Reply To: 25% extra time for SEMH

[Jacqueline]

Hi,
I think is usual to trial rest breaks and adjust the time needed per break or the number of breaks needed during an exam.
JCQ suggest considering rest breaks before extra time, and in the case of students with SEMH this is more appropriate most of the time as depending on the day and conditions, which can be different from one day or exam to another, a student may need no rest breaks on one occasion and as many as 3 or 4 on another.
As the time taken is added to the end of the exam they do not lose time. There is not a limit on the number of breaks a student can take, nor a limit on the length of a break. what is requested is that prior to an exam an informed estimate has been made – for practical purposes and to inform those invigilators – as to how many breaks and the length of a break a student is likely to need.
Of course this arrangement does not suit someone with slow processing or a slow speed of reading or writing etc, but for this, a specialist assessment is appropriate.