Accessing qualifications
I am a GCSE or A level candidate and I think I need extra help in my examinations. Is this possible?
If you need extra help in your exams, you must talk to your teachers, or other adults who help you in class, about the access arrangements that are available.
Access arrangements must be approved before an exam or assessment. Their purpose is to allow attainment to be demonstrated, for example through use of a modified paper for a visually impaired candidate with a well-established history of need. A range of arrangements is available to assist candidates with different requirements in different exams, but without giving any candidate an unfair advantage or undermining the integrity of the examination.
Your centre should use the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) regulations to check which particular arrangements are available for you.
Although the JCQ regulations are updated every year, access arrangements authorised when you started your course will be available for your exams.
What is special consideration?
Awarding bodies have procedures for centres to request special consideration for candidates. Centres can request special consideration for candidates who were absent from an examination or disadvantaged as a result of a temporary illness, injury, indisposition or other unforeseen circumstances immediately before or during the examination period, and for candidates for whom access arrangements were approved but not implemented on the day of the exam.
Special consideration only allows for relatively minor adjustment to a candidate's mark, of up to five per cent of the maximum mark for the question paper. The maximum adjustment is reserved for exceptional cases, for example candidates disadvantaged by a recent death of an immediate family member. Most adjustments for special consideration are smaller, for example two per cent of the maximum available mark for candidates with minor illnesses on the day of the examination.
To apply for special consideration, please contact your centre directly.
What access arrangements are available?
Access arrangements are adjustments that can be made to examination or test conditions so that all candidates have the same chance of success. Some access arrangements can be organised internally by schools and centres. Others need to be applied for in advance. The main access arrangements that schools and centres can apply for to use in general qualifications are:
- early opening (for example when papers need to be modified by the school)
- additional time (up to 25 per cent of the total examination time)
- reader (someone to read from the examination papers)
- scribe (someone to write answers)
- special consideration (for when an outside event or circumstance affects the performance of the candidate).
Further information is available on the access arrangements pages of the Joint Council for Qualifications (opens in new window) website.
Where can I find information about making access arrangements?
Information about access arrangements for general qualifications can be found in the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) document, Regulations and guidance relating to candidates who are eligible for adjustments in examinations. These access arrangements are applicable to GCE AS/A level, AEA, VCE, GCSE, GNVQ, entry level and key skills qualifications.
This document is attached to this FAQ. The forms needed to apply for the relevant access arrangements are available on the JCQ website (opens in new window).
For some access arrangements, centres are not required to apply to the awarding body for approval and are able to delegate access arrangements themselves, notifying the awarding body of the delegated arrangements they have made.
Centres can submit forms online for centre-delegated arrangements, using the awarding bodies' secure websites. These can be accessed below.
What is the centre access arrangements and modified papers tool?
The centre access arrangements and modified papers tool allows exams officers to make all centre-delegated access arrangements instantly and online, without having to wait for a decision from the awarding bodies. This tool automatically makes awarding bodies aware of the access arrangements given to each pupil. In addition, the tool allows centres to order their modified test papers. You must still record and document evidence supporting any access arrangements that you submit.
More information is available from the 'Centre access arrangements and modified papers' section of the NAA (website).
What access arrangements can I make online?
You can make all centre-delegated access arrangements online using the access arrangements and modified papers tool. These can include:
- up to 25 per cent extra time
- supervised rest breaks
- the use of a prompter
- the use of a bilingual dictionary
- a transcript with cover sheet.
What access arrangements cannot be made online?
You must still make awarding body-sanctioned access arrangements by submitting the appropriate JCQ form with supporting evidence to the relevant awarding body. You cannot make these arrangements online. These arrangements include:
- using a reader or reading software
- using a scribe or voice-activated software
- using a word processor
- a practical assistant
- more than 25 per cent extra time
- early opening of papers
- a coursework extension
- tactile diagrams for the visually impaired
- transcript of a tape recording for the hearing impaired in aural tests.
You can download the relevant forms and find out more about these access arrangements from the JCQ website.
How can I order modified papers for my centre to suit individual needs of pupils?
You can order modified papers for general qualifications exams to suit individual pupils' needs using the 'Centre access arrangements and modified papers' tool.
Examination papers can be modified to suit the individual needs of the pupil, although the most common types of modified papers include Braille or large print versions for the visually impaired.
Modified papers are individually prepared for candidates whose vision or hearing is impaired. Creating modified papers involves additional resources, so they must be ordered well in advance of each exam series
More information about requesting modified papers is available from the Centre access arrangements and modified papers section of the NAA website.