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Special consideration is given to a candidate who has temporarily experienced illness, injury or some other event outside of their control at the time of the assessment. It is applied when the issue or event has had, or is reasonably likely to have had, a material effect on a candidate’s ability to take an assessment or demonstrate their normal level of attainment in an assessment.
Special consideration can go some way to assist a candidate affected by a potentially wide range of difficulties, emotional or physical, which may influence performance in their examinations.
It cannot remove the difficulty faced by the candidate. This means that there will be some situations where candidates should not be entered for an examination. This is because only minor adjustments can be made to the mark awarded. To make larger adjustments would jeopardise the standard of the examination.
For further information on what special consideration covers and the process, please refer to the JCQ guide.
Special consideration will normally be given by applying an allowance of additional marks to each component affected within a specification. The size of the allowance depends on the timing, nature and extent of the illness or misfortune. The maximum allowance given will be 5% of the total raw marks available in the component concerned. The centre must be satisfied that there has been a materially detrimental effect on candidate examination performance.
The decision made by the awarding body will be based on various factors, which may vary from subject to subject. These may include:
- the severity of the circumstances;
- the date of the examination in relation to the circumstances;
- and the nature of the assessment
If a candidate is absent from an assessment for a valid reason, we can apply an ‘aegrotat’. The result is calculated based on the learner’s achievement in other components. For more information on allowances and enhanced grading, please refer to the JCQ booklet.
If you wish to make an application for special consideration, then you must complete and sign the JCQ form 10 and then send it to uk.special.requirements@pearson.com.
Please submit the form to Pearson within 7 days of the last examination in the specification. You can see the special consideration deadline for each test session in our Pearson English International Certificate (PEIC): Test Sessions & Key Dates article.
A separate form should normally be completed for each candidate. However, a single form may be submitted in cases where a particular event has disadvantaged a group of candidates, say a fire alarm.
Please state on the form the precise nature of the adverse circumstances affecting the candidate, including in the appropriate boxes the date when the circumstances first began to affect the candidate and whether this continued during the examination.
In cases where medical or psychological evidence is available, please ensure that this is submitted with the form.
You can see the special consideration deadline for each test session in our Pearson English International Certificate (PEIC): Test Sessions & Key Dates.
Q: What additional marks have been applied, and how was the decision made to award this grade?
A: Special consideration is given to a candidate who has temporarily experienced illness, injury or some other event outside of their control at the time of the assessment. It is applied when the issue or event has had or is reasonably likely to have had, a material effect on a candidate’s ability to take an assessment or demonstrate their normal level of attainment in an assessment.
Special consideration can go some way to assist a candidate affected by a potentially wide range of difficulties, emotional or physical, which may influence performance in their examinations.
It cannot remove the difficulty faced by the candidate. This means that there will be some situations where candidates should not be entered for an examination. This is because only minor adjustments can be made to the mark awarded. To make larger adjustments would jeopardise the standard of the examination.
Q: I have asked for special consideration - has it been applied?
A: The ‘component mark list’ will show if an application for special consideration has been applied.
The component mark list can be downloaded from Edexcel Online, but some centres have requested hard copies to be sent out to them.
Q: Why was special consideration not applied?
A:
- We often receive applications from centres making a request for a disadvantaged candidate when the candidate was, in fact, absent. In such cases, applications are ‘withdrawn’ and processed using other component marks to calculate the overall grade.
- We will reject applications for special consideration if the centre's reasons are invalid or do not meet the JCQ criteria. In these cases, the centre will receive a letter explaining the reason(s) for the rejection. If you disagree with this decision, you have the right to appeal.
- We will reject any applications for absent special consideration if the candidate has not met the criteria for an aegrotat to be awarded. 25% of the overall qualification needs to be sat before an aegrotat will be awarded.
Q: Is there a deadline for special consideration?
A: All applications for special consideration must be made within seven days of the last examination of the series.
For timetabled examinations, you'll need to complete JCQ form 10 and send it along with any supporting evidence to the Special Requirements Team by emailing via the customer portal or directly to uk.special.requirements@pearson.com.
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If you have received the outcome of a Special Consideration request, and your centre is unhappy with the decision on either a tariff or on a calculated Aegrotat, then your centre can appeal.
Appeals must be put in writing, along with the reasons, and sent to the following email address:
edexcelappeals@pearson.com.
Please note that we are unable to accept appeals directly from candidates, their parents/guardians or other third parties acting on their behalf, except for private candidates who are not supported by their entering centre.
There is no charge to appeal the outcome of a Special Considerations request.
Please see chapter 3 of the JCQ booklet a guide to the awarding bodies appeal processes for more details.
For further information and support on special consideration, please see the Pearson Qualifications website.
JCQ regulation and guidance a guide to the special consideration process.
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