Exam Access Arrangements
Extra time, readers, scribes, word processors and separate rooms let a candidate show what they know without being held back by a disability or learning difficulty. They have to be applied for in advance — for summer 2027, by Sunday, 21 March 2027.
What arrangements are available?
Arrangements are approved individually against evidence. These are the ones most often granted.
25% extra time
The most common arrangement. Additional time in every timed component, applied automatically once approved.
Reader or computer reader
Text read aloud, or read by software. Not permitted in components assessing reading ability.
Scribe or speech recognition
Answers dictated to a scribe or to software. Not permitted where writing itself is assessed.
Word processor
Typing instead of handwriting, with spellcheck and autocorrect disabled.
Separate room and rest breaks
Sitting away from the main hall, and supervised breaks that stop the clock.
Modified papers
Enlarged print, braille, coloured paper or modified language. These have the earliest deadline of all.
The two tests every application has to pass
Applications are refused for the same two reasons almost every time, and both are avoidable if you know about them early.
Test 1
A demonstrated need
A current assessment by an appropriately qualified assessor, showing a substantial and long-term impairment. A diagnosis letter alone does not establish this.
Test 2
Normal way of working
Evidence that this is already how the candidate studies and sits practice papers. An arrangement introduced only for the exam does not meet the standard.
Test 2 is where private candidates get caught. That evidence normally comes from a school, so if you study at home or with a tutor you need to build it deliberately — keep records of how work is done, and have the assessor describe it. Start this months before entry, not at entry.
Deadlines for summer 2027
Both fall months before the first exam.
| Modified papers requested by | Friday, 29 January 2027 |
| Applications processed by | Sunday, 21 March 2027 |
| First exam of the series | Monday, 10 May 2027 |
| Processing fee | £150 |
The assessment has to happen first
We can only apply on the strength of an assessment that already exists. Specialist assessors are often booked weeks ahead, so if you do not yet have a current report, arranging one is the first step and the slowest — not the application itself. Talk to us as soon as you think an arrangement may be needed.
Access arrangements, answered
What are exam access arrangements?
Adjustments that let a candidate show what they know without being disadvantaged by a disability, learning difficulty or medical condition. They do not make the exam easier and they do not change the standard being assessed — they remove a barrier that has nothing to do with the subject.
Who qualifies for 25% extra time?
Extra time is granted where there is a demonstrated need affecting speed of working — commonly slow processing, slow reading or slow writing — supported by a specialist assessment. A diagnosis on its own is not enough: the arrangement has to reflect how the candidate normally works.
What evidence do you need?
Two things. A current assessment by an appropriately qualified assessor, such as a specialist teacher with the right qualification or an educational psychologist. And evidence that the arrangement is the candidate's normal way of working — that it is already how they study and sit mock papers, not something introduced for the exam.
Can private candidates get access arrangements?
Yes, but it takes more preparation. Normal-way-of-working evidence usually comes from a school, so a private candidate needs to supply it another way — a tutor's records, previous school documentation, or an assessor's report describing how the candidate works. Bring this to us early rather than at entry.
When is the deadline for access arrangements?
For the summer 2027 series, applications must be processed by Sunday, 21 March 2027, and modified papers — enlarged print, braille and similar — must be requested by Friday, 29 January 2027. Both fall well before the first exam on Monday, 10 May 2027.
How much do access arrangements cost?
We charge £150 to process an access arrangement application, covering the centre's submission to the awarding body. That is a processing fee — the specialist assessment itself is arranged and paid for separately, and must already exist before an application can be made.
Does extra time apply to every paper?
Once approved, an arrangement applies across the qualifications you are entered for in that series, in every timed component where it is permitted. Some arrangements are restricted in specific components — a reader is not allowed where reading itself is being assessed, for example.
Can you apply after the deadline?
Only for a need that arises after it — an injury or sudden illness close to the exams can be handled through a late application or, on the day itself, through special consideration. A long-standing need identified late is a different matter, and is usually refused because the evidence should already exist.
What is the difference between access arrangements and special consideration?
Access arrangements are agreed in advance and change how you sit the paper. Special consideration is applied after the event, when something disrupts a candidate during the exam period, and adjusts the mark rather than the conditions. They are separate processes with separate deadlines.
Deadlines from AQA's key dates calendar for November 2026, January and summer 2027, retrieved 2026-09-07. Official source. Access arrangements are governed by JCQ regulations, which are updated each academic year — confirm the current requirements with us before applying.
Think you need an arrangement?
Tell us what evidence you already have and we will tell you what else is needed.