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1. What are Alternative Exam Arrangements?
As part of its commitment to equal opportunities, the University believes that assessment methods should, as well as being appropriate to the academic objectives of the course, minimise the impact of a student's disability on performance in assessment. This means that some students may require adjustments to examination arrangements.
Examples of alternative arrangements are:
time and space related
- Flexible timetabling
- Extra time allowances
- Rest breaks
- Alternative examination location
modification of examination papers
- Exam papers in Braille or large print
- Modifying language used in exam questions
- Exam on coloured paper
use of personnel
- Sign Language Interpreter
- Amanuensis (Scribe)
- Reader
- Personal Care Assistant
use of specialist equipment
- Use of a computer or assistive software
- Electronic spellchecker (eg Franklin Word Master)
- Ergonomic furniture
- Lighting
- Coloured Filters
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2. Who is entitled to alternative exam arrangements?
| Any student who is unable to be examined by the standard arrangements due to additional support requirements arising from a physical or sensory impairment, medical or mental health condition, a specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia/dyspraxia) or any temporary disability/illness (such as a broken arm) is entitled to receive alternative arrangements. A request for alternative exam arrangements must be supported by medical evidence, for example a letter from a GP, special circumstances form, or an educational psychologist’s report. |
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3. How are alternative exam arrangements determined?
No arrangements can be made until the student has provided medical evidence of their disability, medical condition, or Specific Learning Difficulty from an appropriate source. Once confirmation is received, the student can discuss with their Disability Adviser at DDSS what examination support might be beneficial or that they have had previously. The type of support which is recommended is dependant on the individual needs of the student.
Students who are eligible to receive DSA support will discuss alternative arrangements for examinations during the Study Skills Assessment; additional support needs may be identified at this point. Those students who are not eligible for DSA support, or where support is appropriate prior to a Study Skills Assessment, will work with a Disability Adviser to discuss appropriate exam support which might be available to the student.
In some cases (particularly temporary disabilities), a student may be recommended alternative exam arrangements by University Health Service or University Counselling Service, the arrangements are recommended to the Exams Office by our colleagues in those departments rather than via DDSS. |
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4. How are alternative exam arrangements arranged?
If a student requires alternative examination arrangements, they are encouraged to contact staff in Disability and Dyslexia Support Service (DDSS) as soon as possible so support can be arranged. No arrangements can be made without contacting the DDSS or without providing medical evidence.
Once appropriate alternative exam arrangements are discussed with the student, DDSS makes a request to the Exams Office for these arrangements to be put in place. The Exams Office are responsible for organising the arrangements (including any specialist equipment) and timetabling appropriate changes to location/timings where required. Unless otherwise stated or requested, alternative exam arrangements will be in place for each exam period for the duration of the student’s course.
If a student requires any amendments to their examination arrangements then they should contact DDSS as soon as possible.
Nb. In some cases (particularly temporary disabilities), a student may be recommended alternative exam arrangements by University Health Service or University Counselling Service, the arrangements are recommended to the Exams Office by our colleagues in those departments rather than via DDSS.
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| When arrangements are made through the Disability and Dyslexia Support Service, the exam memo which is sent to the Examinations Office is forwarded (by email) to the departmental or course exams officer when a student has consented to information being shared with their department. The Departmental Disability Liaison Officer and other members of an academic department may be made aware of arrangements for exams via the Learning Support Questionnaire or a Learning Support Plan. |
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6. How do students receive details of alternative exam arrangements?
| After the initial recommendations are made by DDSS, the Exams Office is responsible for making arrangements to ensure the recommendations are in place. The Examinations Office will email students who are to receive alternative exam arrangements at least 2 weeks prior to the start of each exam period with details of the arrangements and any alternations to the Final Examinations Timetable which may affect the student because of the alternative arrangements. If a student has not heard from the Exams Office regarding alternative arrangements, they should contact the Exams Office in the first instance. |
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7. Do alternative exam arrangements give students an unfair advantage?
| No. On the contrary, alternative exam arrangements are designed to ensure that students are not disadvantaged as a result of a disability or specific learning difficulty. Such adjustments to assessment conditions are solely aimed at minimising the impact of any impairment on an individual’s performance. |
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8. What about Professional Requirements?
Professional requirements are applicable only to students working within subjects which will lead to professional accreditation, and are standards applied to determine whether a student is performing at a level commensurate with working in his/her profession. It is generally possible for adjustments to be made to the means of assessing these professional requirements so as to allow a disabled student to prove his/her competence – an example of this would be granting a student with dyslexia extra time in a written examination.
However, a distinction must be made between a professional requirement and a competence standard. A competence standard is ‘an academic, medical or other standard applied by or on behalf of an education provider for the purposes of determining whether or not a person has a particular level of competence or ability.’
Whilst generally the means of assessing a competence standard can be altered to accommodate the requirements of individuals with disabilities or specific learning difficulties, in some instances – particularly in the case of courses which result in clinical qualifications – it may be that the actual means of assessment is a competence standard in itself, meaning that no alterations can be made to it. An example of this is presented by the clinical element of some assessments on the Medicine degree, where a student must be able to take certain practical tests in order to prove that s/he has the ability to perform tasks which will be inherent to the professional role s/he is training to undertake. Whilst adjustments can still be made to accommodate individuals with SpLDs or disabilities in such situations (through allowing the use of assistive software, for example), the adjustments which can be made are likely to be much more limited.
Information about the legal duty to ensure that the way in which competency standards are assessed is extensively covered in the document produced by the General Medical Council
‘Gateways to the Profession’. Whilst this document covers advice to medical schools on encouraging disabled students, it contains information for consideration for many other professions regarding the assessment of competency standards for students with disabilities. |
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9. What happens for coursework?
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Deadline extension requests from disabled students should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
It is likely that a disabled student will have accessed support through the DDSS and that information and recommendations relating to his/her individual support requirements will have been shared with the academic department's Disability Liaison Officer. The member of staff in charge of deciding whether a deadline extension is to be permitted should ensure that s/he has taken any such information into account.
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