Exams and coursework support

Your child may be able to get extra help with coursework and exams because of the impact of their epilepsy. 

But, please be aware: only a school, college or exam centre can apply on behalf of your child for any of the adjustments covered here. You cannot do it yourself.

This page gives a quick overview of the support available in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with links for further information and support. 

Can my child get extra support with exams?

If you think your child needs extra help with exams, you should speak, as soon as possible to the person at your child’s school who’s responsible for special educational needs support.

There two types of support they may be able to get:

• Access arrangements
• Special consideration

Access arrangements

Access arrangements can be put in place to help your child during exams and include:

• Supervised rest breaks during the exam
• Extra time to complete the exam
• Taking exams at a different time of day, e.g. afternoons if your child tends to have seizures in the morning
• Taking exams in a different place, e.g. in a room on their own, at home or in hospital

It’s important you speak as soon as possible to the school, as it might need permission for access arrangements within set deadlines.

As noted, only the school, college or exam centre can apply for access arrangements and they must be agreed by the exam board ahead of the assessment taking place.

Evidence for access arrangements should also show these to be the child or young person’s normal way of working within the centre.

Special consideration

Your child may be able to get special consideration for exams and coursework.

Special consideration is an adjustment to a candidate’s mark or grade after an examination to reflect temporarily illness, injury or other indisposition at the time of the exam or assessment. 

If the young person’s epilepsy affects them during the exam or assessment, the school can make an application or special consideration, for example if they had a seizure during an exam or were recovering from a seizure before the exam.

Further information

England, Northern Ireland and Wales

To find out more about access arrangements and special considerations, click on the link below:

• Joint Council for Qualifications

SATs (England)

To find out more about access arrangements for SATS, click on the links below:

• GOV.UK – Key stage 1 tests: access arrangements
• GOV.UK – Key stage 2 tests: access arrangements
   

Scotland

To find out more about access arrangements, click on the link below:

• Scottish Qualifications Authority – About assessment arrangements

To find out more about special consideration, click on the link below:

• Scottish Qualifications Authority – Exceptional circumstances
• Enquire – Support with exams and assessments