Accident and short term illness examination arrangements
Owing to the short-term and 'last minute' nature, it is not normally possible for students to be assessed by Academic Support* for adjustments to examination arrangements.
Students with a short-term illness or injury should contact their School in the first instance. The School should then consider the following options with the student:
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Up until three working weeks before the start of each exam period, the Examinations Office will make temporary adjustments to examination arrangements, for the forthcoming set of exams, from a standard set of arrangements (see below). Students will not need to be assessed by Academic Support for these arrangements to be put in place. The School should contact the Examinations Office to make them aware that arrangements need to be put in place.
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Owing to the volume of examinations and the large number of arrangements being made for students with disabilities, dyslexia and long-term medical conditions, it is not possible for the Exams Office to make short-term arrangements from three working weeks before the start of each exam period.
Therefore, from this date, a School which wishes to may make adjustments to examination arrangements for the student's examinations 'in-house' from the standard set of arrangements (see attached - for advice on this option, please contact the Head of Assessment in the Examinations Office). Students will not need to be assessed by Academic Support for these arrangements to be put in place and Schools need not contact the Examinations Office when implementing an arrangement on this list.
In situations where for logistical reasons a School is unable to make an adjustments to examination arrangement, or the student's condition precludes making an such an arrangement, the following options are available:
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The student misses the scheduled examination and submits an Extenuating Circumstances Form - the School would then recommend a resit as for the first time in September.
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The student attempts the examination without adjustments to examination arrangements and submits an Extenuating Circumstances Form - if the student fails, the School would then recommend a resit as for the first time in September.
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The School considers setting the student an alternative form of assessment.
Students whose short-term illness or injury seems likely to extend into the next exam period should contact Academic Support for assessment for adjustments to examination arrangements for future exam periods.
Permitted temporary arrangements
The following temporary arrangements may be made for a student suffering from a short-term illness or injury shortly before or during the forthcoming examination period only. Please contact the Head of Assessment for advice if required before implementing arrangements 'in house'.
Additional time - 15 minutes per hour - Additional time of 15 minutes per hour may be given where a student is using a computer or scribe or where the student will be writing their own answers and will need additional time owing to their medical condition.
Rest breaks - 15 minutes per hour - Rest breaks of up to 15 minutes per hour may be permitted where a student has an illness or injury which requires breaks during the exam time e.g. to recover if easily tired, move around, medication, snacks, drinks and/or more frequent visits to the toilet. Rest breaks are strictly 'pen down' time. Students should be permitted to take their rest breaks as they require them and it is acceptable for a student to take all rest breaks in one break or to take a number of shorter breaks up to the maximum allowable e.g. 3 hour exam = rest breaks of up to 45 minutes total.
Smaller room - This option may be used e.g. where a student is experiencing panic attacks for the first time or has a condition whereby they will feel more comfortable sitting in a room with a smaller group of students.
Separate room - This option may be used e.g. where a student is experiencing panic attacks for the first time or has a condition whereby they will feel more comfortable sitting in a separate room. A student should be moved to a separate room to allow use of a computer, scribe or reader. Use of a computer A student who is unable to write their answers may be permitted use of a computer. Additional time of 15 minutes per hour should be given where this option is used. Where this arrangement is made within the School a separate room will be required. Please note that this is a different mode of taking the assessment and may disadvantage the student.
Use of a scribe ('amanuensis') - It is recommended that this option is not used unless the scribe is known to the student and the student has been offered the opportunity to practise with the scribe beforehand. Additional time of 30 minutes per hour and a separate room will be required for examinations where a scribe is used. Schools may also wish to consider whether the School has a trained note-taker who is able to scribe before offering this option. There may be cost implications for the use of this option.
Use of a reader - It may be necessary for a student to have the examinations questions read to them.
Permission to bring additional furniture/equipment to the exam room - It may be necessary for a student to bring additional furniture/equipment to the exam room to allow them to sit their exam comfortably e.g. cushion, ergonomic chair.
Please note that students should also be advised that if short-term illness or injury is likely to extend into the next exam period, they will need to contact Academic Support for assessment to continue to receive adjustments to examination arrangements into future exam periods.
Exams Office
E Floor
Portland Building Extension
University of Nottingham
Nottingham
NG7 2RD