Fair Assessment for Candidates Facing Illness, Injury, or Disability
"Special Considerations" are the arrangements Brussels College makes to modify assessments for candidates experiencing illness, injury, or disability, so that every candidate has an equal opportunity to demonstrate their attainment. Brussels College has a responsibility to ensure all candidates have equal opportunities to reach their full potential, and in some instances candidates may require adjustments to the assessment process to achieve this.
Special Considerations fall into two categories: pre-assessment (also known as reasonable adjustments) and post-assessment (also known as extenuating circumstances).
Pre-assessment Special Considerations are approved before an examination or assessment takes place. They are intended to allow attainment to be demonstrated — for example, producing a modified paper for a candidate with a visual impairment whose need has previously been established.
| Special Consideration Type | Examples | Typical Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Communication and Interaction | Written communication difficulties, autism, dominant-hand injury | Extra time, scribe, word processor |
| Cognition and Learning | Learning difficulty, dyspraxia, dyslexia | Extra time, reader, scribe |
| Sensory and Physical Needs | Restricted language/vocabulary, visual impairment, color blindness | Braille paper, large print, colored paper, extra time |
| Behavioral, Emotional and Social Needs | Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Asperger's syndrome, Tourette's syndrome | Prompter, rest breaks, alternative venue |
This is not an exhaustive list. Each request is assessed individually against supporting evidence.
Post-assessment Special Considerations may be granted following an examination or assessment. They are intended to ensure that a candidate affected by a temporary illness, injury, or indisposition at the time of the assessment is given recognition of the difficulty they faced, rather than to inflate a result beyond what the candidate's work demonstrates.
Where a candidate is too unwell or distressed to cope adequately with an assessment, the appropriate special consideration may instead be to allow the candidate to take the assessment at a later date as if for the first time, with no cap on their attainment.
An application may be made where:
(a) A candidate's performance may have been affected by circumstances beyond their control, for example:
(b) The examination is not completed due to circumstances beyond the candidate's control, for example:
Email Student Support within 5 working days of the affected assessment, describing the circumstances and attaching supporting evidence (medical certificate or equivalent).
The request is reviewed by the Vice Rector together with the relevant Program Leader, and, for externally awarded qualifications, forwarded to the awarding body's Assessment Board where required.
The candidate is informed in writing of the outcome — which may include a resit opportunity, an allowance applied to the result, or no adjustment where the evidence does not support the request — normally within 10 working days.
Requests for Special Considerations and any supporting medical or personal evidence are handled confidentially, shared only with staff who need the information to assess or approve the request, and processed in accordance with the Data Protection Policy.