Examination of candidates who are under some disability

Part 1: Available concessions (Pre-Award Procedures)

The Council is prepared to give special consideration and make necessary arrangements in respect of candidates who are handicapped in any way which might have an effect on their performance in the ICSE/ISC (12) Examination, as follows:

1. Special Difficulty Procedure:
   Disability, illness or other misfortune: When a candidate suffers some injury, bereavement or other misfortune which may adversely affect his or her performance in the examination, the Special Difficulty procedure is used. A form is submitted to the Council by the Principal of the candidate's school and the candidate's work is then given special consideration by a Committee before the issue of the result. The Council's Committee does not give a 'blanket' compensation but treats every case on its merits, for experience has shown that candidates working under similar unusual stress are affected in widely different ways. For this reason the Special Difficulty form provides for performance of the affected candidate to be compared with that of unaffected classmates.
   
   
2. Special Arrangements
   Depending on the nature and degree of the handicap the Council is prepared to make additional special arrangements. Subject to the convener concerned being willing and able to provide the necessary facilities. And to the candidate accepting responsibility for any additional expenses which may be incurred. The following special arrangements are the most common either singly or in various combinations.
   
   
   1. Allowance of additional time: The normal maximum additional allowance is at the rate of 15 minutes in a one-hour paper, 30 minutes in a two-hour paper, and 45 minutes in a three-hour paper, but these allowances may be varied according to circumstances. When a candidate's speed of writing is affected by his handicap a greater allowance may be granted in a paper requiring extensive writing such as English Literature, or History than in a paper of for example the short answer type.
      
      
   2. Use of an amanuensis: When a candidate's performance is affected to such an extent that any reasonable allowance of extra time would not meet the difficulty, the use of an amanuensis may be permitted (with or without extra time). The amanuensis normally would be a fellow pupil, who has not reached the same academic standard in the subject as the candidate. Similar arrangements may be permitted in practical examinations.
      
      
   3. The typing of answers by the candidate. Vide 3(i)
      
      
   4. The question paper may be read out, but not explained in any way to candidates who have defective eyesight or a certified reading disability.
      
      
   5. If a candidate unavoidably misses part of the examination in a subject, the Committee is usually willing to make an allowance based on the work actually presented, provided that this amounts to at least half the total examination in the subject in terms of marks available and covers a satisfactory proportion of the syllabus.
      
      
   6. Permission for the candidate to sit for the examination in hospital under supervision arrangements having been approved in advance by the Council.
      
      The following conditions apply:
      
      1. A medical certificate must be submitted confirming the need for the concession.
         
         
      2. Satisfactory invigilation must be guaranteed, in consultation with the Convenor/Council, and details provided to the Council of the proposed invigilator. The invigilator must not be a member of the candidate's own family, but any responsible person may be named, preferably a teacher of another Council school.
         
         
      3. Any additional costs incurred are a matter of local arrangement in which the Council plays no part.
         
         
      4. Unless the place of the examination is close enough to the school for question papers to be handed to the candidate after the start of the examination at the main centre and for the complete script to be collected without undue delay, the transfer procedure must be followed i.e.
         
         
         1. The Council must be requested to provide question papers packed separately for the use of the candidate.
            
            
         2. The script must be dispatched in accordance with special instructions which the Supervising Examiner receives from the Council.
            The Supervising Examiner at the main centre must be instructed NOT to show candidate as 'absent' but to attach a note to the attendance list explaining that the script in question is being dispatched separately.
            
            
         3. If the candidate is suffering from an infectious disease, the school must seek the advice of the school doctor or a registered medical officer about the disinfection of the scripts before their dispatch to the Council.
            
            
   7. If the candidate is unable to take a paper for no fault of his own at the normal time, he may be allowed to take the paper later provided that security can be guaranteed. The Council requires written confirmation that the candidate has had no access, directly or indirectly, to information about the contents of the question paper. In all but the most exceptional circumstances (e.g. isolated in hospital) the maximum permissible deviation from the normal time-table is 24 hours.
      
      
   8. Confidentiality. The 'need to-know' principle should be observed in cases affecting local candidates when they concern highly personal matters (e.g. parental discord). To avoid possible embarrassment to staff who may know the family in question, all relevant correspondence should be kept in a special confidential file.