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Module B: Railway safety and systems engineering

Exam support resources - Railway safety and systems engineering (module B)

Module B builds on the broad understanding of module A and assesses, in more depth, your understanding of the principles and practices associated with the safety and systems engineering of railway train control and telecommunications systems. It also includes the competence of those who work on such systems. The practices explored in this module apply both to the development and proving of railway principles and their application within a particular scheme.

This paper combines the previously available modules of safety of railway signalling and communications (module 1) and systems, management and engineering (module 7). These were available until October 2020.

This module is a compulsory module for the Advanced Diploma in Railway Control Engineering (also known as the IRSE Professional Examination). If you have passed at least one of the previously available modules (modules 1-7), then use the online checker tool to see whether you are exempt from passing this module.

To sit module B, you must have previously passed an IRSE exam module and be an IRSE member.

Syllabus

The syllabus for railway safety and systems engineering (module B) can be downloaded here and is also in the document library below (visible to logged in IRSE members only).

Closed book exams

All IRSE exams are closed book, which means that candidates should not have anything open in their exam environment which could assist them in their exam. This includes, but is not limited to, having social media and other apps / programmes open on their computer, having study guides and information open and communicating with other candidates.

All exam candidates will be monitored by remote invigilation software and answers for modules B, C and D will be reviewed by anti-plagiarism software.

Latest exam paper

The October 2023 paper can be downloaded here, and is within the document library below (visible for logged in IRSE members only).

Study materials

Logged in IRSE members can download support materials for railway safety and systems engineering (module B) of the exam from the document library at the bottom of this page.

Study videos are also available for members and non-members on IRSE's Vimeo channel via https://vimeo.com/showcase/study - please note that some of these videos are based on previously available modules, so look for videos about modules 1 and 7.

UPDATE: a new study guide from combined previously published study guides is in the document library below (visible for logged in IRSE members only).

As study materials are only available to IRSE members, please ensure that you apply for your membership to give you sufficient time to prepare for your exam.

Preparation advice

Read John Alexander's article in IRSE News February 2021 and watch Andy Stringer's IRSE 10/// Talk on panic in the exam room

Prerequisites

To apply to sit railway safety and systems engineering (module B) of the exam, you must:

be a member of the IRSE with your subscription payments up to date, and
have passed one or more exam module(s)

As study materials are only available to IRSE members, please ensure that you apply for your membership to give you sufficient time to prepare for your exam.

How and when to book

Module B can be sat only once a year, in early October.

Bookings for the October exam normally open in the May / June and close at the end of July.

Candidate guides (in the document library below) will give further details.

For 2024, the next exam will be on Saturday 5 October - please keep an eye on social media for booking links

Location of exam

There will be no exam centres in 2023, with all exam candidates sitting the exam at a suitable location for them. Candidates will need a computer or laptop and a reliable internet connection which can access the exam website and software. Candidates will be given access to practice sessions to ensure that this works for them (see terms and conditions in document library below).

Candidates are reminded that all IRSE exams are closed book exams and that they will be monitored by remote invigilation and anti-plagiarism software.

Feedback from the IRSE Younger Members' Section Exam Review on 20 March 2024:

For Certificate candidates
- Revise the areas you don't know about
- Don't think about the question too deeply
- If you are stuck, move onto the next question(s), and if you have time come back to that question(s)
For Modules B, C and D
- Read the question
- Answer the question, not just what you know about the subject
- State your assumptions at the beginning of each of your answers
- Practice handwriting answers, if that is how you are going to answer
- Some answers have been too brief - note the number of marks for each part of the question, and note the use of words in the question such as 'describe', 'explain' and 'discuss'

The video of the session will be available on the IRSE study Vimeo channel soon - https://vimeo.com/showcase/study and the slide deck is available here - October 2023 exam review (March 2024)

Looking for help for your exam studies? Watch the study videos collated by IRSE Younger Members' Section on our Vimeo study channel at https://vimeo.com/showcase/study

Have you passed at least one numbered module already? Use our checker tool to work out which module(s) you need to pass to complete your Advanced Diploma in Railway Control Engineering