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Parent guide to learning support

Exam access arrangements and extra time: what parents need to know

A plain-English guide to who may qualify, what evidence schools look for, why normal way of working matters and how to start the conversation early.

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  • Portrait of Robin GibbonsLead authorFounder & CEO·Latimer Tuition
  • Reviewed byHeather LatimerTutor Matching & Customer Service·Latimer Tuition
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Current answer

What parents need to know first

Exam access arrangements are planned support for a learner who needs help to access an assessment fairly. They can include extra time, supervised rest breaks, a word processor, a reader, modified papers or other adjustments, depending on the learner’s need and the rules for that assessment.

“Access arrangements are agreed before an assessment.” — JCQ

Extra time is one possible access arrangement, not a separate entitlement. A child’s diagnosis, EHCP, Welsh IDP, Northern Ireland statement, slow processing, anxiety, dyslexia, ADHD or autism may be relevant, but the exam centre still needs evidence that the arrangement is needed and is the learner’s normal way of working.

“Additional needs or a diagnosis alone do not entitle a student to access arrangements.” — JCQ parent guidance

For most school or college candidates, the first practical step is to speak to the SENCo, ALNCo, learning-support team or exams officer early. Private candidates and home-educated learners need to work through the exam centre that accepts their entry.

What to do first if you think your child may need extra time

Use this checklist before you ask for a particular arrangement. It keeps the conversation focused on evidence, need and the learner’s normal way of working.

  • Write down what you are seeing

    Note examples from homework, revision, timed tasks or mock exams: unfinished papers, exhaustion, panic, slow reading, slow writing, difficulty sustaining attention, pain, fatigue or another pattern.

  • Contact the right person early

    Start with the SENCo, ALNCo, learning-support team or exams officer. Ask who leads exam access arrangements in the school, college or exam centre.

  • Ask what the school already knows

    Useful evidence often comes from teachers, support staff, classroom support, internal tests, mock exams and previous arrangements, not just from a one-off report.

  • Ask about the best fit, not only extra time

    Some learners need extra time; others may be better supported by supervised rest breaks, a word processor, a reader or another arrangement.

  • Check whether an assessment is needed

    If the centre says a specialist assessment is needed, ask what paperwork must be completed first and whether the assessor needs to liaise with the centre before testing.

  • For private candidates, start with exam centres

    Before entering for exams, ask potential centres how they handle access arrangements, what evidence they need and whether they can support the arrangement your child may need.

  • Keep deadlines in mind

    JCQ deadlines are set by exam series and can change. The practical lesson is to ask early, especially before final GCSE or A level exams.

Who does what in the access-arrangements process?

Parents often feel stuck because different people are involved. This table separates the usual roles. Exact job titles vary by school, college and exam centre.

Roles involved in exam access arrangements and the questions parents can ask each one.

Person or teamWhat they usually doWhat parents can ask

Parent or carer

Raises concerns early, shares relevant information and asks how the centre will investigate need.

Who leads this process, what evidence exists, and what should we do next?

Student

Explains what happens in timed work and tries agreed support in class, tests or mocks where appropriate.

What helps you work fairly without changing what the exam is testing?

Teacher or support staff

Provides evidence from lessons, support sessions, internal tests, mocks and observed need.

What patterns do teachers see in timed tasks or assessments?

SENCo, ALNCo or learning-support lead

Builds the evidence picture and uses professional judgement to decide which arrangement should be requested or applied.

Does the evidence show normal way of working, and would Form 8 or Form 9 be relevant?

Exams officer

Manages exam administration, entries, deadlines and the centre’s arrangements with awarding bodies.

What are the centre’s dates and procedures for this exam series?

Specialist assessor or medical specialist

May provide diagnosis or assessment evidence, depending on the learner’s need and the centre’s paperwork.

Has the assessor liaised with the school or college before assessment, if that is required?

Exam centre

For private candidates, accepts the entry and decides whether it can support the arrangement under JCQ rules.

Can you support access arrangements for private candidates, and what evidence do you need?

Tutor

Can support learning, confidence, revision, timed practice and existing study strategies. For private candidates, tutor observations or work records may help the centre if requested.

What can you support in lessons, and what cannot you assess or guarantee?

Key terms parents may hear

These terms are often used by schools, exam centres and official guidance. They are simplified here for parents; the centre still has to apply the current JCQ rules to the individual learner.

JCQ also uses the phrase “picture of need” when describing the evidence a centre should build. — JCQ

Access arrangements

Support agreed before an assessment so a candidate can access it fairly, without changing what is being tested. JCQ

Reasonable adjustments

Adjustments made so a disabled candidate is not put at a substantial disadvantage. The legal framing differs by nation, so this guide keeps legal wording high-level.

Extra time

Additional working time in an assessment. The common parent phrase is 25% extra time, but the centre must still show evidence and normal way of working.

Normal way of working

Support the learner already uses in class, support sessions, timed work, internal tests or mocks, not something introduced only for final exams.

Form 8

A JCQ evidence form commonly linked to learning-difficulty cases. For 2025/26, JCQ says Part 1 must be completed before assessment and the assessment must not happen before the start of Year 9, or Year 10 in Northern Ireland.

Form 9

A JCQ evidence form used for complex needs such as communication and interaction, sensory or physical needs, social, emotional and mental-health needs, or diagnosed medical needs.

SENCo or ALNCo

The school or college lead for special educational needs or additional learning needs. Wales commonly uses ALN and ALNCo terminology.

Supervised rest breaks

Pauses under supervision during an exam. They are not the same as extra time and may be more suitable for some needs.

Private candidate

A candidate entered for exams through an accepting exam centre rather than as that centre’s taught pupil.

Special consideration

A separate process from access arrangements, usually after illness, injury or another adverse event has affected exam performance.

Evidence, Form 8, Form 9 and normal way of working

Parents do not need to become form experts, but it helps to understand why the school or centre asks for evidence instead of relying on a diagnosis alone.

Common evidence questions parents ask about access arrangements.

QuestionParent-level answerImportant caveat

Do mocks and internal tests matter?

Yes. Evidence often comes from lessons, intervention, internal tests and mock exams because those show normal way of working over time.

A centre should not suddenly grant support only for final exams without evidence.

Is Form 8 always needed?

No. Form 8 is important in many learning-difficulty cases, including some 25% extra-time cases.

Complex needs are usually handled through Form 9 rather than Form 8.

What score evidence can matter for 25% extra time?

For the common learning-difficulty path, JCQ sets technical thresholds around standardised scores in speed-of-working areas, including scores of 84 or less and, in some cases, scores from 85 to 89 with stronger justification.

Do not try to self-calculate eligibility. The centre and qualified assessor must apply the current rules.

When is Form 9 relevant?

Form 9 is used for complex needs such as communication and interaction, sensory or physical needs, social, emotional and mental-health needs, or diagnosed medical needs.

Even an EHCP, Welsh IDP or Northern Ireland statement still needs a centre evidence picture.

Can parent comments be used?

For ordinary school or college candidates, parent comments cannot be recorded in Part 1 of Form 8 or Part 1 of Form 9.

Private candidates are different: parent or carer comments may be included if information from the candidate or tutor is insufficient.

Can arrangements be subject-specific?

Yes. A learner may need support in one or two subjects rather than across every paper.

Ask the centre how evidence is considered for each subject.

Extra time is not the only possible arrangement

Some learners need extra time. Others need a different arrangement, or a combination of support. JCQ guidance specifically warns against confusing supervised rest breaks with extra time.

Common exam access arrangements compared for parents.

ArrangementWhat it can help withWatch out for

25% extra time

May help where evidence shows the learner needs more working time, for example because of speed-of-working difficulties or another qualifying need.

It is not automatic from a diagnosis and may not be the best support for every learner.

Supervised rest breaks

Can help candidates who need pauses because of anxiety, attention difficulties, fatigue, medical needs or some neurodivergent needs.

Rest breaks pause work; they are different from adding working time.

Word processor

May help a learner whose normal way of working is typing for assessed work.

It should not be granted simply because the learner prefers typing, types faster or uses a laptop at home.

Computer reader

Can allow a candidate to work independently where text needs to be read aloud electronically.

A human reader cannot read questions or text in papers where reading itself is being assessed.

Modified papers

May help where the candidate needs a different paper format, such as enlarged or modified materials.

Deadlines for modified papers can be earlier than other arrangements, so centres need time to plan.

Access arrangements are not the same as special consideration

Parents sometimes use these terms together, but they answer different problems.

The difference between access arrangements and special consideration.

TermWhen it appliesExample

Access arrangements

Before the assessment, where the learner has an evidenced need and the arrangement lets them access the exam fairly.

Extra time, supervised rest breaks, a word processor or modified papers agreed in advance.

Special consideration

After a temporary illness, injury or adverse event has affected performance around the time of the assessment.

A candidate becomes ill close to the exam or experiences a qualifying adverse event.

A message you can adapt

What to ask the school or exam centre

When this applies

Use this when you think your child may need extra time or another exam access arrangement, or when you need to start the conversation with a private-candidate exam centre.

Suggested wording

Hello, I am getting in touch because I am concerned that [student name] may need support to access upcoming exams fairly. We have noticed [brief examples, such as unfinished timed work, fatigue, anxiety, slow reading or slow writing]. Could you please let me know who leads exam access arrangements and whether we can discuss what evidence already exists from classwork, support sessions, internal tests or mocks? I would also like to understand whether extra time, supervised rest breaks, a word processor or another arrangement may be more appropriate, and what the next steps and centre deadlines are. If an external assessment is needed, could you confirm what paperwork or liaison is required before any assessment is arranged?

Why this helps

It gives the centre useful context, asks about normal way of working and keeps the focus on evidence. It also avoids relying on a diagnosis or private assessment alone.

Sources used in this guide

This guide uses current official and Latimer sources checked at last review. JCQ access-arrangement guidance is academic-year based, so the page should be reviewed when JCQ publishes a new guide or updates deadlines.

  • JCQ — Access arrangements and special consideration

    Official document hub; accessed 2026-06-13.

    Open source

  • JCQ — Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments 2025/26

    Updated March 2026; effective 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026; accessed 2026-06-13.

    Open source

  • JCQ parent guidance

    Parent-facing guidance for 2025/26; accessed 2026-06-13.

    Open source

  • JCQ — Requests when the centre has no evidence of need

    Guidance on evidence and picture of need; accessed 2026-06-13.

    Open source

  • JCQ — Private candidate access arrangements

    Effective 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026; accessed 2026-06-13.

    Open source

  • GOV.UK — Definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010

    Used for high-level England and Wales disability wording; accessed 2026-06-13.

    Open source

  • GOV.WALES — Additional learning needs

    Used for Welsh ALN and ALNCo terminology; accessed 2026-06-13.

    Open source

  • Latimer Tuition — Find a Tutor

    Used for tutor-search and CTA wording; accessed 2026-06-13.

    Open source

  • Latimer Tuition — How it Works

    Used for tutoring process wording; accessed 2026-06-13.

    Open source

  • Latimer Tuition — FAQs

    Used for DBS, online tutoring and SEN-experience wording; accessed 2026-06-13.

    Open source

Related guidance

More guidance from this section

More guidance from this part of the Ed Centre that may help with the same decision, stage or next step.

Support and clarity

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers to the questions people ask most often.

Does a diagnosis automatically mean my child gets extra time?

No. A diagnosis or additional need can be relevant, but JCQ parent guidance says it does not by itself entitle a student to access arrangements. The centre needs evidence, a picture of need and normal way of working before extra time or another arrangement is used.

Who decides whether my child gets extra time or another access arrangement?

For school or college candidates, the centre usually leads the process through the SENCo, ALNCo, learning-support team and exams officer. Medical or specialist reports may diagnose a condition or provide evidence, but the centre decides what arrangement should be requested or applied under JCQ rules.

How do I start the process with school or college?

Contact the SENCo, ALNCo, learning-support team or exams officer early. Ask what evidence already exists from classwork, support sessions, internal tests and mock exams, and ask whether extra time or another arrangement would best match your child’s normal way of working.

What does normal way of working mean?

It means the arrangement reflects support the learner normally uses in school, college, support sessions, timed tasks, internal tests or mocks. It should not be something introduced only for final exams without an evidence picture.

What are Form 8 and Form 9?

Form 8 is commonly linked to learning-difficulty evidence, including some 25% extra-time cases. Form 9 is used for complex needs such as communication and interaction, sensory or physical needs, social, emotional and mental-health needs, or diagnosed medical needs. Parents should treat these as centre-led evidence forms, not forms to complete alone.

Is extra time the same as rest breaks?

No. Extra time adds working time. Supervised rest breaks are pauses under supervision. JCQ guidance says rest breaks may be more suitable than 25% extra time for some candidates, although some learners may need both or another arrangement.

Can my child use a laptop or word processor in exams?

Possibly, but it must reflect the learner’s normal way of working. JCQ guidance says a word processor should not be granted simply because a student prefers typing, types faster or uses a laptop at home.

Can private candidates or home-educated learners get access arrangements?

Yes, but they need to work through the exam centre accepting their entry. The centre may consider evidence such as previous centre evidence, timed tasks, work logs, sample work and, where relevant, information from a distance-learning provider or qualified private tutor, but the centre still decides.

Sources and references

Sources and references

Official guidance

Internal pages