Exam Support For Disabled Students
EXAM SUPPORT FOR DISABLED STUDENTS
Disabled students are entitled to reasonable adjustments in exams, to ensure they are not disadvantaged relative to non-disabled peers.
Following contact with disabled students, adjustments are set by the Disability Service and recorded on MyCampus. Students can check what exam adjustments have been agreed for them.
The Exams Team uses the information on MyCampus to implement adjustments. Before each diet, the Exams Team shares information about adjustments with Schools, who email students to confirm what arrangements are in place.
Deadline for agreeing exam adjustments
To manage the scale and complexity of exam adjustments, the University sets a deadline for adjustments to be agreed and recorded on MyCampus, and a deadline for Schools to return room details to Registry. Please see below for current and upcoming deadlines.
If students do not have adjustments in place but may require them, please advise them to complete a Study Support Request (SSR) to register with the Disability Service. Disabled students requiring adjustments are strongly advised not to delay completing an SSR. If students submit an SSR after the deadline, or without evidence, any adjustments they are entitled to may not be in place for the current/ upcoming diet – but will be in place for following diets.
If Schools miss the deadline for returning room details to Registry, we will be unable to arrange invigilation.
Please note the following deadlines for session 2023/24, for students to have agreed exam adjustments with the Disability Service, and for Schools to respond to exam arrangements, including room bookings.
| Exam Diet | Exam Adjustment Deadline | Deadline for Schools to Respond to Exam Arrangements |
| December | Friday 3 November 2023 | Friday 17 November 2023 |
| February/March | Friday 12 January 2024 | Tuesday 23 January 2024 |
| April/May | Friday 08 March 2024 | Wednesday 3 April 2024 |
| August | Friday 21 June 2024 | Friday 5 July 2024 |
Exams Team are responsible for the following arrangements:
- To book rooms for students requiring a separate room on their own for exams. We use a pool of rooms block booked by CTT. Please note that any changes to rooms booked will only be possible under exceptional circumstances and it may then be necessary to involve Schools in the organisation of invigilation and delivery of exam materials.
- To book rooms for students requiring a separate room not on their own for exams (these students can share a room with up to 15-20 other students). These students will be placed in the one, shared room, wherever possible.
- To book rooms for students requiring a separate room, not on own, and the use of a computer. These students will be booked into one of the Computer Clusters in the Library
- To arrange invigilation for all of these room bookings, as well as any room bookings that the School has to make (within our deadlines).
- To arrange for the delivery of exam materials to all of the separate rooms booked (within our deadlines). If a student requires a large font exam paper then we can only arrange delivery to exam venues if these papers are delivered to Exams Team, Fraser Building at least 4 days before the exam date. After that, the school would have to deliver on the day of the exam to the exam venue(s).
- To provide invigilators with details of students' exam requirements in all exam venues, including early starts.
- To take delivery of exam scripts for all separate rooms and store them securely until the School collect them from the Fraser Building.
Schools are responsible for the following arrangements:
- To book rooms for students requiring a separate room on their own, with computer. The school should inform us of room details by the deadline set, so that we can arrange invigilation and delivery of exam materials.
- To inform students of all exam arrangements put in place for them, including room bookings and early starts. Extra time should always be taken at the beginning of the exam, with the exception of:
- Online exams, where extra time will be added to the end of the exam.
- 30 mins per hour extra or 100% extra time. In these instances extra time will be allocated on an individual basis and may be split between the beginning and end of the exam time. Exams Team will inform schools of these arrangements.
For students sitting on campus exams that are entitled to 15 mins per hour extra, exam start times are as follows:
| Official Exam Start Time | Exam Duration | Early Start Time |
|---|---|---|
| 09:30 | 60 mins | 09:15 |
| 09:30 | 90 mins | 09:07 |
| 09:30 | 120 mins | 09:00 |
| 09:30 | 150 mins | 08:52 |
| 09:30 | 180 mins | 08:45 |
| 13:00 | 60 mins | 12:45 |
| 13:00 | 90 mins | 12:37 |
| 13:00 | 120 mins | 12:30 |
| 13:00 | 150 mins | 12:22 |
| 13:00 | 180 mins | 12:15 |
| 14:00 | 60 mins | 13:45 |
| 14:00 | 90 mins | 13:37 |
| 14:00 | 120 mins | 13:30 |
| 14:00 | 150 mins | 13:22 |
| 14:00 | 180 mins | 13:15 |
| 16:30 | 60 mins | 16:15 |
| 16:30 | 90 mins | 16:07 |
- To organise scribes and readers.
- To advise students with additional support requirements to signal their presence to an invigilator when they enter the exam room, particularly if they are sitting in a main exam venue.
- To arrange for the collection of exam scripts from exam venues. For exams that have taken place in a 'main hall' exam venue, scripts should be collected from the venue at the end of the exam. For exams that have taken place in a separate room (including cluster rooms), scripts will be returned to the Exams Team by invigilators and schools should collect them from the Fraser Building once advised that they are available for collection.
- To deliver any other/additional exam materials to the exam venues. If students are allowed to bring additional materials to the exam room, a member of staff from the School must attend at the beginning of the exam to check the material.
- To organise the production of large print exam papers and/or on coloured paper (for individual students only). These can be delivered to the Exams Team for delivery to the exam venues, but should be brought to us at least 4 days before the exam is due to take place.
- To liaise with the Library (Craig Carr/John Aiton - IT Specialists, where specific software (for example read and write gold) or specific fonts (for example in language exams) are required. Please do this well in advance of the exam date.
- To make arrangements for students with a temporary disability e.g. broken arm. All arrangements must be approved by the Clerk of Senate.
Students are responsible for the following arrangements:
- To provide coloured acetate/overlay, if required.
Further information:
Visit the Disability Service website for more information about support for students with disabilities.