Exam access arrangements: what a diagnosis does and does not mean

No. A diagnosis of dyslexia does not, in itself, entitle a candidate to 25% extra time, a reader, a scribe, word processing, supervised rest breaks or any other arrangement.

Access arrangements are decided by the school, college or exam centre, in line with the current JCQ regulations. The decision is based on evidence of need and the candidate's normal way of working, not on a label alone.

The exam centre, in practice, the SENCo leading the process with the exams officer, within the current JCQ regulations. Not a private assessor, not a GP, and not the awarding body in the first instance. A private assessor can carry out assessment work and report findings; the decision remains with the centre.

An arrangement must reflect how the candidate ordinarily works in the classroom and in internal tests. A centre cannot usually introduce an arrangement for the first time on the day of the exam: it needs to be the pupil's established way of working, with evidence to show that.

This is why the strongest evidence is often already in the building: classwork, teacher observations, a history of support, and arrangements already used in mocks.

Typically a combination: the centre's own evidence of need and normal way of working, and, where appropriate. Assessment evidence covering the areas relevant to the arrangement being considered, such as reading speed, writing speed or processing speed.

Our free "what evidence helps" checklist sets this out for SENCos and exams teams. The exact requirements are in the current JCQ regulations, which are reviewed annually.

It can contribute. A diagnostic report is professional evidence and may form part of the picture the centre considers. But a private report does not by itself produce an arrangement, the centre must be satisfied the assessment evidence meets the current regulations, and some evidence has to be gathered or verified by the centre itself. Share a report with the SENCo early and ask what else is needed.

No. Nobody outside the centre can award access arrangements. An assessor's role is to assess accurately, report findings clearly and support the centre's evidence gathering. Be cautious of any service that implies a purchased report comes with an arrangement attached. It does not work that way.

SATs are managed by the school, not by JCQ, and they sit under a separate set of arrangements from GCSEs and A levels. The school decides what access arrangements are appropriate for a pupil taking the tests, based on the support that pupil normally receives in class.

As with later exams, a dyslexia diagnosis does not itself award an arrangement, and an assessor cannot award one. If you think your child may need support during SATs, speak to the class teacher or SENCo well in advance and ask them to check the current official guidance for the tests.

Not necessarily. Access arrangements are based on evidence of need and normal way of working, not on holding a particular diagnosis. A candidate without any diagnosis can be considered where the evidence supports it, and a candidate with a diagnosis is not guaranteed one. The evidence, not the label, carries the application.

It depends on what the centre needs and what the current regulations require for the arrangement being considered. Some evidence must be current for the candidate; an older report may still be useful background. Ask the SENCo what is required before paying for anything new. That conversation is free.

Ask for the reasons. Sometimes the honest answer is that the evidence of need is not there, or that the arrangement is not the pupil's normal way of working, and putting one in place anyway would not be in the pupil's interests.

If you disagree, you can ask what evidence would change the picture, and the centre has its own processes for queries and appeals. A private diagnosis cannot overrule the centre's decision.

They are not meant to. That is precisely why the evidence requirements exist. Arrangements are intended to remove a barrier so the exam measures what the candidate knows, not how quickly they can decode it. The regulations require that an arrangement reflects a genuine need without giving an advantage over other candidates, which is why centres take the evidence seriously.

Yes. JCQ regulations cover GCSEs, A levels and similar school qualifications. Universities, professional bodies and other awarding organisations set their own policies and evidence requirements. Ask the relevant organisation directly what it currently accepts, see our professional exams guidance and university and DSA guidance.