Telling us what you need
If you have a disability we may be able to help you make alternative exam arrangements for your course, including:
- extra time
- using a reader or a scribe
- using a computer
- rest breaks
You should tell us if you have a disability in your university application. If you don't tell us then, you need to contact us as soon as you start your studies.
To make any alternative arrangements you need to make contact with the Disability Service as soon as possible. We can't make arrangements for you until you have chosen your modules for your programme of study.
Deadlines for making arrangements
It's really important that you contact us so we have time to organise your alternative exam arrangements. Remember that there will be waiting times for the appointments so give us as much notice as you can.
Semester one exams
You must have an appointment with us to make arrangements before Monday 24 November 2023.
Semester two exams
If you did not have arrangements in Semester one but now need them, you must have an appointment with us at least two weeks before the beginning of the Easter break. The deadline for Semester two exams this academic year is Friday 15 March 2024.
If you miss the deadline
If you miss the deadline, contact us as soon as possible. We can still meet with you to discuss your requirements.
Making your alternative arrangements
We will meet with you to talk about alternative exam arrangements and check that they are suitable for your needs and the different types of assessment that you may undertake.
If you have already given us evidence us of your disability, you do not need to bring it again to this appointment.
If you have not informed us of a disability before starting your course, you must bring evidence of your disability to your meeting. This could be:
- a doctor's letter confirming your disability or health condition
- a report by an Educational Psychologist
- DSA Needs Assessment report
- evidence from your school/college exams office confirming your exam arrangements e.g. a completed form 8 or a signed letter on headed paper.
Duration of the arrangements
Your alternative exam arrangements will last for your whole course. You must let us know if your needs change so that we can make sure your exam arrangements are still suitable. You are welcome to meet with a Disability Adviser to review your support at any stage of your studies.
Using a support worker during your exams
Although many of the University’s examinations are in person, some still remain as online assessments. If you would like to discuss the suitability of your exam arrangements in relation to online assessments please do book an appointment with a Disability Adviser.
Many students with exam arrangements have found that the move to online assessments has removed their need for specific adjustments. If you are eligible for and choose to make use of in-person examination support such as a reader, scribe or prompter you will need to think about how you wish to make use of this support.
Some of our students have found that using a video calling platform such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom has been a good way to communicate with their support worker during their exam period. You can use the chat function to share links to online documents with each other so that the support worker can see what you are working on in real time.
You will need to think about how long, and at what times you would like to make use of your exam support worker as your session will need to be arranged in advance of the exam beginning.
If you have an entitlement to an exam support worker such as a reader, scribe or prompter you will be contacted by the Disability Service ahead of the exams period to ask if you would like to take up this support and to begin making arrangements if you do.
If you have any queries about how exam support might work for you, please do contact the Disability Support team via disability-supportworkers@bath.ac.uk.