How do we evidence the need for extra time in exams?

Evidence two things together: a qualifying trigger (a current EHCP/IDP or Form 8 with two standardised scores of 84 or below) plus proof that 25% extra time is the student's normal way of working in marked mock scripts. Both legs are mandatory. The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which sets exam rules across the main awarding bodies, will not accept one without the other.

The two legs you have to evidence

A diagnosis on its own, or a single assessor's report on its own, does not qualify a student for extra time. For 25% extra time the JCQ Access Arrangements rules (AARA 2025-26, updated March 2026) want a qualifying trigger and a history of normal way of working, side by side.

• The trigger. Either a current EHCP, IDP or Statement, or a fully completed Form 8 (the JCQ assessment record) showing a learning difficulty. For 25% extra time the assessment must give two below-average standardised scores of 84 or below, or one score of 84 or below plus one low-average score of 85 to 89, across two different areas of speed of working or cognitive processing.
• The normal way of working. Centre-based evidence that the student already uses the extra time in class and in mocks. The Form 8 assessment cannot start until the student is in Year 9 or above.

Build the evidence file first

Under the 2025-26 JCQ rules, in force from 1 September 2025, thin or "skeleton" information gathered before the formal assessment is not enough, and the March 2026 update reaffirmed this. Part 1 of Form 8 must already carry teacher feedback and proof of normal way of working before the assessor writes Parts 2 and 3. So start collecting in class, not at application time.

• Marked internal test and mock scripts that show the extra time being used, with the additional time written in a different pen colour or font so the moderator can see it.
• Subject-teacher and student comments confirming the extra time was used and that it improved the quality or completeness of the work. JCQ looks at quality, not quantity, so a representative sample matters more than a thick folder.

Who signs it off, and how

It is the SENCo, not the assessor, who makes the final determination and processes the application through Access Arrangements Online. The assessor supplies the scores; the SENCo holds the centre-based picture and decides. Keep the marked scripts, the Form 8 and the application record on file in case of a JCQ centre inspection.

Access arrangements are how an exam centre meets its duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates so they are not put at a substantial disadvantage (Equality Act 2010, s.20). A fully completed Form 8 can roll forward from GCSE to AS, A level or other Level 3 courses without a fresh assessment, as long as the need still meets the published criteria and the evidence shows it persists. For the wider picture, see how to set exam access arrangements for SEND pupils.

This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.