Reasonable adjustments and special consideration
Assessment should measure what you know, not how easily you can sit it in the way it was designed. If a disability, a learning difficulty, or something happening in your life would put you at an unfair disadvantage, there are two formal routes to put that right. Neither is a favour, and neither is unusual.
You do not have to be enrolled to ask
The duty applies from the point of first contact. If you have applied, or you are only enquiring about applying, you are covered in exactly the same way as somebody already studying with us. You can ask before you pay us anything.
What a reasonable adjustment is
A reasonable adjustment changes how an assessment is delivered or submitted, so that you can access it on equal terms. It does not change the standard you are assessed against, and it cannot give anyone an unfair advantage or compromise the integrity of the assessment.
Because everything here is delivered online, the adjustments that come up most often are:
- Additional time on timed online assessments
- Screen-reading software or text-to-speech tools
- Submitting in a different format, for example an audio recording rather than written text
- Adjusted font size or colour contrast in the assessment platform
- More frequent short breaks during longer assessments
- A spellchecker, for learners with dyslexia, where the qualification specification permits it
That last one carries a genuine limit. Some qualifications assess spelling directly, and where the specification says so, a spellchecker cannot be allowed. We would rather tell you that now than after you have applied.
How to ask for one
If you have already started, the Reasonable Adjustments Request Form is on the VLE.
If you have not enrolled yet, or you would rather not wait, use the reasonable adjustment request form. It does not ask for a registration number, because you may not have one.
If a form is the wrong way for you, say so. Khadija Khan is our Access Arrangements Coordinator, and she will complete it with you over the telephone or by email. Reach her on +44 207 0990 956 or through the contact page. Asking a person rather than filling in a form is not a lesser way of doing this.
You will be asked for evidence of the need, such as an educational psychologist's report, a letter from a medical professional, or a confirmed diagnosis.
What happens next: the Coordinator assesses the request, records an approved adjustment on JCQ Form VQ/IA, and tells your assessor and internal quality assurer. A small number of adjustments need NCFE's approval first, and the Examinations Officer arranges that.
If your device or connection is the problem
Every assessment platform is tested for compatibility with assistive technology before we adopt it. If your main device will not work with a platform we require, we look for another way for you to access it.
Persistent internet disruption during a controlled assessment is not treated as your fault. It is grounds for special consideration.
Special consideration, which is different
A reasonable adjustment is arranged before an assessment. Special consideration is applied afterwards, when something outside your control affected how you performed on the day.
Grounds include recent bereavement or serious illness, a physical injury affecting your ability to complete the assessment, a significant technical failure such as an internet outage or platform crash during a timed assessment, and extreme personal or domestic circumstances.
Tell us as soon as you can after the assessment. The Special Consideration Application Form is on the VLE, and the section for it is also on the public request form, which needs no registration number and no login.
That second route exists for a specific reason. A platform crash or an internet outage during a timed assessment is itself grounds for special consideration, and if the VLE is what failed you, a form inside the VLE is no use to you. Use whichever you can reach.
Send evidence where you can reasonably obtain it, and tell us if you cannot rather than delaying the request. We submit the application to NCFE under JCQ procedures.
What we do with what you tell us
Applications, approvals and outcomes are recorded on your learner record and are available to our internal quality assurer and to NCFE's external quality assurer. Records are kept for at least three years.
The standards we work to
This operates in compliance with NCFE's Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments Policy and the JCQ guide to the special consideration process. The full policy is DAIS-POL-012, in our policy library, and it is the authority if anything here differs from it.