Exam access arrangements are adjustments approved before GCSEs, A-Levels and other qualifications, put in place for a candidate with a disability, learning difficulty or temporary injury, so that a persistent and significant difficulty does not leave them at a substantial disadvantage while the assessment stays fair. The school or college applies on the child's behalf, usually through the SENCo, and any arrangement approved has to match how the child already works day to day.
Some support, such as supervised rest breaks or a word processor, the centre can put in place itself. Others, including 25% extra time, a reader or a scribe, need an online application to the exam board first, backed by evidence from the classroom, support lessons and internal tests and mock examinations.
What are exam access arrangements?
They are adjustments approved before an assessment for a candidate with a disability, learning difficulty or temporary injury, governed by the JCQ regulations Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments, which the Joint Council for Qualifications updates for each academic year. The regulations apply across GCSEs, A-Levels and the other qualifications set by its member awarding bodies, including AQA, CCEA, OCR, Pearson and WJEC.
Their purpose is to remove barriers to assessment where possible, so that a persistent and significant difficulty does not place the candidate at a substantial disadvantage, whilst the integrity of the assessment is maintained. The SENCo must check that a proposed arrangement neither disadvantages nor advantages the candidate, and the centre, not the exam board, decides what is appropriate for each of its candidates.
What support is available for GCSEs and A-Levels?
Some forms of support the centre can put in place directly, without asking the exam board first. Others have to be approved through an online application before they can be used. Modified papers, including enlarged or braille versions, are also available where a candidate needs them.
- Supervised rest breaks (centre arranges directly)
- A word processor (centre arranges directly)
- Alternative rooming, such as a smaller room outside the main hall (centre arranges directly)
- Read aloud, including an exam reading pen, or a prompter (centre arranges directly)
- Coloured overlays, papers on coloured paper, or papers enlarged from A4 to A3 (centre arranges directly)
- Braille transcripts, a low vision aid or magnifier (centre arranges directly)
- Ear defenders, ear plugs, fidget toys, stress balls, squared paper or a desk timer (centre arranges directly)
- A sign language professional (centre arranges directly)
- 25% extra time (online application required)
- Extra time above 25% (online application required)
- A computer reader, reader, scribe or speech recognition technology (online application required)
- A practical assistant (online application required)
- A bilingual dictionary with 25% extra time, for listed qualifications (online application required)
- A mobile phone for medical purposes, or listening to music or white noise for a substantial impairment (online application required)
- Exemption, remote invigilation or timetable variation for a candidate with a disability (online application required)
Who decides, and how does a school apply?
The school or college decides, usually acting through its SENCo, and applies on the candidate's behalf; parents do not apply to the exam board directly. Applications are processed through the awarding bodies' Access Arrangements Online system, and the candidate must be told that their application will be processed through that system.
Whatever is agreed must reflect the candidate's normal way of working: the same support given in the classroom, in small groups for reading or writing, in support lessons, and in timed internal tests and mock examinations. Schools are asked to show that support already in use, because an arrangement that only appears on exam day would not reflect how the candidate actually works.
What evidence does 25% extra time need?
Two routes exist. The first applies where a candidate already holds a current Education, Health and Care Plan in England, a current Statement of special educational needs in Northern Ireland, or a current Individual Development Plan in Wales, confirming the disability and supplemented by the required evidence from the centre. The second applies where no such plan exists: a fully completed JCQ Form 8, with the assessment in Part 2 carried out no earlier than the start of Year 9, confirming a learning difficulty.
Part 1 of Form 8 records the candidate's current difficulties in the classroom, in timed internal tests or mock examinations, teacher feedback, and their normal way of working before the assessment takes place. Part 2 must confirm at least two below-average standardised scores of 84 or less, or one below-average score of 84 or less together with one low-average score of 85 to 89; the two scores must relate to two different areas of speed of working, such as speed of reading, speed of writing, cognitive processing or fluency, so the arrangement does not give an unfair advantage.
Except for GCSE resits, the application must also be supported by a sample of internal school tests or mock papers across relevant subjects, showing the extra time already in use, together with comments from teaching staff on why the candidate needs it and how they use it. Where the difficulty is an impairment other than a learning difficulty, or relates to anxiety or attention, the SENCo should consider supervised rest breaks before applying for 25% extra time, since breaks may be more effective.
Why can't a privately commissioned assessment be used?
A privately commissioned assessment, carried out without the centre's involvement, cannot be used to award 25% extra time or any other arrangement, and cannot be submitted as part of an online application. The evidence has to come from within the process the centre runs, using Form 8 or an existing plan, so the SENCo can check it against the candidate's normal way of working before applying.
What happens with more than 25% extra time?
More than 25% extra time needs a strong justification, including a substantial body of centre-based evidence, and it must be applied for online in the same way as 25% extra time and the other arrangements requiring approval. The SENCo builds this case from the same kinds of classroom, internal test and mock exam evidence used to support the standard rate, showing why 25% is not enough for that candidate.
What can parents do, and when should they start?
Parents cannot apply to the exam board directly, so the first step is a conversation with the SENCo about how the child's needs show up day to day. Asking how those needs are reflected in classroom work, in small-group reading or writing support, and in timed internal tests and mock examinations helps build the case, since any arrangement approved must match the child's normal way of working. Starting early matters because the evidence required, particularly the internal test and mock exam record behind 25% extra time, has to be built up over time; it cannot be produced at the last minute.
How is this different from special consideration?
Special consideration is a separate, post-exam process: it adjusts marks or grades for a candidate affected by temporary illness, injury or other circumstances at the time of the assessment itself. Extra time, readers, scribes, rest breaks and the other forms of support covered above are agreed and approved before the exam, on evidence of a persistent and significant difficulty; they cannot be arranged afterwards in response to what happened on the day.
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Frequently asked questions
- Does a dyslexia diagnosis automatically qualify my child for extra time?
- No. A diagnosis on its own does not entitle a candidate to extra time or any other arrangement; the SENCo's decision turns on evidence of need and the candidate's normal way of working, shown through classroom performance, timed internal tests and mock examinations. The application has to rest on the centre-based evidence, and where relevant the plan or standardised scores, required for 25% extra time; it cannot stand alone.
- What if my child is diagnosed with a disability after their course has already started?
- Where a disability is diagnosed after the course has started, or a candidate has a temporary injury or impairment, the school or college should apply for the appropriate arrangement as soon as practicable, avoiding delay. The same evidence requirements apply; the SENCo builds the case, including whatever classroom and mock exam evidence is available, over the time remaining before the assessment.
- Can a sixth form or further education college arrange support, as well as a school?
- Yes. The same JCQ framework applies in further education, where the role the SENCo plays in a school is carried out by an equivalent member of staff in the college. That person applies through the same online system and is bound by the same requirement to show the arrangement reflects the candidate's normal way of working.
- What qualifications does an assessor need to carry out a Form 8 assessment?
- An assessor carrying out a Form 8 assessment must have completed a postgraduate course at, or equivalent to, Level 7, including at least 100 hours relating to individual specialist assessment. The assessment has to be carried out with the centre's involvement, so parents should arrange it through the SENCo.
- Is there a deadline for applying for extra time and other arrangements?
- Application deadlines are published for each exam series, and the school's exams office works to them; a late application still needs evidence of need to the same standard. Every arrangement must be approved before the examination or assessment takes place. Starting the conversation with the SENCo well ahead of the exam series gives time to build that evidence properly.
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