Using reasonable adjustments and special considerations within assessment

Agored Cymru promotes inclusiveness in learning and equality of opportunity.  All assessment practice within Agored Cymru’s units/courses should take an active account of Equal Opportunity issues.  (Equality and Diversity Policy )

It may be necessary to make changes to the assessment to accommodate the needs of a single or small group of learners.  This may be in response to a disability or difficulty that places the learner at a substantial disadvantage in the assessment situation.  Reasonable adjustments to the assessment process must not affect the reliability and validity of the assessment outcomes and must be as rigorous as assessment methods used with other learners.  These adjustments are usually approved or set in place before the assessment activity takes place. 

In some instances it may be necessary to consider applying special arrangements/considerations for adjustments for a learner or group of learners as part of the assessment process.  For example:

• If performance in an assessment is affected by circumstances beyond the control of the learner for example recent personal illness, accident, bereavement, serious disturbance during the assessment
• Alternative assessment arrangements which were agreed in advance of the assessment prove inappropriate or inadequate
• Part of an assessment has been missed due to circumstances beyond the control of the learner
• There is a sufficient difference between the part of the assessment to which special consideration is applied and other parts of the qualifications that have been achieved to infer that the learner could have performed more successfully in the assessment.

Centres should note that, where an assessment requires the learner to demonstrate practical competence or where criteria have to be met fully, or in the case of qualifications that confer a Licence to Practice, it may not be possible to apply special consideration

In some circumstances, for example for on-demand assessments, it may be more appropriate to offer the learner an opportunity to take the assessment at a later date.

Special consideration should not give the learner an unfair advantage neither should its use cause the user of the certificate to be misled regarding a learner’s achievements. The learner’s result must reflect his/her achievement in the assessment and not necessarily his/her potential ability.

Further guidance about the types of and process for applying reasonable adjustments  and/or special considerations can be found in the Access to Fair Assessment Policy and Procedure.

Click here to access the forms to apply for reasonable adjustments  or special consideration.