Access Arrangements allow candidates/learners with special educational needs and disabilities, in this case a multi-sensory impairment (MSI), to access the assessment without changing the demands of the assessment. A variety of arrangements exist which ensure Awarding Bodies comply with the duty of the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable
adjustments’.
What are reasonable adjustments?
The Equality Act 2010 requires an Awarding Body to make reasonable adjustments where a disabled person would be at a substantial disadvantage, that is a disadvantage that is more than minor or trivial, in undertaking an assessment.
A reasonable adjustment (RA) for a particular person may be unique to that individual and may not be included in the list of available Access Arrangements – see list the below.
- Supervised rest breaks
- Extra time
- Scribe/speech technology
- Word processor
- Prompter
- Braille transcript
- Language modifier
- Communication professional
- Practical assistant
- timetable variation
How reasonable the adjustment is will depend on a number of factors including the needs of the candidate/learner. An adjustment may not be considered reasonable if it involves unreasonable costs, timeframes or affects the security or integrity of the assessment. There is no duty on the Awarding Bodies to make any adjustment to the assessment objectives being tested in an assessment.
There is no MSI specific exam guidance and specific access arrangements. Instead, it is anticipated that the access arrangements which are available for candidates with vision
impairment or who are deaf will be suitable and meet the needs of those with MSI. This list above may be helpful but experience tells us that often arrangements required are not
actually in the list of available arrangements and this can at first seem daunting.
An up-to date list of published available access arrangements can be found and downloaded directly from the JCQ website. The document is updated at the start of each academic year and can
be found here or using the following web address: https://www.jcq.org.uk and Forms – JCQ Joint Council for Qualifications
NatSIP and Seashell have produced additional guidance and useful case studies for schools and settings: NatSIP – 02. MSI Exam Access Guidance – September 2024
Modified past papers
All exam boards provide modified versions of past papers.
AQA | Find past papers and mark schemes | Modified past papers
Past papers materials finder – OCR
If you require past papers which were not originally produced for a live series, please contact the modified papers team at the relevant exam board well in advance of the required date.