How we can help?
At St. Albans Maths Tutor, we provide professional assessments conducted by a Level 7 JCQ-qualified assessor. We can evaluate your eligibility for exam access arrangements and support you in securing additional time or other accommodations for your examinations. Each application is assessed individually, and arrangements may vary depending on the exam.
Contact us today for further details or to make an appointment.
What are access arrangements?
Access arrangements or exam concessions are special arrangements that can be applied for and allow candidates with special educational needs, physical disabilities or mental disabilities such as anxiety and stress to access public examinations.
Access arrangements are reasonable adjustments, as defined by the Equality Act (2010), and are specific to the individual candidate. They enable a level playing field to be provided, by overcoming a potential substantial disadvantage when they are applied.
Access arrangements must be based upon identified need and normal way of working. For instance, if a candidate normally has a break after 30 minutes because they have concentration difficulties, this is their normal way of working and an application for a supervised rest break can be made based upon need.
Who is eligible for access arrangements?
Anyone with a special educational need or disability may be eligible for access arrangements in public exams. They can also be considered for candidates with temporary injury. The JCQ outlines 4 areas of need, including:
- Cognition and Learning:
- Including, Specific learning difficulties such as: dyslexia and dyspraxia,
- candidates must be assessed by a specialist assessor who is level 7 qualified
- Communication and Communication Need:
- including candidates with autism
- including candidates with speech and language needs
- Candidates must be assessed by a speech and language therapist, clinical specialist or specialist assessor
- Any difficulty must be within the candidates first language
- Sensory and/or Physical Needs:
- Including candidates with visual impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or other sensory need
- Including candidates with physical disability, such as cerebral palsy Candidates must be assessed by a specialist clinician, such as a physiotherapist, occupational therapist or other clinician
- Candidates must be assessed by a specialist teacher for VI and/or HI where there are sensory needs
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs:
- Including candidates with ADHD/ADD and anxiety-related conditions
- Candidates must be assessed by a specialist clinician, such as a neurodevelopmental paediatrician or clinical psychiatrist
Can a candidate have an exam concession without a diagnosis?
The short answer is yes. A candidate does not necessarily have to have a diagnosed learning difficulty to be allowed an access arrangement. However, there must be evidence of need and normal way of working, in addition to other criteria, such as below average performance (below standard score of 85) in certain skills.
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