JCQ Guidelines

What is Special Consideration?

Special Consideration is an adjustment to the marks or grades of the candidate who is eligible for consideration. Special Consideration can only seek to go some way to assist the candidate affected by a potentially wide range of difficulties, emotional or physical, which may affect performance in examinations. Special Consideration cannot remove the difficulty faced by the candidate; there will be situations where candidates should not be entered for an examination because they are not in a fit state to cope with the assessment. Only minor adjustments can be made to the mark awarded because to do more than this would jeopardise the standard.

There are minimum requirements for enhanced grading in cases of acceptable absence. For GCE and VCE, 50% (i.e. half of the units required have been taken) of the total assessment must be completed before enhanced grading may be considered in cases of acceptable absence. For GCSE and GNVQ, 35% of the total assessment must be completed.

All examinations are measuring what a candidate knows and can do. The overall

grades must reflect the level of attainment demonstrated in the examination. They do

not necessarily reflect the candidate’s potential level of ability, if attainment has been

considerably affected over a long period of time. It is not necessarily the case that the grade issued will match the forecast grade.

Special Consideration can be applied in the following cases:

Candidates who are present for the assessment but disadvantaged

Special Consideration will normally be given by applying an allowance of marks to each component affected in a particular scheme of assessment. The size of the allowance depends on the timing, nature and extent of the illness or misfortune. The maximum allowance given will be 5% of the total raw marks available in the component concerned, including coursework.

The decision will be based on various factors which will be different from

one subject to another. These might include the severity of the circumstances, the date of the examination in relation to the circumstances, the nature of the assessment, for instance whether the written papers are affected as opposed to the coursework, whether an oral or practical is involved. Each case is assessed individually.

5% This is the maximum allowance and will be reserved for the most

exceptional cases, such as:

terminal illness of the candidate; terminal illness of a parent; recent death of a member of the immediate family; serious and disruptive domestic crises leading to acute anxiety about the family.

4% Very serious problems such as:

incapacitating illness of candidate or member of immediate family; major surgery at or near the time of the examination; severe disease; severe car accident; recent death of member of extended family; severe or permanent bodily injury occurring at the time of the examinations; domestic crisis at time of examinations.

3% A more common category. Many more cases will fall into this group,

including:

recent traumatic experience such as death of a close friend or distant relative; recent illness of a more serious nature; flare-up of severe congenital conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, severe asthmatic attack; recently broken limbs; organ disease; physical assault trauma before an examination; recent domestic crisis;

witnessing a distressing event on day of examination.

2% Probably the most common category of allowance. The majority of cases might fall within this category: minor illness at the time of the assessment, broken limb on the mend; recent viral illness; concussion, effects of pregnancy (not pregnancy per se); hay fever on the day of an examination; death of family pet on day of examination; allowance on last paper taken in a day when candidate has exceeded 5 hours 30 minutes at GCSE or 6 hours at AS/A Level.

1% Reserved for more minor problems:

noise during examination which is more than momentary; illness of another candidate in examination room; death of family pet just before examination; stress or anxiety for which medication has been prescribed; minor ailments; headache; minor upset arising from administration problems, such as wrong time allocated.

0% Consideration was given but the addition of marks was considered

inappropriate.

Fire alarm or other noise of very short duration, such as a mobile phone ringing. Instances where additional time was given by the Centre to deal with a problem.

Candidates who are absent from a time-tabled component/unit for

acceptable reasons

When a candidate has missed a time-tabled component/unit for acceptable reasons and can produce evidence that he or she was unfit to take the paper, an adjustment may be made to the terminal grade as long as the component/unit was missed in the terminal session and the minimum requirements of Section 10.3 have been satisfied. Awarding Bodies cannot give advice as to whether a candidate is fit to take an examination. Centre staff should follow their internal procedures for dealing with

candidates who feel unwell on the day of an examination. For modular examinations taken in the sessions prior to certification, candidates should re-enter any missed units at a later date unless there are difficulties arising, e.g. group performances, which cannot be repeated. Awarding Bodies should be consulted immediately in such cases.

Minimum Requirements for enhanced grading in cases of acceptable

Absence

VCE 50% of the total assessment must be completed.

GCE 50% of the total assessment must be completed.

• For AS certification, this must comprise two out of three AS units.

• For A Level certification, a candidate must have completed a minimum of three units including at least one A2 unit.

• An A Level award will not be issued on the basis of AS units alone.

• Enhancement given at AS Level will be carried forward to A Level.

AEA Where no component is completed, no grade will be issued.

GNVQ 35% of the total assessment must be completed

GCSE 35% of the total assessment must be completed. If the minimum requirement is not met in GCSE, an exceptional circumstances award may be made in the following circumstances:

• One component, usually coursework, must have been completed. Alternative appropriate pre-existing evidence of attainment must be available in each of the components missed

• this must have been produced by the candidate under controlled conditions

• it must match the specification requirements regarding the content, at the appropriate tier of entry

• it must reflect the nature of the component(s) missed

• it must be accompanied by the required documentation and a copy of the question paper if available

• it must be submitted, when requested by the Awarding Body

• if appropriate evidence is not available, no enhanced grade will be Issued

Where a candidate who has been entered has died before completing the minimum

amount of assessment required, or has been entered and is terminally ill and unable

to complete the minimum amount of assessment, the Centre may request an honorary certificate from the Awarding Body. Where the minimum requirement had been met an award would be issued as set out above.