GCSE and A-Level Access Arrangements 2027: Extra Time and JCQ Deadlines

Written for the 2026-27 exam year: November 2026 resits and the June 2027 GCSE and A-level series. Parents cannot apply for exam access arrangements. The school's SENCO does, through the exam boards' shared online system, and for June 2027 the deadline is Sunday 21 March 2027 (Sunday 31 January for modified papers such as enlarged or braille). For 25% extra time, a child with a learning difficulty needs a school-arranged assessment showing slow speed of working in two separate areas. An autistic child, a child with ADHD or a child with an EHC plan goes through a different route that needs specialist evidence instead of test scores. Either way, the arrangement has to be how your child already works in school.

The rules below come from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) regulations, updated in March 2026 and in force for 2026/27, covering GCSEs and A-levels on every board.

The arrangements, and which need an application

Some arrangements the SENCO can simply put in place. Others must be approved through Access arrangements online, the exam boards' shared system. These are the ones parents ask about most:

Two rules catch families out in English. A human reader is not allowed in the reading section of GCSE English Language, because reading is what is being tested; a computer reader is allowed. And spelling, punctuation and grammar marks are lost with spellcheck switched on, and with a scribe are only given for skills the candidate shows themselves.

Who qualifies for 25% extra time

Learning difficulties: the Form 8 route

For dyslexia, slow processing and similar difficulties without an EHC plan, the evidence is Form 8, and the order matters. The SENCO completes Part 1 first, with teacher feedback and how your child works in class, tests and mocks. Only then does an assessor appointed by the school test for Part 2, no earlier than the start of Year 9. Standardised scores average 100, and Part 2 must show, in two different areas of speed of working (reading speed, writing speed, cognitive processing):

• two below-average scores of 84 or less; or
• one score of 84 or less and one low-average score of 85 to 89.

Two low-average scores (both 85-89) are not approved automatically: the school must refer the case to the exam board with a strong justification. A reading-speed score cannot count if your child uses a reader, and a writing-speed score cannot count if they type or use a scribe. Our dyslexia guide covers the wider picture.

Autism, ADHD, medical needs and EHC plans: the Form 9 route

Where the need is communication and interaction (including autism), social, emotional and mental health (including ADHD), sensory or physical, a diagnosed medical condition, or a learning difficulty with a current EHC plan, no test scores are needed. The SENCO completes Form 9, describing the difficulties and confirming that extra time is the normal way of working. It must be backed by specialist evidence, for example a letter or report from CAMHS, an HCPC-registered psychologist, a consultant, a psychiatrist or a speech and language therapist, or the EHC plan itself.

A diagnosis from private practice is acceptable here, and the specialist does not have to recommend extra time; the SENCO decides. On a CAMHS waiting list, a letter agreeing to assess can be used in exceptional circumstances. Our EHCP guide explains how plans and school support fit together.

Both routes also need a sample of school tests or mock papers showing the extra time in use, and comments from subject teachers on why it is needed and how it is used. GCSE resits are exempt from that. Extra time is not allowed where reading or writing difficulties come mainly from English being an additional language.

Ask about rest breaks first

Where the need is not a learning difficulty, JCQ tells SENCOs to consider supervised rest breaks before extra time, and says breaks may suit anxiety, attention difficulties, ADHD and autism better. The clock stops and the paper is out of sight. Some children need both. Our ADHD guide has more on what helps day to day.

Normal way of working: the rule behind every decision

JCQ's test is whether the arrangement reflects support your child already gets: in class, in small groups or intervention, in internal tests and in mocks. It cannot appear for the first time at exam time. JCQ expects schools to build that picture in Years 7 to 9 and apply in Year 10.

If your child is given 25% extra time and never uses it, the SENCO may withdraw it. And a laptop at home does not make typing the normal way of working; what counts is how your child works in school.

Year 11 mocks are where much of this evidence is gathered; our Year 11 mocks guide covers the timing.

The JCQ deadlines for 2026-27

Do not confuse 21 March with Sunday 21 February 2027, the JCQ deadline for exam entries. Late applications are allowed for a temporary injury, or for a diagnosis or impairment that arises after the deadline. Approvals last up to 26 months, long enough to cover a two-year GCSE course if the school applies in Year 10, but A-levels need a new application.

Who applies, and what to send the SENCO

The school does. JCQ and the exam boards only discuss arrangements with schools and colleges, not parents, and the decision is the SENCO's. An outside professional can advise but cannot decide, and a school cannot charge a disabled candidate for reasonable adjustments.

A private assessment is the expensive mistake. A privately commissioned assessment cannot be used unless the assessor contacted the school beforehand, was approved by the head and received Part 1 of Form 8 from the SENCO. Speak to the SENCO before paying anyone. A medical diagnosis is different: for the Form 9 route, NHS or private is fine.

What to send, in writing:

• What you see at home: homework that takes twice as long as set, timed work left unfinished, reading that stalls. Parents' comments cannot be recorded in Part 1 of Form 8 or Form 9, but they tell the SENCO where to look.
• Any diagnosis letters, specialist reports or the EHC plan.
• Three questions: which arrangement is being trialled in tests and mocks, and in which subjects; whether a Form 8 assessment is planned; and whether the application will go in before 21 March 2027.

Arrangements are decided subject by subject. A child may get extra time in essay subjects but not in maths.

What a tutor can and cannot do

A tutor cannot assess, diagnose or apply, and JCQ rules out a private tutor acting as your child's reader or scribe. Their notes are not school evidence either: normal way of working means how your child works in school.

What a tutor can do is make the arrangement work in practice:

• Timed practice papers at the extended time, and a plan for the extra 26 minutes on a 1 hour 45 minute paper: planning first, checking at the end.
• Typing with spellcheck off, or working with a computer reader, if that is the arrangement.
• A rest-break routine: stop, look away, restart.
• Plain notes on what they see, which you can pass to the SENCO as a prompt to look.

AQA's examiners have said some English students with unreadable handwriting would have benefited from a word processor (see our GCSE English resit guide). For choosing a tutor, see how to choose a SEN tutor and what to look for in SEN tutoring.

NearMeTutor lessons are online, one-to-one and live on video, from £18 an hour, pay as you go with no contract. We match you within 24 hours, and you can meet tutors free until you find the right one - ask each how they would build your child's arrangement into timed practice papers. Every lesson is recorded, which helps if you want to show the SENCO what you are seeing. Tutors are safeguarding-trained with verified qualifications, and DBS-checked tutors are marked on their profiles. Find an online SEN tutor.

Frequently asked questions

Do we need a private diagnosis to get extra time?

Not for a learning difficulty: the school's own assessor does the Form 8 tests, and a private report made without the school's involvement cannot be used. For autism, ADHD or a medical condition, the Form 9 route needs specialist evidence of the disability, which can come from the NHS, private practice or the EHC plan.

Do access arrangements carry over to A-levels?

They can, but the school or college must make a new online application. A Form 8 assessment from Year 9 or later stays valid if your child still meets the criteria, with updated evidence (Form 8RF) that extra time is still needed. Form 9 cases need a new Form 9. Moving to a college? Ask the school to send the completed Form 8 on.

Will my child get their arrangements in mocks?

They should. JCQ expects approved arrangements to be in place for internal tests and mocks, and your child must have practised with them before the first real exam. Mocks are also where the evidence is built, so ask for any arrangement under consideration to be trialled there.

My child gets very anxious. Can they sit in a separate room?

Not on anxiety alone: JCQ says nervousness, low-level anxiety or worry about exams is not enough. A separate or smaller room needs a need already established in school and known to staff, and it must match how your child sits school tests. Supervised rest breaks may be the better request.

Sources: JCQ - Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments, updated March 2026 and applying during 2026/27 (deadlines table; chapter 4 on normal way of working; sections 5.1, 5.2, 5.5-5.8, 5.10 and 5.16; reader permissions table; section 7.3 on assessors; section 8.1 on approvals). JCQ 25% extra time infographic, 2026-27. JCQ key dates for 2027 entries. AQA Report on the Examination, GCSE English Language 8700/1, June 2025.