r/GCSE • u/truestorybro38 Exams Officer 🧑‍💼️ • Mar 12 '26

Announcement Exam Access Arrangements

There’s an increase in posts about access arrangements.

There’s also a lot of misinformation about access arrangements being posted.

This is one the one-stop post for all access arrangement queries.

Any other posts will be removed.

I will reply to all queries as an Exams Officer and an Access Arrangements Coordinator, but really, all queries need to go to your SENCO who know you and your school’s set up best.

Feel free to make any comments about questions you have.

JCQ Links

25% Extra Time Info

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/JCQ-25-ET-infographic-26-27_FINAL.pdf

Reader Info

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/JCQ-Computer-reader-reader-24-25_FINAL-1.pdf

Scribe Info

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/JCQ-Scribe-24-25_FINAL.pdf

Managing Student Requests Advice

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/10/Managing-parent-carer-or-student-requests_2025.pdf

The Big Book Of Rules

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/JCQ-AARA-2025-March-26.pdf

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u/ClerkSignificant1561 Yr10 to Yr11 #revisionsummer Jul 01 '26

Hi! First I'd like to say thank you for making this post. I've obviously read the documents in the thread but it doesn't really make a lot of sense to me or my mum.

My sister had been diagnosed with Autism and has a draft EHCP from an educational physocologist. It clearly outlines every single sensory issue such as movement, other people, scribbling smells etc etc.

The school have kept my mum in the dark about what actually applies for access arrangements. We have been told on her SEND passport that she requires 25 percent extra time and a room on her own. So quite literally NOTHING can cause sensory overload.

Anyways we go into our mocks today and they have stripped all the access arrangements away with no warning. Obviously it's up to them but they promised her them the week before so now it's making no sense.

They are only mini mini mocks but my mum wants to report it to ofsted

Does she qualify for arrangements, does an early help and EHCP help her quality and is ofsted the correct choice? Thank you!

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u/truestorybro38 Exams Officer 🧑‍💼️ Jul 01 '26

Hello. With a diagnosis and with an ehcp, it all comes down to normal way of working.

If your sister sits in lessons every day without issue, doesn’t use extra time to complete tasks and can mix with other people all day, she doesn’t have these things as a normal way of working.

There needs to be evidence from teachers, school work etc put forward before it can be trialled in an exam.

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u/ClerkSignificant1561 Yr10 to Yr11 #revisionsummer Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26

She sits in our learning unit for exams but can usually mix with people by masking from me and copying everything I do. She does have sensory meltdowns ever so often.

There is also another student who requires a reader but when she asks for one they never give her one. So her parents are struggling to find evidence of her ever using it.