About

Exam access arrangements are ‘reasonable adjustments’ for students who have a disability or special educational need that significantly affects them in exams. Learners who may need access arrangements fall broadly into three categories:

• Those with a permanent or long-term medical condition, disability or learning difficulty.
• Those who have a temporary injury that arises at the time of the exam.
• Those who have English as an additional language.

The underlying rationale for exam access arrangements is very clear. They exist to provide reasonable adjustments to allow equality of access to assessment in education. They aim to allow students the opportunity to ‘show what they know and can do without changing the demands of the assessment’.

Exam access arrangements

• Do not change the skills or knowledge being tested
• Must not give an unfair advantage, but do give a level playing field so students can show their knowledge

There are a variety of access arrangements that can be provided, including:

• Support for reading (for example, a reader, text to speech software, a reading pen)
• Support for writing (for example a scribe, speech to text software, a word processor)
• Support for working to time (for example 25% extra time, rest breaks)

Any arrangements that are used in exams are based on the normal way of working in the classroom and in tests and exams. Wherever possible, access arrangements that help a student to work independently are encouraged.

Evidence is needed for some access arrangements and these need to be applied for and approved before they can be used in external exams. This sometimes means that testing needs to be carried out. Schools and colleges must follow strict rules when testing so that the scores can be used as evidence for access arrangements. These assessments might check things like how fast they can read or write, how accurately they can spell, or how quickly they process information. Any added support provided in tests must be part of the pupil’s normal way of working, and schools are expected to be able to provide evidence for this.

It is important to note that access arrangements must be set up well in advance of the exam, and in most cases (unless exceptional circumstances) cannot be suddenly implemented on the day of the test.  We recommend you talk to your Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) at least 12 months in advance so arrangements can be made.

It is also important to note that assessments that have been carried out without prior contact with the school or college (such as a private dyslexia report) cannot be used for access arrangements.  If you are considering a private assessment, please discuss with your school or college in advance to make sure that it meets any requirements.

Access arrangements need to be considered on an individual basis, subject-by-subject. As subjects and their methods of assessment vary, leading to different demands of the student, they may not require the same arrangement across all their exams. For example, a student may need to use a word processor in exams that require extended writing, while this may not be a helpful arrangement for a maths paper.

Access arrangements and SATs

Standard Assessment Tasks (SATs) take place at the end of year 2 (Key stage 1 assessment) and year 6 (Key stage 2 assessment)..

Key stage 1 assessments are flexible, so the child’s documented normal way of working is the only evidence needed for any special arrangements. The school does not have to put in a formal application.

For Key stage 2 assessments, the school can provide similar access arrangements as for public exams. Some access arrangements, like extra time, early opening, or compensatory marks, need to be applied for in advance. You do not need reports from professionals. Students with statements or EHC plans automatically get up to 25% more time.

Other arrangements like scribes, word processors, or other technical aids do not need an application, but schools have to let the Standards Testing Agency know after the tests are done. Some arrangements like readers, prompters, or rest breaks do not need an application or notification.

Access arrangements and GCSEs 

For General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSEs), access arrangements need to be in place from the beginning of the courses. What happens next, depends on what kind of arrangement your child needs:

• If they need extra time or someone to write for them, they will need to have a proper assessment. This will be done by a specialist assessor, either someone on the school staff who has the right qualifications (this could be the SENCO), or someone from outside the school that the school hires to do it.
• If the assessment shows that your child qualifies for the special help, then the school will make an online application to the Joint Council for Qualifications. There are deadlines for when the applications have to be in. For GCSEs taken in June, the usual deadline is in February.
• For other special help, like supervised breaks, or having someone read to them, or having a laptop, the school can decide to do that on their own without having a formal assessment or making an application. They must still reflect the student’s normal way of working.

Every year, the Joint Council for Qualifications publishes a document called “Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments”, which explains the rules in detail.

Moving on from GCSE to GCE study 

Approval for access arrangements does not automatically pass from General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) to General Certificate of Education (GCE) exams. When a student progresses to A-levels, processes are in place to make sure that the access arrangements remain appropriate for the candidate at the new level of study.

Applying for access arrangements 

Access arrangements will ideally be put in place as early as possible for the student so that they have plenty of opportunity to practice using the arrangements and they become their ‘normal way of working’ throughout the course. For arrangements that require approval from the exam boards, deadlines are published by which time applications must be made for candidates taking exams in the next series.

When a school has found that a pupil might need exam access arrangements, or been made aware of a possible need, they will start to gather the evidence of this need from teachers, other staff members, parents, the pupil and any other relevant external professionals (such as Occupational Therapist).

If you believe your child may need exam access arrangements, you should speak to the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). It would be useful to show them evidence of why you believe your child may be eligible for access arrangements, for instance, letting the school know that they had received some exam help in the past – for example KS2 SATs.

Any reports or documents that show your child’s special educational needs and suggest they may need more support are crucial forms of supporting evidence.