A qualification is only worth what its examination is worth. The Court’s European chapter, which also covers Africa, Oceania and Asia, sets out in public exactly how it protects its examinations, for candidates, employers and the trade press alike.
This article explains how the examinations are protected, the rules candidates follow during a course or examination, and how a candidate can raise a concern.
01Protecting the papers and the wines
The blind-tasting and theory examinations are protected by a chain of custody. It starts with the wines and ends with the results:
- 1Two people knowThe wine selections are known only to a limited group of two people before the exam.
- 2An hour beforeThe wines are not revealed to other examiners until an hour before the examination.
- 3Committees for the papersCommittees cover the theory and practical papers, all under a confidentiality protocol.
- 4Review before resultsA credible report of a breach triggers an immediate, independent review before results are confirmed.
02The people who examine
The European chapter is an independently governed educational and examining body, in the lineage of the world’s first Master Sommelier examination, held in London in 1969. A board of Master Sommeliers leads it and oversees its academic and examination standards. Its members serve fixed, published terms and are listed by name on the Court’s website.
Everyone who teaches or examines is bound by a code of conduct. It prohibits any exchange of confidential examination material, in any form, before or during an examination, and it requires anyone examining a candidate they have personally taught, mentored, or have a financial relationship with to declare the conflict. A disciplinary committee of people who are not board members oversees any issues arising from conduct.
