British Sub-Aqua Club

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Instructor Training Information Sheet

Theory Instructor Exam

The Open Water Instructor grade requires students to pass three separate elements to
complete.
• A 10 minute Classroom presentation
• A 1 hour 60 question multiple choice answer Exam Paper
• A 45 minute Practical Assessment

See the Factsheet on Examination Pass Rates

Open Water Chief Examiner

DAVID WAKELAM
The Theory Instructor Exam is classroom based and covers 2 of the elements of the BSAC
Open Water Instructor award. Teaching the theory that underpins practical diving skills is
regarded by the BSAC as key to the success of teaching diving.
However, most divers find the practical side a much more natural and comfortable
situation to cope with and many profess little desire to attempt the Classroom teaching
side. This is understandable and a view I personally expressed during my own training as
an instructor. From experience however it is not the area where the most problems are
encountered and sense of achievement in successfully passing this component is often
expressed as the most enjoyable aspect of gaining the OWI award.
The advice and guidance below and the links from it is designed to encourage and assist
more would be instructors to take and succeed in this important aspect.

Open Water Chief Examiner

DAVID WAKELAM
Email - owi.chief@bsac.com

Before the event

The Theory Instructor Exam consists of 2 components:
• A 10 minute Classroom presentation (discussed below)
• A 1 hour 60 question multiple choice answer Exam Paper (see the separate
Factsheet)
Prerequisites
The preparation for a successful examination begins long time before the actual exam
and this in effect includes ensuring that you meet the relevant prerequisites which have
provided you with the necessary skills and training for the role of an Instructor (IFC & Dive
Leader + minimum age of 18).
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Tel: +44 (0)151 350 6200 Fax: +44 (0)151 350 6215 bsac.com

Are you ready?

The next step is to decide if you are ready to take the exam. You will have been given
some guidance on this by your tutor on the IFC but in theory it would appear to be difficult
for you to judge your status personally. However you have been given the skills necessary
to assess your own performance and can call on the advice of others within your branch
and the Coaching Teams to advise you too. You might also use your Planning &
Preparation below to guide your decision.

Booking the Exam

Once you have decided to do the exam based on the above booking is simple with one of
three methods available to you
• Online
• by Post using the Theory Instructor Exam (TIE) Application Form
• by phone Tel : 0151 350 6209
Dates are published in the Annual Programme of Events sent to all members, online as
part of the Find an Instructor event and for the coming months in the latest issues of
'DIVE' and BSAC Talk.

Things to check
Please make sure that your membership is current (now and at the time of the
examination), that BSAC HQ has a record of the relevant Diver grade and your attendance
at the IFC and OWIC. It may be necessary for you to submit documentary evidence of this
to complete the application.

What to expect?
You should receive confirmation of your booking shortly after completion of the process
and all documentation has been checked and confirmed. 2 weeks before the event
Joining Instructions are sent out with details of the event, venue and what to bring plus
local contacts and accommodation lists should they be required.
Some regions provide formal Examination Prep Events and you may be contacted directly
by the regional representative inviting you to such an event.

Planning and Preparation

The topic for the lesson you will teach for your
assessment will be sent to you with the Joining
Instructions for the event about 2 weeks before
the exam. It is essential that you plan and
prepare properly for the lesson you have been
given and take the opportunity to practice the
presentation before the day of the examination.
The lesson topics are drawn from the Diver
Training Programme (DTP) up to and including
Dive Leader. The lesson you are asked to
present will be of 10 minutes duration only and
so would will need to plan and modify any lecture
materials to ensure that you cover the 'Must
Know' information within that time and not give
just an overview.
On the IFC you planned a number of practical
lessons with your tutor using the Lesson Planning Sheets provided and extracts from the
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BSAC Instructor Handbook. You then had a chance to take one of these lessons and
present it on the Sunday to your tutor group and received feedback, as did the other
students. You should apply a similar process to your planning for this event

During the Exam

Typical timetable
The Theory Instructor Examination will take slightly longer than half a day, 4.5 to 5 hours
depending on local conditions. In certain locations a PIE may be offered on the same day.
The opportunity to do such a combined examination will be largely dependent on the
facilities at a particular location and members should note that as both the PIE and TIE
can be booked separately the situation may arise that one part of the exam may be fully
booked before the other. We do not reserve places for those who wish to book both
events at the same time.

What happens?
The day will start with an overall brief from the lead Examiner on the day. They will
introduce the Examiners, Local Organiser and any other relevant people and give a brief
overview of the location and perhaps highlight appropriate teaching locations and any
specific information you may need.
You will then split into groups typically of up to 6 candidates and two Examiners and be
briefed on the conduct of the Classroom element of the examination and the examiners
role and a running order will be agreed. You will be allowed time between lessons to
prepare the room for each lesson and this time will not be included in your teaching time
and your examiners may well assist you with this.
Each candidate will then present a 10 minute classroom lesson that they have prepared.
The Examiners will form part of the student group though they will select their own
positioning and will observe all aspects. Your Examiner should not intervene during the
lesson other than to ask a question at the end. This question should be designed to
either clarify something that was said during the lesson or to check overall understanding
of the subject. Students should be briefed not to ask questions of other students and any
actual questions should be left to the end of the session and raised with the Examiners
first. During the session the Examiners will be taking notes in order to provide feedback in
the Examination Report to highlight effective teaching techniques and provide guidance
for further development.
Timing of the lesson is the responsibility of the candidate teaching at the time but the
Examiner may give a reminder if the lesson begins to run over excessively as there is a
need to give all candidates an equal chance.
At the end of the session when all candidates have given their lessons the Examiner will
summarise the session but WILL NOT discuss marks or any specific points arising from
the lessons other than to clarify student's questions regarding diving theory. Any
questions from candidates regarding the conduct of the examination will be referred to
the Chief Examiner on the day. The Examination will conclude with a debrief from the
Senior Examiner on the day who will highlight good teaching practices seen on the day,
highlight the need to continually develop as an Instructor and indicate what the next
steps will be and how long the results will take.

Success on the Examination is based on ensuring that your lesson contains evidence of
applying the relevant Essential criteria to the lesson. For a practical lesson we use PAVE
to remind us of these criteria. As part of your lesson Planning & Preparation you should
use the Lesson Checklists used on the IFC to ensure that the Essential Criteria are
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present. If they are and the lesson is effective then the minimum grade that can be
achieved will be a Pass.

After the Exam

Results
Following the completion of the Examination by the candidates there will be an Examiners
meeting where the Senior Examiner on the event discusses and agrees the marks to be
awarded and a supporting comment. The Examiner prepares a detailed written comment
for each candidate. Any concerns are discussed with reference to the Essential Criteria
and marks revised accordingly. The Senior Examiner is then responsible for producing a
consolidated report for the event and for each candidate. The Senior Examiner is allowed
2 weeks to return the results to BSAC HQ. The results then need to be approved by the
Chief Examiner and a further week is allowed for this. Finally once the finalised and
approved results are back at HQ the Central Bookings Administrator has a further week to
complete the administration and send out the results. Overall the process takes 4 weeks
though we aim to process results faster than this.
However if the simple Pass/Fail results can be returned to HQ within the 2 week period
candidates are able to phone HQ for these results though no discussion on reasons etc.
can be entered into until the report has been received by the candidate.
HQ staff are NOT authorised to give the results over the phone to anyone other than the
candidate themselves.

Each candidate will receive a written Assessment Sheet detailing their performance in the
examination against the Essential Criteria. If both elements of the TIE are successfully
completed the candidate will qualify for either a Theory Instructor or Open Water
Instructor Award. They will also be sent the relevant Logbook sticker stating their
Instructor number and in the case of OWI a cloth badge.

Appeals process
Should a candidate on the exam feel that their report does not truly reflect their
performance on the Essential Criteria they should make a formal appeal in writing to the
Chief Examiner with a copy to the ITS manager at BSAC HQ. Email:
owi.chief@bsac.com
itsman@bsac.com
Appeals are considered on their individual merit and are investigated thoroughly by
consultation with the Examiner and the Senior Examiner on the day.

What can I teach?

Successful completion of both elements of the TIE will result in the award of a Theory
Instructor qualification. This allows instructors to teach classroom and dry practical
lessons up to Dive Leader level without the need for supervision by an Open Water
Instructor.
A Theory Instructor will still require to be supervised by an OWI until they successfully
pass the Practical Instructor Exam (PIE).