Assessment arrangements FAQ

No. Learners are not permitted the use of an English dictionary in SQA examinations. A candidate who has English as an additional language can use a bilingual dictionary (word for word, with no explanations) — except in English, ESOL or an examination in the candidate’s first language.

No. The purpose of extra time is to provide disabled learners and those with additional support needs with an equal opportunity to demonstrate their attainment in an assessment. In doing so, we are providing an assessment environment that allows them to show the skills, knowledge and understanding they have achieved, without compromising the integrity of the assessment.

Extra time can be beneficial for various reasons, such as allowing learners to process information more thoroughly, plan their responses, use assistive technology, reduce stress, and review their answers. Extra time will not always lead to an improvement in grades - this should not be a factor when assessing a learner’s need for this arrangement.

For example, Kay experiences mental health difficulties that means that they become very anxious before their assessments and have difficulty concentrating. Based on evidence from previous class assessments, the college provides Kay with 15% extra time that is sufficient for them to complete their SQA assessments. The extra time provided allows Kay to read through the questions and any associated text carefully, giving them time to process this information and check that they are satisfied with their answers at the end of the assessment. Knowing that they have this amount of extra time available has been shown to reduce Kay’s anxiety and allow them to complete the assessment.

The amount of extra time requested should accurately reflect the learner’s assessment needs. While it is recognised that you may not have absolute values for the amount of extra time needed, it is important that you have evidence available to show that the learner needs extra time, and evidence of how you have determined the amount they need. For example, an extra time allowance (25%) for a learner with mild spelling difficulties who reads accurately and writes fluently, and where there is only evidence to support an extra time allowance of 10% to check over spelling and punctuation, could provide an unfair advantage over other learners.

The amount of extra time required may vary according to the learner’s individual needs. Evidence that extra time is used when it is given is not sufficient evidence of the need for this arrangement. There must be evidence indicating:

• the impact of the learner’s difficulty or disability on their ability to complete tasks in a specified time in teaching and learning
• that a learner is normally given and uses extra time to complete other class learning activities, tasks and assessments
• that a specific amount of extra time is appropriate support for the learner’s assessment needs, based on the additional amount of time they need to complete a question, task or assessment

You should use your professional judgement when determining the amount of extra time a learner needs - too much extra time in an assessment may be tiring for the learner and might ultimately disadvantage them.

You can find further information in Assessment Arrangements Explained: Information for centres.

No. If there is evidence that a learner cannot complete a task in the allocated time, it is important to identify why the learner was unable to complete the task. For example, is there an undisclosed or unidentified disability or additional support need — does the learner have processing difficulties or struggle with time-keeping?

The centre’s assessment of the learner’s need will identify whether extra time is the most appropriate support or if another assessment arrangement may be more suitable. For example, if a learner has difficulty with concentration, it may be better for them to have a prompter to help keep their attention on the task, or if a learner has severe anxiety, they may benefit from rest breaks.

It is important to remember that assessment arrangements should only be provided to learners whose disabilities or additional support needs have an ongoing and long-term impact on their access to learning, teaching and assessments.

Using a scribe

Yes. Anyone acting as a scribe for a learner in an assessment should be able to produce an accurate record of the learner’s dictated responses. They must be able to write legibly or type at a reasonable rate. The scribe must not have a personal interest in the success of the learner, for example a relative or the learner’s class teacher or lecturer of the subject. There may be exceptions to this, but you must contact us in the first instance to discuss this as soon as possible before the learner is due to sit an assessment.

You can find further information in Assessment Arrangements Explained: Information for centres.

• of established need over a period of time, such as where a learner requires individual or small group accommodation for a specific reason during their ongoing learning, teaching and internal assessment; or
• that it is necessary to meet the needs of a learner and remove barriers to participation in the external assessment.

Some points to consider:

• If separate accommodation has not been used in the past, has something changed for the learner that means separate accommodation is now required as an assessment arrangement?
• It is likely that many, if not all, learners experience stress or anxiety to varying degrees in the lead-up to, and during, a series of exams. This can be supported in a variety of ways, such as coping tips and techniques for exam stress, study support and revision support.
• In situations where these interventions will not be sufficient, you should consider alternative assessment arrangements, including the use of separate accommodation. Where such need becomes apparent only immediately prior to an assessment, you should have procedures in place to decide the appropriate support required to meet the learner’s needs.

You can find more information in Assessment Arrangements Explained: Information for centres. (391 KB) 

The transcriber should be familiar with the learner’s handwriting and the correct spelling of any technical terms (including, for example, place names, names of characters in literary texts) they are likely to use. The transcript may be handwritten or word-processed. If the transcript is to be handwritten, the transcriber must have legible handwriting. This could be a subject teacher if necessary. Although we advise that this should not be the teacher involved in the learner's study of the subject, this could be allowed exceptionally if they are the only teacher who is able to transcribe the learner’s handwriting.

You can find more information in Assessment Arrangements Explained: Information for centres. (391 KB)

Please check all relevant mailboxes for the registration email. If you have not received this email, please contact the Assessment Arrangements Team for assistance. 

If you have forgotten your password, you can reset the password by clicking on the ‘Forgotten Your Password’ link in the Existing User box. A screen will appear — you must have your user ID and security code. The security code will be emailed to the SQA coordinator. You will then be able to reset the password. 

You can find more information on common AAR issues in the AAR User Guide, which is available on our secure website under NQ, then Assessment Arrangements. 

Our AA Toolkit has examples of forms that you can use, but we are not prescriptive about this. This is because each centre type (even between local authorities) is structured differently and of varying sizes in terms of the numbers of learners, which means that what works for one centre may not be suitable for another.  

Requests marked as ‘In Progress’ are either under consideration or awaiting the production of an adapted paper, or they contain missing information or errors. These requests cannot be implemented for the learner until they are marked as ‘Complete’. 

To minimise ‘In Progress’ requests, you should ensure that the AAR system is correctly populated, following the guidance. Delays commonly occur due to missing information such as not completing Optionality sections, incompatible requests such as a learner’s difficulty code not corresponding with their request, or the need for confirmation statements for specific requests like non-standard colours. Most commonly, GDPR-sensitive information about a learner's difficulty has been added in the ‘Additional Comments’. Where this happens, processing is delayed until the centre removes the information.   

Detailed steps for accurate completion are available in the AAR guide, which is available on our secure website under NQ, then Assessment Arrangements. 

No. We do not require learners to have a confirmed diagnosis of a disability for an assessment arrangement to be put in place. However, there must be an identified difficulty. The individual learner’s assessment needs must be the basis for the provision of an assessment arrangement. You should hold evidence of the learner’s identified difficulty and how this impacts on teaching and learning.  

You can find more information in Assessment Arrangements Explained: Information for centres (261 KB).  

There is guidance on the evidence needed to support a request for an assessment arrangement, with examples of good practice and evidence requirements (which should help if SQA carries out a Quality Assurance visit) on Assessment Arrangements under ‘Quality Assurance’. 

You can find examples of resources created by centres that you can adapt for your own situation in the AA Toolkit.  

Not in all cases.  

There may be instances in which centre staff’s or a medical professional’s judgement of a learner’s need for a particular assessment arrangement is sufficient. An example of this might be a deaf learner who uses British Sign Language (BSL) and requires the services of a BSL interpreter to access an assessment task. In these circumstances, there is no requirement for the centre to generate additional AA evidence. 

Medical reports or diagnostic assessments provide a useful starting point to determine which assessment arrangements may be appropriate for the learner. You should, however, consider whether what is proposed best meets the learner’s needs while still ensuring they can demonstrate the competences being assessed. For example, a medical report may suggest extra time but, in practice, rest breaks for learners may be more appropriate. Similarly, where it is suggested that for a visually impaired learner, having the assessment available in font size 18 on green paper is appropriate, consideration should be given to the adjustments made in class for that learner with teacher professional judgement informing the agreement of what is suitable. 

Where the assessment arrangement will be necessary in successive years, there is no need for the centre to generate additional AA evidence. However, you should consider whether the existing arrangements are still fit for purpose or whether any additional assessment arrangements (or changes to these) are required. If it is decided that an existing arrangement remains fit for purpose this should be documented for internal verification purposes and the original evidence for the impact of the AA (eg learner work and/or teacher commentary) retained. 

No. We do not support the practice of gathering evidence of the impact of the learner’s need with and without support. Evidence of need is required, but this does not have to be repeated to support annual requests for assessment arrangements. Decisions made on the most appropriate assessment arrangements for a learner should be based on the needs of the learner and the competences being assessed. 

The learner must also be involved in the discussions about the assessment arrangements to ensure this is appropriate for their needs. 

No. In such circumstances, there is no need to generate new evidence of need for SQA assessments. Evidence generated in BGE is supporting evidence of a learner’s need for assessment arrangements. However, with changes to the level of demand in assessments at different levels of a qualification (for example, from unit-based courses at National 1 to National 4, to sitting exams for the first time at National 5), it is important that you have evidence to confirm that the assessment arrangements provided in previous academic years are still appropriate for the learner’s needs, and whether any changes should be made to this provision in the context of SQA assessments. 

There is no requirement to gather evidence about a learner’s need for assessment arrangements in consecutive diets or levels for the same subject.  

You should, however, consider whether the existing arrangements are still fit for purpose or whether any changes to these arrangements or additional assessment arrangements are required, where there are changes to the level of demand in assessments at different levels of a qualification (for example, National 5 to Higher or SCQF Levels 5 to 6). Further information is available in Assessment Arrangements Explained: Information for centres (261 KB). 

No. While the skills and competence standards assessed in particular assessments should be considered, evidence of a learner’s need for assessment arrangements can be gathered during ongoing learning, teaching and internal assessment. The evidence generated should be naturally occurring and reflect the learner’s usual way of learning and producing work. It is important to note that disabled learners and those with additional support needs must not be asked to undertake an additional prelim or assessment as a method of generating evidence to support an assessment arrangement request.  

No. There is no requirement to gather evidence for each paper or assessment component of an exam.    

Assessment arrangement decisions should reflect, as far as possible, the learner’s way of learning and producing work during ongoing learning, teaching and internal assessment. However, there may be circumstances in which assessment arrangements will only be required for one aspect of an assessment, in which case the evidence gathered can focus on that one component only. For example, a learner with a hearing impairment may require a live presentation of the listening assessment only for lip reading purposes. 

Learners who are appropriately identified as having a specific difficulty with number manipulation, calculation, or long-term or working memory (this does not need to be formally assessed) can be permitted, as a reasonable adjustment, to use a number square/line, multiplication square or a basic calculator in non-calculator mathematics assessments.  

You can find more information in Assessment Arrangements Explained: Information for centres (261 KB).  

No. You should review requests for all assessment arrangements requested for all SQA qualifications including N3 & N4 courses, NPAs, Awards etc.  

You do not need to submit a request to us for assessment arrangements used in an internal assessment. You can provide the assessment arrangement as long as the learner’s need has been appropriately verified and it does not compromise the assessment conditions and standards and you have made a record of that decision. 

The inherent flexibility of some internal assessments will allow many learners to achieve the standard for the qualification without an assessment arrangement. For example, in many internal assessments, learners can demonstrate their skills, knowledge and understanding in a variety of ways, using a range of assessment methods. 

However, if you are in any doubt about whether a learner is allowed a particular assessment arrangement, or whether it compromises assessment conditions and standards, you must in the first instance discuss this with your SQA co-ordinator. Your SQA co-ordinator should contact us as soon as possible, and before the learner undertakes the assessment. You should submit full details of the learner’s difficulty in accessing the assessment, the proposed assessment arrangement, and the specific assessment being undertaken along with your concerns about how it compromises the assessment conditions and standards, to the Assessment Arrangements Team. 

The focus of our quality assurance process is to help centres operate effective internal systems for providing assessment arrangements. We need to have assurance that centres provide assessment arrangements only to disabled learners and / or those with additional support needs who require them. 

Seven key types of documentary evidence are reviewed as part of the process. These are outlined in Quality Assurance of Assessment Arrangements in Internal and External Assessments: Information for centres. (261 KB) There is a checklist in the document to help centres self-evaluate their evidence and confirm that it meets our requirements. 

There will be no impact on learners. We will continue to work with the centre to resolve any issues identified during the quality assurance process. You can continue to submit assessment arrangement requests — the ongoing support that we provide to centres will not impact on the provision of assessment arrangements to learners. 

Yes. The evidence generated should be naturally occurring and reflect the learner’s usual way of learning and producing work. For all internal assessments, you can provide the assessment arrangement as long as the learner’s need has been appropriately verified and it does not compromise the assessment conditions and standards. 

It is not necessary for learners to complete timed assessments to evidence their need for assessment arrangements at National 4.  

Yes. Subject teachers may use their professional judgement, subject knowledge and experience, along with their understanding of the learner to determine the most appropriate ways to generate evidence. Evidence of talking can be generated and presented in a range of ways, some of which are: 

• Creating a comfortable environment. This can be in the centre or in the learner’s home. 
• Allow the learner to talk with someone who they are comfortable with such as a family member or another learner. 
• Accepting a video or audio recording of responses which could then be assessed by the teacher. 
• Personalisation and choice in terms of topic, context and audience. 
• Gathering evidence over time and not as a single-assessment event. 

You may find it helpful to refer to our guidance Supportive Practices in Assessment of Talking in National Literacy Unit (92 KB).  

No. For some learners, regular school attendance can be adversely impacted by a number of short and longer term factors.  

The focus should be on the needs of the learner and seeking to ensure that the arrangements adopted remove any barriers to participation in the assessment. A holistic approach should be adopted acknowledging the extenuating circumstances, with consideration given to the evidence available and efforts made to ensure that the learner can access appropriate assessment arrangements. Evidence of assessment arrangements needed by learners does not need to take place in the centre, nor does it need to be generated during assessments. Teachers’ professional judgement will be based on evidence generated, which should be naturally occurring and reflect the learner’s usual way of learning and producing work. The learner’s needs should be discussed at the school’s internal verification meetings, where senior management staff play an important role on taking a holistic approach to considering the circumstances and teachers’ professional judgement, to reach a school-based decision. 

We are aware that there is a national shortage of some medications used to treat ADHD and other conditions and recognise that this may impact on learners who are prescribed this medication. Scottish Government officials are working closely with stakeholders including Education Scotland, CAMHS and Neurodevelopmental Managers, The Association of Principal Educational Psychologists (ASPEP), COSLA, ADES and SQA.   

If any of your learners are affected by this medication shortage, it is important to review and adjust their assessment arrangements to ensure they receive the necessary support. Schools should start by assessing each affected learner’s specific needs and how the medication shortage might impact their performance.  

Consider implementing assessment arrangements such as extra time, providing additional breaks, and arranging separate accommodation to help mitigate any new challenges. 

If a learner's writing is illegible and a marker would have difficulty in deciphering the learner's writing, the learner can use ICT in their exams. Transcription without correction is also an option for learners. ICT and Transcription without Correction guidance is available from the SQA Secure website by clicking on NQ then Assessment Arrangements. You can submit requests by completing the ICT and Transcription spreadsheet on the secure website and sending it to nonaaict@sqa.org.uk

Yes. You should have evidence of an identified difficulty, while this does not need to be a formal diagnosis, you must have evidence of the difficulty and how it impacts on teaching and learning. Arrangements for use in external exams should reflect what the learner needs to use in class. We do not prescribe the type or volume of evidence you should have, but it must be clear evidence for the specific assessment arrangements the learner needs across the course, such as reader and scribe, extra time, ICT.  

You may wish to refer to the Quality Assurance guidance document on evidence needed to support a request for an assessment arrangement, examples of good practice and evidence requirements. You can find this under ‘Quality Assurance’.  

If a learner has a temporary disability, such as a broken wrist, that might affect their exam performance, you should submit a request for accommodations. You can find instructions for submitting a request on the SQA Secure site under NQ > Assessment Arrangements, where you’ll also find the Temporary Disability form that needs to be completed for all affected learners. 

For internal assessments, temporary disability arrangements do not need to be submitted to SQA unless you believe they might compromise the integrity of the assessment. 

You can find instructions on how to submit a request on the SQA secure site, under NQ then Assessment Arrangements. On this page you will find the EAL spreadsheet. You should complete it for all learners and submit it via email to eal.requests@sqa.org.uk.

You can find further information regarding EAL learners in Use of a bilingual dictionary for English as an Additional Language (EAL) (130 KB).

The dictionaries that are permitted are English-first language (word-for-word) dictionaries that do not contain explanations or definitions of words or phrases. It is your responsibility, before the exam, to check that the dictionaries to be used by learners are clean copies. You must check to ensure that no unauthorised information, such as notes or revision data, have been enclosed within or written on the pages of the dictionary.

A learner can use an electronic dictionary, provided it functions only as an English-first language dictionary - it must be word-for-word and must not contain explanations or definitions of words and phrases. Any functions that are not allowed in an external exam (including personal word lists, and thesaurus and connectivity) must be disabled.

A learner can use a copy of the dictionary downloaded from the internet if a hard copy cannot be sourced, provided it functions only as an English-first language dictionary.

We do not allow the translation of examinations into another language. Neither would a learner be able to write in their first language and have this translated into English. Questions in SQA examination question papers are carefully set and worded. SQA could not be sure that the translation of any question was conveyed to the candidate in exactly the same way as it had been written.

Please note that answer books are not available in adapted format. They are only provided in the standard A4 booklet format in white, or in the colour that has been approved for the corresponding question paper. SQA can provide enlarged data booklets in font size 18pt or above, but we cannot provide any other adaptations to data booklets.

A request a learner to use a data booklet that has been adapted by the centre may be accepted. The Assessment Arrangements team would need to review and approve the request before it can be used.

We are limited to the adaptations we can make to Ordnance Survey maps. They can be enlarged by a further 50%, and can be produced in black and white (greyscale) rather than colour, which may be helpful for learners who are colour-blind. Colour indicating arrows cannot be provided for Ordnance Survey maps for Geography.

Digital question papers (DQPs) are digitised versions of question papers that can be completed electronically using a PC, laptop, or tablet. These are only for disabled learners or learners with additional support needs who may have reading or writing difficulties. Digital question papers are only produced as PDFs - this is an open standard file format compatible with many software applications, operating systems, and hardware platforms.

Like physical question papers, digital question papers are either in the combined question and answer format or the question-only format. The combined question and answer papers have answer spaces within the file for completion. The question-only papers have an associated digital answer booklet. Digital answer booklets are produced in PDF format and Microsoft Word format. Both formats have answer spaces for completion. More information on digital question papers.

Digital question papers can only be used by disabled learners and those identified as having additional support needs who have an approved assessment arrangement. Digital question papers may be suitable for learners who have difficulty reading the physical question paper or who have difficulty writing their responses on the physical question paper or answer booklet.

No, but your learner's PC or laptop can adjust the colour of the paper and text. They can also use a range of assistive technologies to read and respond to questions. Please note, we do not offer advice on assistive technologies. Please refer to CALL Scotland who work with us and offer advice on their website.

Yes. You can find these on on our website.  

Yes. A digital answer booklet (DAB) is produced to accompany a digital question paper when the question paper is a question-only paper. 

Digital answer booklets (DABs) can be downloaded in Word and PDF format. The PDF DABs are available in spellcheck-off and spellcheck-on versions. The spellcheck for Word DABs is set locally. Please refer to ‘Digital Question Papers: Exam Guide for Centres (217 KB)’ for more details on DABs and spellcheck.  

More information on digital question papers

Learners using digital question papers may require assistive technology to access their assessments. Those with reading, writing, or spelling difficulties, visual impairments, or physical challenges might prefer using software over a human reader or scribe. Commonly used software includes screen readers, text-to-speech, and speech recognition tools. It’s essential that learners test their systems to ensure they function correctly before the external assessment.  

Please note, SQA does not offer advice on assistive technologies, for more information and examples of digital software, visit the CALL Scotland website. 

Structured digital question papers, with question and answer boxes, are only available as PDFs. However, your learner may use a generic Word-format answer booklet which can be downloaded from Digital Answer Booklets. If you scroll down on this page, you will see a heading ‘Generic Answer Booklet’ with a downloadable document. This should be compatible with assistive technology such as speech to text software.   

Unstructured digital question papers, with questions only, will be supplied with a PDF and Word answer booklets. Your learner may use the Word format answer booklet, which should be compatible with assistive technology. 

Please note, SQA does not offer advice on assistive technologies, for more information and examples of digital software, visit the CALL Scotland website. 

Yes. Requests for learners who do not have an identified additional support need but need to use ICT in external assessments must be submitted to SQA using the ICT and Transcription spreadsheet. Where a learner has illegible handwriting but does not have appropriate ICT skills, we can allow transcription without correction. 

Please ensure both these requests are submitted through the spreadsheet located in SQA Secure - not the AAR system. 

All software used by learners must comply with our ICT Security Checklist, which outlines the necessary security measures for using ICT in assessments. For more details, please refer to the ICT Security Checklist on our Secure website under NQ > Assessment Arrangements. 

Digital question papers offer many candidates a practical, independent method to access SQA assessments, but writing expressions in maths and science can be a challenge.  

We cannot endorse or recommend a particular company which produces apps and software, advice is available on the CALL Scotland Digital Assessment web site 

A learner may find the paper easier to read if presented in another background, or text, colour. You can find detailed steps at www.adapteddigitalexams.org.uk.