Exam Access Arrangements

At NCC we are committed to creating a level playing field for our assessments and exams so that all our students have an equal opportunity to succeed.

The purpose of EAA is to ensure that potential barriers to assessment are removed preventing substantial disadvantage for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, including disabled or neurodivergent students, or those with a temporary injury.

A key principle of EAA is that they form part of the access arrangements provided to the individual which determines a student’s ‘normal way of working’. EAA cannot suddenly be granted at the time of the examination; they must reflect how the individual normally works unless the student has a temporary injury/illness.

This page provides information and advice relating to EAA in public exams, including: GCSE, A Level, T Levels, BTEC Diploma, City and Guilds at Level 2 and Level 3, AQA, Essential Skills, NCFE and Functional Skills.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below you will find some frequently asked questions and answers related to EAA applications.

What are EAA?

An awarding body (exam board) might approve EAA if you are unable to sit formal exams under standard examination conditions because you are disabled or neurodivergent. EAA are designed to remove barriers to assessment to prevent you being disadvantaged because of a difficulty accessing standard exams. EAA allow you to access the exam and demonstrate your knowledge and abilities without compromising the integrity of the assessment. EAA must not provide an unfair advantage and therefore EAA applications must be based upon a rigorous evaluation of need and are heavily regulated by the Joint Council of Qualifications (JCQ) and the awarding bodies themselves.
What is the Joint Council of Qualifications (JCQ)?

The Joint Council of Qualifications (JCQ) are the regulatory body who regulate most of the awarding bodies in external examinations. They publish regulations regarding EAA, which are updated annually by September of each year. Their regulations are mandatory for all colleges and must be followed. JCQ Inspectors will inspect the college every year to ensure compliance with regulation. For further information please go to: JCQ Access Arrangements.
What are the common types of EAA?

There are a range of EAAs including:

• Extra time

• Computer reader / human reader

• Read aloud and / or the use of an examination reading pen

• Word processor

• Scribe / speech recognition technology

• Prompter

• Modified papers

• Coloured / enlarged paper

• Braille transcript

• Language Modifier

• Separate invigilation / alternative room

• Modified materials

• Sign Language Professional / Communication Support Worker

• Practical Assistant

• Bilingual dictionary

• Access to a mobile phone for medical purposes

• Supervised rest breaks

• Listening to music / white noise due to a substantial impairment

• Assistive technology and / or equipment.
Who can apply for EAA?

EAA are available if you have a special educational need, are disabled or neurodivergent, also if you have a temporary injury. For EAA to be put in place your support need must be persistent (long-term / lasting or likely to last 12 months or more), significant (substantial / more than minor or trivial) and impact negatively on your ability to carry out normal daily activities including reading and writing.

This includes one or more of the following support needs:

• learning difficulty – for example, specific learning differences (SpLD), dyslexia, dyspraxia or another neurodiverse condition;

• medical condition – for example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), Tourette’s, diabetes or epilepsy;

• physical disability – for example, a wheelchair user;

• sensory loss – for example, sight loss, blindness or hearing loss, deafness; and

• temporary injury – for example, a broken arm before an exam.

Your eligibility depends on evidence of your support need and your ‘normal way of working’ in class and when studying at home. For example, if you typically take breaks during lessons and when studying at home due to concentration and attention difficulties, you might qualify for rest breaks during your exams.
How do I apply for EAA?

You need to discuss this with your teacher and attend an EAA assessment. Please follow the six simple steps below.

Step 1. Tell your teacher if you have received EAA in the past or have experienced difficulty accessing standard exams.

Step 2. If applying for 25% extra time, you will need to work with your teacher to produce a sample of work.

Step 3. Check your ProPortal account for an important appointment / EAA assessment that you need to attend.

Step 4. Attend your EAA assessment and take a copy of any previous diagnostic evidence by a medical consultant (not GP).

Step 5. Check your ProPortal account for the outcome of your EAA assessment.

Step 6. Use your EAA as your ‘normal way of working’ regularly in class and when studying at home.
When do I need to apply for EAA?

You should start the process of applying for any EAA required as soon as possible. You do this by asking your teacher to make an EAA referral at the start of the academic year and no later than week 4 of your course.
Why do I need to attend an EAA assessment at college?

The awarding bodies require that the college apply (or reapply) for EAA approval on your behalf. We will discuss your support needs with you and ensure that you receive useful EAA for the subject and level of study. We also gather evidence to apply to the awarding body on your behalf during your assessment. Each EAA application must be considered carefully for your current individual support needs and may vary from exam to exam. Some EAA applications are based on up-to-date evidence of your learning need including current scores from psychometric tests administered by a highly qualified SpLD Assessor. If this is the case for the EAA you require, you will need a full assessment in college so we can provide this evidence. If you already have medical evidence, we will gather all your evidence and discuss your current support needs with you at your assessment. You may not need to complete psychometric tests during assessment, but an Assessor will need to support any arrangements you require and apply to the JCQ or awarding body for approval.
How will my EAA be confirmed?

Once you have attended an EAA assessment you and your teachers will receive a comment/note to confirm your assessment outcome on your ProPortal account. After we have applied for your EAAs for your course and they have been approved by the awarding body and our Exams team your EAAs will appear on ProPortal again as fully approved and ready to be implemented during your exams. You will also receive an email at this stage. Remember to regularly check your college email and ProPortal accounts as this is where any important information and updates will be sent.
I have an Educational Psychologist report, do I still need to be assessed?

Yes, you need to attend an EAA assessment at college. The JCQ do not allow Educational Psychologist’s reports as evidence for EAA. You must be assessed by a highly qualified SpLD Assessor who can provide an up-to-date report of your support needs within college, even if you have a recent Educational Psychologist’s report. There is no automatic entitlement to EAA for a student with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, including disabled or neurodivergent students. Your EAA application must be made on an individual case basis and judged on its own merit. For some students a reasonable adjustment may not remove their barrier to assessment, whereas for another student it may enable them to demonstrate their abilities.
I have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and/or medical evidence, do I still need to be assessed?

Yes, you need to attend an EAA assessment at college. If you have an EHCP we will discuss your access arrangements with you. You may not need to complete psychometric tests during your assessment, but an Assessor will need to gather evidence of your support needs and your ‘normal way of working’ before an application can be made. Please bring your EHCP or other diagnostic evidence by a medical consultant (not GP) to your assessment. There is no automatic entitlement to EAA for a student with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, including disabled or neurodivergent students, or those with a temporary injury. Your EAA application has to be made on an individual case basis and judged on its own merit. For some students a reasonable adjustment may not remove their barrier to assessment, whereas for another student it may enable them to demonstrate their abilities.
I do not have a diagnosis, but I struggled to learn to read and write at school could I qualify for EAA?

Yes, it is not necessary to have a specific diagnosis to make an application for EAA, provided you are disabled, neurodivergent, or are experiencing persistent, significant difficulties accessing standard exams. We conduct full in-house EAA assessments at college that establish your eligibility for EAA. We gather your ‘normal way of working’ records and can also use psychometric tools to test cognitive skills to provide evidence of your support needs as required.
I received EAA at NCC last academic year, will I automatically receive the same EAA this year?

No, we are required to apply for approval from each awarding body and to reapply to the same awarding body for approval every 2 years. Also, if you had extra time during exams at college last year, your teacher will need to send us a sample of work before we can apply to the different awarding body for you to receive extra time again for your new course.
Why do you need evidence from my teachers?

The JCQ requires us to provide up-to-date evidence of your difficulties in college from a range of sources and for a particular subject. Therefore, we need your teachers to provide current evidence of your learning needs to support your EAA application.
What is ‘normal way of working’?

The JCQ require us to show evidence that your EAA are in line with your ‘normal way of working’ at college. This means you must regularly use these access arrangements at college to complete coursework, such as tests, tasks, assignments in your classes, all timed classwork and when you are studying in the Learning Zone or at home as well. Your ‘normal way of working’ will vary depending on your needs and the arrangements required but if you regularly use reasonable adjustments to access your college work, please ensure your teacher is aware so they can record this as your ‘normal way of working’ evidence. If you are applying for 25% extra time, your teacher needs to provide a sample of work.  An EAA application cannot be made on your behalf without your teacher providing evidence of your normal and current way of working at college.
What is a sample of work?

If you are applying for 25% extra time, the JCQ require us to show a sample of your work under timed conditions. They require a timed assessment of at least 20 minutes, this can be an internal test, or timed classwork. You will have either changed pen or font colour or drawn a clear line to indicate the use of extra time. Your teacher will mark your sample of work to create two marks/grades; one with and one without the use of extra time. The evidence must clearly show how the extra time was applied and the impact it had on the work produced.

Access Arrangements for Exams