If you realise you have forgotten your photo ID on SEC exam day, contact your school or examination centre promptly. If you are already at the venue, tell examination staff at the reporting point. Keep your Entry Proof ready and ask what they need to verify your identity. A decision to return home could affect your reporting time, so seek directions before changing course.
SEAB’s 2026 GCE handbook required candidates to present their Entry Proof and a photo identification document. It also specified that the identification should show the name and number used for registration. For the 2027 Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC), check the current instructions for accepted documents and formats.
- Tell the school or centre as soon as you notice the problem.
- Keep your Entry Proof or practical schedule ready.
- Ask what identification the current sitting accepts.
- Share identity details only through an official channel when requested.
Separate the Entry Proof from photo identification
Your Entry Proof helps staff identify your registered examination and where you are meant to report. Your photo identification helps them verify who has arrived. Knowing your candidate index number is useful, but it does not replace the identity check described in the GCE handbook.
If you have a document with you but are unsure whether it qualifies, tell staff what you have. Check the name and number against the registration details, especially if your identification changed after registration.
What to do when you are already on the way
Tell the school or centre the paper, your expected arrival time and which document is missing. Ask whether to continue to the reporting point and what alternative, if any, you should bring. If someone can retrieve the original for you, agree on the handover without making assumptions about entry or timing.
Imagine that you have your Entry Proof and can arrive on time, but your identity card is at home. Turning back may make you late. Calling early gives staff a chance to tell you where to report and what to do while you are still on the way.
Contents · Previous section · Next section
What to do when you are at the venue
Approach the staff responsible for check-in. Present the documents you do have and follow their directions. Avoid relying on a screenshot, a scan or a digital display unless the current instructions or staff confirm that format is acceptable. The available verification route can depend on the examination and your candidate details.
If the issue is a mismatch rather than a forgotten document, identify the mismatch clearly. For example, explain that the identification number on your current document differs from the number used during registration. Keep the information private and let staff tell you how to proceed.
Contents · Previous section · Next section
Prepare a check for the next paper
Before leaving home, put the required photo identification and Entry Proof or practical schedule together. Then read the reporting time and venue for that day’s component. Check the current instructions before deciding which identity document to carry.
A parent helping with the check can ask the student to point to the registration name, candidate field and paper row. That rehearsal helps the student find the relevant information independently at the venue.
Contents · Previous section · Next section
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my candidate index number instead of photo ID?
Use it when staff ask for your examination identifier. Ask them what they require for the separate identity check.
Will staff accept a screenshot of my ID?
Check the current candidate instructions and ask the centre. A screenshot should be used only if the applicable instructions permit it.
Will I be allowed to sit without the document?
Tell staff promptly. The centre applies the current procedure to your circumstances.
Who should a private candidate contact?
Use the official SEAB or examination-centre contact given for your sitting.