Our Specialist Approch
Access Arrangements
Access arrangements are reasonable adjustments made for a candidate with specific needs to access the examination/assessment and to demonstrate their knowledge, without changing the demands of the examination/assessment. Access arrangements are regulated by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), are based on evidence of need and must reflect the student’s normal way of working in the centre.
Following formal assessment by our Academic Assessors, students may be entitled to support during examinations/assessments. Access arrangements are agreed beforehand, and students are routinely assessed from the beginning of Year 10. Arrangements put in place apply to GCSE, GCE, BTEC and other Level 2/Level 3 examinations/assessments – both onscreen and written.
Facilitators of access arrangements are required to follow strict rules. Failure to do so could lead to the disqualification of the candidate. Facilitators are not able to guide a candidate through his exam paper. It is the candidate’s responsibility to direct the exam and to instruct his facilitator.
Click on the headers below to learn more about the following access arrangements:
Reader
- May read the instructions of the question paper and the questions to the candidate. This may involve reading the whole paper or the candidate may request only some words to be read.
- May read back, when requested, what the candidate has written without any emphasis on any errors.
- Must only read the instructions of the question paper and questions and must not explain or clarify the questions or any vocabulary.
- Must not advise the candidate regarding which questions to do, when to move onto the next question, nor the order in which questions should be answered.
Please note: GCSE English Language only – for candidates with entitlement for a Reader, a human reader is not permitted. Candidates can, however, opt to use a Computer Reader or Reading Pen – for which they will be assessed and can practise in the Learning Development Centre (LDC) and English lessons.
Scribe
- Must type or write accurately, and at a reasonable speed, what the candidate has said.
- Candidates are expected to dictate punctuation and grammar, indicating when headings and new paragraphs are required. Where a Scribe is used in an examination assessing spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPAG), marks can only be awarded if the candidate can demonstrate that they have carried out the skills being assessed.
- Must not give factual help to the candidate or indicate when the answer is complete.
- Must not advise the candidate on which questions to do, when to move on to the next question, or the order in which questions should be answered.
- Must immediately refer any problems in communication during the examination to the invigilator or Exams Officer.
- May, at the candidate’s request, read back what has been recorded.
Word Processor
Word Processors (WP) must be a candidate’s normal way of working in school and cannot simply be granted to a candidate because he wants to type rather than write, can type faster on a keyboard or because he uses a laptop at home.
- Centres are allowed to provide a WP with predictive text, spellcheck and grammar DISABLED to candidates where it reflects his normal way of working at school.
- A WP with predictive text, spellcheck and grammar ENABLED is available where a candidate has entitlement to a Scribe, and it reflects his normal way of working at school.
Please note:
- Students using a Scribe can access some marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPAG) if they dictate their punctuation and grammar.
- Candidates using a WP with predictive text, spellcheck and grammar enabled are not entitled to marks for SPAG.
- A JCQ scribe coversheet is attached to scripts indicating what was dictated, or which facilities were available on the WP.
Prompter
- A Prompter may be permitted where a candidate has a substantial and long-term distractibility or significant difficulty in concentrating.
- The Prompter can help to keep them focused on the need to answer a question.
- The Prompter is usually the Invigilator, although if the candidate has a Reader and/or Scribe, they can also act as the prompter.
Extra Time
Extra time is permitted for slow rate of information processing and slower than average rate of written output.
We are inspected annually and must produce evidence of need together with approval documentation. The school is not able to grant access arrangements without adhering to the strict regulations set out by JCQ.