A E C welcomes private candidates who may require Access Arrangements or reasonable adjustments in order to access their examinations fairly.
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Where A E C is under aduty to make a reasonable adjustment for a disabled candidate, A E C does not charge that candidate an additional fee in relation to the adjustment or aid.

Before Registering for an Exam – Please Contact A E C First
If you require any Access Arrangements or reasonable adjustments, please contact A E C before submitting your examination registration or making payment.
This allows A E C to discuss your requirements with you, review any existing supporting evidence, identify whether further information or assessment may be required, check the relevant application deadlines, and consider whether A E C has the appropriate facilities, resources and suitably trained staff available to support the requested arrangement.
Contacting A E C before registering also gives you the opportunity to understand the Access Arrangements process and what may be required before deciding whether to proceed with your examination entry at A E C.

Please do not assume that a requested Access Arrangement or reasonable adjustment can be provided simply by completing and paying for an examination registration. A E C must first consider the request in accordance with the applicable JCQ and awarding organisation requirements. If, after discussing your requirements with A E C, you decide to proceed with your examination entry, you must also declare your Access Arrangement or reasonable-adjustment requirements on the A E C examination registration form.

Important Information
Candidates should provide any relevant supporting evidence available to them as early as possible. A E C will review the candidate’s circumstances and supporting evidence in accordance with the applicable JCQ and awarding organisation requirements before determining which arrangements can be supported and implemented.
Access Arrangements and reasonable adjustments are subject to the relevant evidence requirements, application deadlines and awarding organisation regulations, as well as A E C having the appropriate facilities, resources and suitably trained staff available.

A E C cannot guarantee that a requested Access Arrangement or reasonable adjustment will be available or approved, and an examination entry may not be accepted where A E C is unable to provide the required arrangement safely, appropriately and in accordance with the applicable regulations.

Candidates should not wait until shortly before the examination to inform A E C of their needs. Early contact gives A E C sufficient time to review the candidate’s requirements, gather any further evidence that may be required and submit any necessary application before the applicable deadline.

What Evidence May Be Required by A E C?
Candidates should provide what ever relevant evidence they already have.

The exact evidence required will depend on the candidate’s individual circumstances, the Access Arrangement requested and the applicable awarding organisation requirements.
·      Form 8;
·      Form 8RF, where applicable;
·      school, college or tutor reports;
·      an EHCP;
·      relevant medical or specialist evidence;
·      samples of work;
·      timed activities or assessments;
·      practice or mock assessments; and
·      work logs or other appropriate school, college, tutor or centre-based evidence.

Providing evidence does not automatically guarantee approval of a particular Access Arrangement. The evidence must support the arrangement requested and the applicable awarding organisation criteria must be met.

Candidates Who Previously Had Access Arrangements
A previous online approval does not automatically transfer to A E C.
Candidates should provide A E C with any relevant documentation from their previous school, college or examination centre.

A E C must review the documentation, determine whether it remains valid and appropriate, establish whether the arrangement continues to reflect the candidate’s current needs and normal way of working, and complete any application required by the relevant awarding organisation.

How A E C Reviews an Access Arrangement Request
Once the relevant information has been received, A E C’s SENCo will review the available evidence.

Further information may be requested where necessary. A E C may also need to establish the candidate’s normal way of working, gather additional evidence or arrange an assessment where the applicable regulations require one.

Once the required evidence and documentation are in place, any necessary application will be submitted through the relevant awarding organisation process.

What Access Arrangements May Be Available?
Please refer to the table below for examples of Access Arrangements which may be available.

The arrangements shown are examples only. Inclusion in the table does not mean that a candidate will automatically qualify for or receive that arrangement. The table below explains how the timing of an Access Arrangement request may affect A E C’s ability to review evidence, process an application and put the required arrangements in place. Candidates requiring Access Arrangements should contact A E C before submitting an examination registration or making payment. The later a request is received, the less likely it is that A E C will be able to complete the required process before the applicable deadline.


Important notice: Outside of Deadline Window, New routine requests will normally not be accepted. Exceptional post-deadline requests maybe considered where permitted under JCQ or awarding organisation regulations.
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Important – Please read before registering: Candidates who require AccessArrangements or reasonable adjustments should contact A E C before submitting an examination registration or making payment so that A E C can review the candidate’s requirements, available supporting evidence, relevant deadlines and whether the requested arrangement can reasonably and compliantly be provided. Registering and paying for an examination before notifying A E C of an Access Arrangement requirement, or before A E C has completed its review, does not guarantee that the requested arrangement will subsequently be available or approved. If a candidate later informs A E C of an Access Arrangement requirement and A E C is unable to complete the necessary evidence, assessment or application process within the applicable deadlines, or is unable to provide the required facilities, equipment, staffing or arrangement in accordance with the relevant regulations, the candidate may choose, where appropriate, either to proceed with the examination without that arrangement or to withdraw their entry. Any withdrawal, amendment, deferral, transfer or refund will continue to be dealt with in accordance with A E C’s published Terms and Conditions and the applicable awarding organisation deadlines, subject to applicable law; notifying A E C of an Access Arrangement requirement after registration does not, by itself, determine or guarantee the level of any refund. Candidates who are asked to provide supporting evidence should therefore provide it within the timescale requested. Where the required evidence is not supplied and the candidate chooses to proceed with an examination without a confirmed Access Arrangement, the candidate should not assume that Special Consideration can later be used as a retrospective substitute for that arrangement. Special Consideration is a separate process and will only be supported where the applicable JCQ or awarding organisation criteria are met and appropriate evidence is available. A disability or learning difficulty alone, or failure to complete the Access Arrangements process by the applicable deadline, does not normally make a candidate eligible for Special Consideration. This does not prevent A E C from considering a qualifying new or materially worsened illness, injury or other adverse circumstance arising at the time of the assessment, or circumstances where an Access Arrangement had already been approved but was not in place. Candidates should notify A E C of any such circumstances as soon aspossible so that they can be considered under the applicable Specia Consideration regulations.

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