unlimited bookings with as few as one candidate. To arrange a remote examination, members should contact the International Examinations department at least one month before their preferred exam date to initiate the application process. Once the timetable is submitted and an examiner is secured, the exam date will be officially confirmed to the teacher in writing. Remote examinations can be conducted either via submitted recordings or live online via MS Teams.

Traditional (in-person) examinations: In-person (face to face) examination periods and the related deadlines are advertised on QUEST. Traditional exams are subject to factors such as the volume of entries and venue location. While a traditional exam period may be listed on QUEST for a specific country, we may be unable to offer it if the tour is not financially viable. In such cases, we will promptly inform affected members and provide alternative options.

Applications for both traditional and remote examination sessions need to be submitted on QUEST. If you need any assistance, please get in touch with the examinations officer for your country or contact us at internationalteachers@istd.org.

You will receive an acknowledgement from QUEST that the Intent to Enter application has been approved. An automated reminder will be sent through QUEST three weeks before the Final Entries deadline. For in-person examination requests, the timetables and associated exam fee payments must be submitted by the final entries’ deadline.

Once the final timetables have been reviewed by the International Department, you will receive an acknowledgement from QUEST that the Entry has been accepted. Proposed exam dates will be shared through QUEST approximately two weeks after the Final Entries’ deadline. If no further changes are requested by teachers participating in the same tour, the exam dates will be confirmed approximately 3 weeks after the Final Entries’ deadline.

Please note that proposed dates must not be announced to candidates. Examinations dates may only be communicated to your learners only if you have received the official ‘Dates Confirmed’ automated email via QUEST.

There are no cancellation fees, however, please note that you can only request a full refund of the exam fees paid for some or all the candidates of your in-person session within 7 calendar days from the exam date confirmation.

For candidate withdrawals past the 7 calendar days mark please check our refunds policy here.

New students will require a PIN to be generated for them. You can access the online PIN registration form by clicking on the ‘Request PINs’ button under the ‘Candidates’ tab of your session.

Alternatively, you can find the PIN registration form here.

Teachers must register their students using their full given and family names – their legal name. This legal name will then appear on the examination timetable and will also appear on the certificate. We acknowledge that in some countries it is common to display names in a different order than in the UK, however it is necessary for all countries to adhere to the principle that the name on the ISTD certificate must be the candidate’s legal name, appearing in the order provided by teachers at the time of registration.

You can register candidates for PIN numbers at any point throughout the year. Please ensure that all learners being entered for exams have their PIN number in place before the Final Entries deadline for your session. This will help streamline the submission of your final timetable.

For applications submitted under a traditional exam period, timetables and exam fee payments must be submitted by the relevant final entries’ deadline. 

For remote exam applications and exam requests with local examiners, please contact the examinations officer for your country. They will provide you with all the required guidance, as these requests are managed on a case-by-case basis.

You can find English language ‘how-to’ guides, designed to take you step-by-step through the examination processes on QUEST, from logging in to creating an exam timetable, here.

Information about the timings of each exam level for all dance genres is included in the examination syllabus outlines found below:

Theatre Dance Syllabus Outlines   Dancesport Syllabus Outlines

A full exam day should not exceed 6.5 hours examining time, excluding breaks. QUEST will indicate the required breaks based on your timetable hours. As a guideline, breaks should be scheduled at least every 2.5 hours.

Candidates can be deleted at any point prior to submitting your final timetable and you will not be charged for their fee. Once the timetable has been submitted, amendments can only be requested by emailing the examinations officer for your country and no later than 7 calendar days from the exam date confirmation.

For additional candidates, once your amendment has been made on QUEST, you will need to proceed to the relevant payments due. For candidate withdrawals past the 7 calendar days mark from the exam date confirmation, please check our refunds policy here.

You can request a full refund of the exam fees paid for some or all the candidates in your in-person session within 7 calendar days from the exam date confirmation.

For candidate withdrawals past the 7 calendar days mark, including injured/ill candidates, please check our refunds policy here.

Our refunds/credit transfer policy depends on the type of examination (e.g. in-person or remote).

For in-person exams, candidate withdrawals past the 7- day-mark of exam date confirmation can be requested only with a medical note. On this occasion a 100% transfer to a remote session can be requested, provided we are informed ahead of the exam day so that timetable is amended and candidates are withdrawn. Remote exam fees are slightly lower, so any fee difference for 100% transfer of fees to remote exams will not be reimbursed.

For remote exams, a transfer of exam fees can be requested for any candidate withdrawals at any point and for any reason, provided we are informed ahead of the exam day so that timetable is amended and candidates are withdrawn.

For more information please check our refunds policy here.

Unfortunately, there may be times when an examiner needs to be replaced at the last minute. In these circumstances we will make every effort to appoint a replacement examiner. However, if we are unable to do so, we will reschedule your exam session or we will assist you to hold the session remotely.

If we are unable to find a replacement examiner to examine your candidates on the original date booked, we will refund the full fees paid. However, the ISTD is not liable to pay for venue hire or any other exam related costs if the session is cancelled or for additional costs from filming the session.

When applying for professional exams (DDE Unit 4, Associate, Associate Diploma, Licentiate, Fellowship) please ensure you have added all the candidates under the ‘Candidates’ tab of your session on QUEST as soon as you submit your Intent to Enter application.

For any issues related to registration queries for DDE Unit 4 candidates, please contact the Customer Services department.

Yes, an examination session can be cancelled for any reason and at any point before the final entries’ deadline of a traditional exam period and up to 7 calendar days after the exam date(s) confirmation for in-person examinations.

Remote examination sessions can be cancelled at any point provided we are notified before the scheduled exam day to ensure that the timetable on QUEST can be amended and candidates are withdrawn accordingly.

• A firm writing table (suggested 5ft x 2ft or 1.5cm x 60cm).
• A comfortable chair of suitable height with a cushion and one extra chair.
• Adequate lighting, heating and ventilation: teachers are responsible for the health and safety of their exam candidates, examiner and pianist/music operator during examinations. The exam room must be kept at a suitable temperature, with adequate ventilation as required and access to drinking water at all times.  The optimal temperature for a dance studio is recommended to be 65-75° Fahrenheit (18-24° Celsius). Please note that if an examiner feels that the safety of those involved in the session are at risk due to the venue conditions, they may stop the exam session.
• Candidates should be able to dance the syllabus full out, comfortably in the examination space.
• Adequate lighting and heating.
• Drinking or mineral water.
• Soap and towel in the washroom.
• iPod connection, CD player and CDs (if required). CDs should be of good quality with adequate volume.
• Mirrors should be covered.
• Please ensure that any windows/doors which allow outside observation of the candidates’ exam room are covered.
• Formal exam conditions must be observed at all times – please ensure no one enters the room whilst the exams are taking place (only the examiner, candidates & pianist/music operator should be present).

Please note:

The changing room for candidates must be separate from the examination room and not a screened-off partition.

In all breaks, including lunch, the examiner should be left alone and uninterrupted.

For class assessments every child must have their number pinned to their uniform.

Imperial Ballet

CD's may be used for class and graded examinations only. The teacher is responsible for providing a pianist for all vocational examinations. The official set music of ISTD ICB vocational examinations syllabus should be used for these exam levels. The use of recorded music is not permitted except for the Set Variations and the Advanced 2 solo.

If you are presenting only one set of candidates of Intermediate Foundation or Intermediate in your session and a pianist is not available, you can use digitally recorded music. Please note, that on this occasion you must you must notify the Exams department and you must use the updated digital music, which can be found in the ISTD Shop here.

Cecchetti Ballet

Teachers entering candidates for class and graded Examinations may either provide their own pianist or may use recorded music. Where recorded music is being used the examiner will provide music for the improvisation section of the examination. Where a pianist is playing for the examination, the pianist will provide the piano music for the improvisation section. Candidates should not have heard the music for improvisation prior to the examination.

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It is important to note that the official music for the graded examinations should be used for all the set exercises and if using recorded music, the official examination recording specifically for use in exams and available from the ISTD shop, must be used.

A pianist must play for all Graded Vocational Examinations. The official sheet music for the Intermediate Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced 1 and 2 must be used for these examinations. The music for the classical solo only may be played on audio equipment and this should be operated by the pianist.

Teachers are reminded that under no circumstances can the music operator be the teacher, a candidate, or a parent of a candidate. The music operator should conduct themselves professionally. They should not face the candidates or communicate with them in any way.

Music system operators should be seated at a discreet distance from the examiner and where possible should aim to have their back to the examiner.

A Reasonable Adjustment is defined as: ‘an adjustment made to an assessment for a qualification so as to enable a disabled candidate to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding to the levels of attainment required by the specification for that qualification’ (source: Ofqual, General Conditions of Recognition).

Reasonable Adjustments are changes or adaptations made to an assessment or to the way an assessment is conducted to reduce or remove a disadvantage, or a barrier caused by a candidate’s disability.

The ISTD’s policy aims to address a wide range of disabilities and learning needs that may become a barrier for accessing examinations and assessments.

For more information on the Reasonable Adjustments policy and how to apply please visit the Quality Assurance section of the ISTD website here.

Applications must be completed each time the candidate is submitted for an examination and be returned with any supporting evidence directly to the Customer Services and Quality Assurance Department. Please check application timeframes on the Reasonable Adjustments page of our website, or for further advice please contact the Quality Assurance department on 020 7377 1577 or email ara@istd.org.

All queries in relation to access arrangements and reasonable adjustments should be sent to the Quality Assurance department by email on ara@istd.org.

You will receive an email acknowledgement from the ARA Administrator within three working days of emailing the completed form. You will be informed of the outcome by email as per the timeframes explained on the Reasonable Adjustments page of our website.

You must notify the Examinations department of the need for a translator at the Intent to Enter stage of an in-person exam application or when requesting a remote exam session, whichever is applicable.

You will then need to download the translator declaration form and application requirements here.

The translator declaration form must be completed for each examination that the candidate enters. The signed declaration form must be sent via email to the relevant Examinations department within 5 working days of the examination date.

Please note:

• The translator is organised by the teacher/school principal and should be a responsible adult who acts as an interpreter between the candidate and examiner.
• The translator reports to the teacher/school principal and must be a person acceptable to them and capable of translating the examination in full.
• The translator should not be the candidate’s tutor or teacher. On no account may a relative, friend or peer of the candidate be used as a translator.

The exam request for each candidate in any location will need to be submitted on QUEST by the teacher responsible for their training (and not each individual candidate) by getting in touch with the relevant examinations officer. ISTD can only accept exam requests by its members.

Important information:

• The exams will need to take place in a suitable dance venue and not from a home environment (e.g. living room).
• If the ISTD primary organiser/ISTD teacher cannot be present on the day of the exams, then another non-ISTD teacher or an exams facilitator can be present on their behalf. Under no circumstances can the exams facilitator be another candidate on the session or a parent of a candidate. The primary organiser will need to submit this individual’s name and contact details to the ISTD, who will then share them with the allocated examiner.
• For live remote exams, the music operator cannot be the teacher, a candidate or a parent of a candidate.
• The teacher/exams facilitator must be present at all times at the venue (outside the studio) when the exam takes place to ensure that the exam conditions are kept. This means that this person will be responsible for:
  • a. setting up the technology including adjusting the sound settings for a smooth exam
  • b. greeting the examiner online and introduce themselves as well as the musicians/music operator at least 15minutes prior to the exam start
  • c. ensuring that the studio is clear from any hazards that could compromise the health and safety of the candidates
  • d. ensuring that the exam is not interrupted or observed by other individuals
  • e. keeping the candidate flow as per the timetable
  • f. remaining available to resolve any issues at all times during the exams.

For more information about the ISTD's teaching qualifications and professional qualifications, please see the Teaching Qualifications section of our website.

You can find Theatre Dance Specifications and Syllabus Outlines here.

You can find Dancesport Syllabus Outlines and Specifications here.

Visit our Report Sheet FAQs page for more detailed information about ISTD Report Sheets

If you have any further queries, please contact the International Examinations Department at internationalteachers@istd.org.