Special Consideration
Please us this form to notify us of any adverse circumstances affecting a student at the time of an exam. We expect this form to be completed by a parent, but students may do so.
Special Consideration in Exams
Mock Exams
We will keep records of special consideration requests, but no formal action will be taken unless the government requires schools to implement their contingency plans for the national cancellation of exams.
Public Exams
We will notify exam boards of the circumstances, provided the request falls within the remit of the special consideration process.
You can find details of how special consideration is used in public exams on the JCQ website.
What is special consideration?
Special consideration is given to a candidate who has temporarily experienced illness, injury or some other event outside their control at the time of the assessment. It is applied when the issue or event has had, or is reasonably likely to have had, a material effect on a candidate’s ability to take an assessment or demonstrate his or her normal level of attainment in an assessment.
Special consideration can go some way to assist a candidate affected by a potentially wide range of difficulties, emotional or physical, which may influence performance in their examinations. It cannot remove the difficulty faced by the candidate. This means that there will be some situations where candidates should not be entered for an examination. This is because only minor adjustments can be made to the mark awarded. To make larger adjustments would jeopardise the standard of the examination.
There are minimum requirements for enhanced grading in cases of acceptable absence.
All examinations measure what a candidate knows and can do. The overall grade(s) awarded must reflect the level of attainment demonstrated in the examination(s). The grades awarded do not necessarily reflect the candidate’s true level of ability if attainment has been considerably affected over a long period of time.
Where long term circumstances have prevented the candidate from reaching the competence standards, it may not be possible to make an adjustment.
What is special consideration not appropriate for?
If your child has a long-term medical condition or is affected by other circumstances over a period of time, special consideration cannot take account of the impact.
You should contact the relevant Head of Year who can discuss appropriate measures we can put in place.
There is no special consideration for circumstances affecting a student’s revision.