We firmly believe that all students should be given equal opportunities for assessment at every stage of their educational journey. Therefore, whilst studying at Royal Holloway, if you have a disability or other condition that impacts upon your ability to perform under standard examination conditions, you can apply for Exam Access Arrangements (EAAs).
We firmly believe that all students should be given equal opportunities for assessment at every stage of their educational journey. Therefore, whilst studying at Royal Holloway, if you have a disability or other condition that impacts upon your ability to perform under standard examination conditions, you can apply for Exam Access Arrangements (EAAs). If your EAAs are approved, the necessary adjustments will be made to allow you to demonstrate your full potential without compromising academic standards.
Am I eligible to apply for EAAs?
If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you might benefit from reasonable adjustments and may be eligible to apply for EAAS:
- Do you have a medically diagnosed condition or disability?
- Do you have a specific learning disability such as dyslexia?
- Do you have a temporary condition or illness?
Still unsure? No need to worry, the Disability and Neurodiversity team are on hand to help and can advise you on the best course of action in your individual circumstance.
To arrange a meeting:
- Email them on disability@royalholloway.ac.uk
- Give them a call on 01784 414621
- Attend one of their drop-ins which run in person on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday in Founders East (FE) 153 from 11am-2pm or online at these times on Mondays and Fridays.
How and when do I apply?
If you believe you might be eligible, you should apply for Exam Access Arrangements as early as possible at the start of the academic year, such as during an application for admission to the University. In the case of a temporary illness/condition or injury, you should apply immediately after the event.
To apply you will need:
- To be registered with the Disability and Neurodiversity team (Please find the D&N registration form HERE)
- Evidence of your disability or condition (in English)
Or you can reach out to the D&N team to discuss your application.
Please note that you must submit new supporting evidence for consideration each academic year in which you require access arrangements.
Some students, whose conditions do not vary over time, at the discretion of the Executive Committee for Assessment, will be granted access arrangements for their duration of their studies without the need to apply each year, except to request a change to previous arrangements. You can speak to the D&N team if you believe this should apply to you.
How will I know if my application is successful and what my Exam Access arrangements are?
If your application is successful and your Exam Access Arrangements have been approved by the College, you’ll receive an email which will outline the details of any reasonable adjustments. (Be sure to check your university email regularly so you don’t miss important information and updates related to your application!)
Once you receive this email, we recommend that you:
- Read the email thoroughly
- Print and save a copy for your personal records
If, having read the document thoroughly, you believe that there’s been a mistake, it’s important that you:
If you’re not sure about any of the information in the email you’ve received, you can see the Standard Guidelines for Exam Access Arrangements HERE.
How is extra time calculated and will this be displayed on my exam timetable?
Extra time is calculated on a proportionate (pro-rata) basis per hour. For example, if you are granted 15 minutes per hour extra time for a two-hour exam, your total exam time will be 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Any extra time you have been given will be detailed in your Exam Access Arrangements email and confirmed by the exam supervisor at the start of your exam.
However, this will NOT be displayed on your exam timetable on Campus Connect, so please do not worry that it still shows the standard duration.
What is 'flagging’?
If you have a specific learning need, the college may ‘flag’ your script with a coloured sticker (red for examination scripts) to make your examiner/marker aware that you have a condition which may impact on your writing. As a result, you should then not be unfairly penalised for errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar or presentation.
Please note that for courses where this is an essential part of the learning outcome, it will not be possible for the examiner/marker to ignore these types of errors.
However, if you’re registered with the Disability and Neurodiversity team, you have access to the Assistive Technology suite (on the first floor of the library) and assistive software which you can use to help eradicate errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar or presentation.
Is there anything else I should know?
We want you to feel comfortable asking questions or reaching out should you need support, but if you’d prefer to explore more on your own first, please find the resources below which you may find helpful.
- Find out more about the support available for disabled students HERE.
- Who’s who in the Disability and Neurodiversity team. Meet them HERE.
- Disability and Neurodiversity page on the Student Intranet
- You can use AccessAble to have a virtual look at our campus and accessibility
Remember, you can always reach out to an advisor for support, and if we’re not the best people to help you we will point you in the right direction.