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An awarding body’s decision to award special consideration will be based on various factors, which may vary from learner to learner and from one assessment to another. These factors may include the severity of the circumstances, and the date and nature of the assessment. 

What's on this page

Applying for special consideration.

For timetabled exams or for coursework, controlled, practical or oral assessments, you apply via the special consideration online portal on Interchange . 

If a candidate sits the wrong paper then you will need to apply for special consideration as ‘absent’ for the paper they missed. Approval is subject to the student certificating in the same series as the missed exam and meeting the minimum requirements for enhanced grading. Keep the original entry if it was correct before the wrong paper was taken. Do not change the entry to match the wrong paper. Please do not send the wrong paper to us – keep it in an envelope in your secure storage – just in case we need to request it later.

If a candidate leaves the exam early and you are applying for special consideration then please let us know how long they were present for, as well as the duration of the overall exam.  

If an application you have made has been rejected when you expected it to have been accepted , contact the special requirements team at [email protected] and they will review the outcome. Some applications are automatically rejected by the online system.

Please note, following the publication of results, applications will only be accepted in the most exceptional circumstances and must be submitted before the deadline for reviews of results for the respective examination series.

A member of the senior leadership team must produce compelling evidence to support a late application.

An application for special consideration cannot be submitted after the completion of a review of results.

Lost, partially lost or damaged internally assessed work

If all or part of a candidate’s work is lost or damaged through no fault of the candidate, please submit an application via the special consideration online portal on Interchange . 

If that is not possible, then complete and submit a Notification of Lost Centre Assessed Work (JCQ/LCW Form 15), which is available from the JCQ website . 

Marks should be submitted in the normal way and the moderator must be informed of the application.

Tips for using Special Consideration Online

You may find these tips helpful when making your application:

• When searching for a candidate, try searching using one field – the more fields you enter, the less likely you'll return any results.
• If you can't find an individual candidate, try using the ‘multiple candidate’ option which will list all candidates entered for a component or unit (and then just select the one candidate you need).
• If you need to submit an application for a number of students affected by the same reason and for the same unit, please use the ‘multiple candidate’ option. If you have more than 10 candidates, there will be more than one page so make sure you select all the candidates you need to.

If you have any queries, please contact the OCR special requirements team at [email protected] .

Statement of recognition

Where a candidate has been fully prepared and entered for one of our qualifications but has encountered exceptional mitigating circumstances beyond their control and is unable to sit any of our set examinations/assessments, please contact our special requirements team. We can advise you of the process and the information required. Based on this information, we may issue a statement of recognition. A statement of recognition records the candidate’s potential qualification grade(s), according to the centre, had our set examinations/assessments been completed. 

The statement of recognition is designed to support the candidate’s progression to the next stage of education, training, or employment. It can inform discussions with Further Education/Higher Education institutions, other education providers, and employers, to facilitate progression. The statement of recognition is provided by OCR based on the information supplied by the centre and is not a qualification certificate. This is different to an honorary certificate . 

If you think you have a candidate for whom a statement of recognition may be appropriate, please email the special requirements team at [email protected] .

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Special consideration

When students are disadvantaged during their exams we can sometimes make mark adjustments as part of a process called special consideration.

Minimum requirement

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) has reduced the minimum requirement for special consideration where a student has missed part of their AS, A-level or GCSE exams. Students are eligible for special consideration if they have completed 15% of the total assessment for the subject award.

When special consideration is applicable

If a student is fully prepared for the exam but is disadvantaged due to illness or unavoidable circumstances beyond their control at the time of the exam or when they complete their coursework/controlled assessment.

In these cases, a small percentage is added to the raw mark. The percentage is determined by using the guidelines agreed by all the awarding bodies and published by JCQ.

If a student is absent from an exam for a valid reason.

In these cases, a mark is calculated for the missing unit provided the student has completed enough of the specification to meet the minimum requirements specified by JCQ – this is known as a 'z-score'. The calculation of the missing mark takes into account the student's performance in the other comparable units of the exam and the national average for those units. The assumption is that the student will perform as well – no better, no worse – on the paper with the missing mark compared to their performance on the other papers when compared to the national cohort.

This method is considered to be fair and consistent, and is applied the same way by all exam boards offering GCSEs and A-levels.

To find out more, read JCQ's guidance .

How to apply for special consideration

Exams officers must apply online using the special consideration section of Centre Services.

Select one of the following four options:

• Disadvantaged candidate – for a student who was disadvantaged at the time of a written exam.
• Absent candidate – for a student who was absent from a written exam.
• Group request – for a group of students for any exam or assessment.
• Non-timetabled assessment – for a student whose coursework, oral or practical assessment has been lost or is incomplete.

Applications are then processed by our special consideration team. Exams officers can select 'view requests' in Centre Services to see the outcome.

Important notes

• If a student thinks they may be eligible for special consideration, they should discuss this with the exams officer at their school or college. The school or college must support an application for special consideration.
• An examiner does not apply special consideration when marking an exam, as this has to be done post-marking by the special consideration team.
• We cannot use grades which are predicted by the school or college in our calculations. This is to ensure that all students are assessed according to the same criteria and that the standard of the exam is upheld when awards are made.
• Special consideration can only ever go some way towards compensating a student who has been disadvantaged during an exam. It is not always possible to reflect what might have been achieved in more favourable circumstances.

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JCQ access arrangements and special consideration guidance

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Special consideration

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Special consideration is a post-exam adjustment that we make to a candidate's mark to make allowances for some adverse circumstances, for example illness, bereavement, temporary injury or disruption to an exam. The information on this page explains our usual regulations, and any differences for the June 2024 exam series.  

You can submit applications for different types of special consideration:

• present but disadvantaged candidates
• absent candidates
• coursework-related special consideration.

What special consideration is available?

Candidates entered into the June 2024 series must:

• have covered the whole course  and
• have completed a minimum of 15 per cent of the total assessment by component weighting in the relevant exam series. Carry-forward marks do not count.

Our usual minimum requirements for calculating an assessed mark are that the candidate must:

• have completed 50 per cent of the total assessment by component weighting in the relevant exam series. Carry-forward marks do not count.

How do I apply?

To apply for special consideration go to the 'Special consideration' area of  Direct . Alternatively, you can complete the relevant forms, which are available from the 'Support Materials' section of  Direct :

• Special Consideration: Exam Day – Form 7 
• Special Consideration (Shortfall in Coursework): Coursework and moderation – Form 2 
• Special Consideration (Lost Coursework): Coursework and moderation – Form 3

You need to submit all applications for special consideration within seven days of the last exam of the syllabus affected.

If you need help you can refer to section 5.5 of the  Cambridge Handbook .

What is being 'absent from a component for acceptable reasons'?

If a candidate is absent from an eligible component for an acceptable reason, we may calculate and award an assessed mark for the missing component. You can find more information, including some of the unacceptable reasons for special consideration, in section 5 of the Cambridge Handbook. We cannot calculate an assessed mark for all components, see below.

We cannot calculate an assessed mark for the following:

• Cambridge International A Levels where a candidate has not completed any A Level components (A2 Level components) in the exam series
• Any component that does not have a weighting e.g. an endorsed component
• Syllabuses where a candidate has only completed a component that does not have a weighting e.g. an endorsed component.

We will not calculate an assessed mark for a component if the candidate can be awarded a syllabus grade using their marks from other components they have taken. We prioritise the marks the candidate has achieved over calculating new assessed marks. This means that we will not calculate an assessed AS Level mark for a candidate who is:

• entered for a ‘best-of both’ A Level entry option and
• is missing an AS Level component mark for an acceptable reason in the current exam series and
• has a valid AS Level carry-forward mark. Instead we use their AS Level carry-forward mark to award the syllabus grade.

The usual minimum requirements for calculating an assessed mark are that the candidate should:

• have covered the whole course
• have completed 50 per cent of the total assessment by component weighting in the relevant exam series. Carry-forward marks do not count. If the candidate has completed less than 50 per cent you should still apply and we will consider whether we can calculate an assessed mark.

You can find more information, including some of the unacceptable reasons for special consideration, in section 5 of the Cambridge Handbook .

I am an Associate Centre – how do I apply for special consideration?

You should apply for special consideration using the relevant form rather than via Direct :

• Log in to Direct and go to ‘Support Materials’.
• Download the relevant form(s).
• Complete and send them to your Cambridge Associate.
• Your Cambridge Associate should check your form(s) and email to us within seven days of the last exam of the syllabus affected.

Frequently asked questions

To work out a grade when a candidate has missed one or more components, we generate marks – which we call ‘assessed marks’ – for the missing components based on the candidate’s performance in their other components in the syllabus. 

We work out what position the candidate is in, compared to all the other candidates, for the components they took. We put the candidate in the same position for the component(s) they missed. We check what mark candidates would normally receive in that position on the list, and give them those marks.

For example, Amina is entered for a Cambridge IGCSE which has three components. She is absent for an acceptable reason for the Paper 1 exam, but she takes Paper 2 and Paper 3.

In the exam series there will be

• Some candidates who take Paper 1, Paper 2, and Paper 3 as expected
• Other candidates who take Paper 2 and Paper 3 and are unable to take Paper 1, and who receive assessed marks.

Our method for calculating assessed marks is designed to make sure that candidates with assessed marks for a component are not advantaged or disadvantaged.

First, we add up the total marks for Paper 2 and Paper 3, for the candidates who took all three papers, and work out how many candidates scored each total mark.

• We also work out Amina’s total mark for Paper 2 and Paper 3. We compare her mark to the marks scored by the candidates who took all three papers.
• In Amina’s case, we find that 80 per cent of candidates have a higher total score than her for Paper 2 and Paper 3, and 20 per cent of candidates have a lower score than her.

The next step is to look at the marks for Paper 1 that the candidates who took all three papers scored.

• We put Amina in the same position for Paper 1 as she is for the total score for Paper 2 and Paper 3.
• In Amina’s case, her mark for Paper 1 will put her in the position where 80 per cent of candidates have a higher score than her and 20 per cent have a lower score than her.
• This means the mark that Amina is awarded for Paper 1 will reflect how well she did on the other two papers, and it is not giving her an advantage or disadvantage compared to the candidates who took all three papers.

Amina’s assessed mark for Paper 1 is added to her marks for Paper 2 and Paper 3 and she is awarded a syllabus grade in the usual way.

Yes. In our Code of Practice, we say that candidates will be treated fairly in all circumstances (aim 5.2). To treat candidates fairly, our special considerations will not give a candidate receiving them an advantage over other candidates (5.2i).  

The method we use to produce assessed marks reflects a candidate’s position relative to the other candidates for the components they have all done. This means it is designed to make sure that achieving each assessed mark is neither easier nor harder than achieving the same mark through completing the exam. 

Of course, we strongly recommend that candidates plan to take all the components they can – it is better educationally, fairer for candidates, and reduces the risk that a candidate misses every component and cannot be given a grade.

We are confident that grades awarded where candidates have assessed marks are appropriate because the way that they are produced does not give candidates an advantage or disadvantage. 

There are syllabuses where performance on the different components does not always correlate strongly. It may be that some candidates perform better on paper 1 than on paper 2, while other candidates perform better on paper 2 than on paper 1. Where this is the case, it is possible that a candidate’s grade using an assessed mark might not be the same as the grade they would have got from taking the component. However, to treat all candidates equally, we award an assessed mark that reflects a candidate’s position relative to the other candidates for the components they have all done.

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