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Special considerations

1. Introduction

This document sets out our Special Considerations Policy for candidates who experienced an unforeseen incident that had a substantial impact upon them during the sitting of an exam delivered on behalf of Kaplan Professional Awards (KPA).

KPA is regulated by Ofqual, and this policy is aligned to Condition G7 from Ofqual’s Handbook on General Conditions of Recognition.

1.1 Purpose and scope

The document:

• defines special consideration in the context of an examination and assessment
• sets out the circumstances within which a candidate can make a request for special consideration
• states the procedures to be followed when a candidate submits a request for special consideration

1.2 Review of this policy

This policy will be monitored by Kaplan Professional Awards (KPA) and any necessary amendments will be made and implemented at the earliest opportunity. As a minimum, KPA will review this and all associated policies on an annual basis as part of its ongoing quality assurance procedures.

2. What is special consideration

Special consideration is a post‐exam adjustment for candidates’ who are able to evidence that their exam performance has been materially and adversely affected by unforeseen circumstances that had a substantial impact on their performance or disadvantaged their ability to demonstrate their normal level of attainment.

A special consideration cannot be guaranteed to reflect the candidates’ ability had their exam been taken in more favourable circumstances and as such may only go some way towards compensating a candidate who has been disadvantaged due to unavoidable circumstances.

2.1 What constitutes a special consideration?

It is important that the candidate understands that this policy does not supersede our ‘Fit to Sit’ statement as provided within the ‘Candidate Instructions’ and shown below.

Candidates are provided with the ‘Candidate Instructions’ document upon registration; it is the candidates responsibility to ensure that they have read and understood the document, and that by sitting their exam, they have accepted the rules and regulations contained within it.

Circumstances that could be considered for special consideration are:

• Personal circumstances - where applying for reasonable adjustments or withdrawing from the exam were not possible, such as an illness that manifests at the time of the exam
• Issue at the test centre
  • where the test centre environment had a significant impact
  • where technical problems were experienced within the exam room
• Issues with a remote invigilated exam
  • test platform failure
  • exam set-up issue
    (Please note technical issues on the candidate's own computer or environment such as internet or bandwidth, may not constitute a special consideration).

A candidate who is taken ill during an examination or experiences other unexpected or unforeseeable personal circumstances beyond their reasonable control, which are having or are likely to have a material and adverse effect on their performance should report to the invigilator. In these circumstances the candidate should decide whether to withdraw from the examination. Marks may not be automatically adjusted due to illness or other unexpected or unforeseen personal circumstance.

When requesting a special consideration the candidate would need to demonstrate the following

• the issue was significant and likely to have had a clear impact on their performance
• withdrawal was not an option
• the circumstances can be independently verified with appropriate evidence
• applying for access arrangements was not an option

KPA’s ‘Fit to Sit’ statement

It is the responsibility of every candidate to ensure that they sit the examination only if they are fit to do so. Being ‘Fit to Sit’ means that the candidate knows of no reason why their performance would be adversely affected during the examination or why they may subsequently bring a claim for special consideration. Examples of situations that this would cover include illness of a candidate, illness of a close relative or bereavement.

2.2 How to apply for special consideration?

Step 1

• Request a special consideration form by completing the application form or emailing the KPA team on kpaenquiries@kaplan.co.uk within 5 working days of finishing your exam. Please note that all forms emailed directly to KPA will be verified with the invigilator - you must ensure that your invigilator is aware of and has recorded the incident.
• Depending on the nature of your request, supporting evidence may be required. Where supporting evidence is required that was not available to submit with the application, you are required to email the evidence by the date agreed with KPA.

All special consideration forms must be submitted within 5 working days of your exam finishing, any request received after 5 working days may not be considered.

Step 2

KPA will investigate your special consideration request.

Any adjustment made in view of the investigation will be reflected in your result.

Please note that:

• even if a special consideration request is accepted, the outcome may not change the overall grade to a pass.
• any adjustment made will be dependent on the circumstances and to a maximum of 3% of the marks.

Special consideration applications will not be accepted after results have been released.

Step 3

• The outcome of your application will be communicated to you on the morning of the results release, once the KPA Exam Board has signed off all results.
• If your application is refused, you can appeal this decision following the KPA Appeals Policy.

2.3 Acceptable evidence

Certain special consideration applications will need to be supported by independent evidence which must be verifiable and can demonstrate the incident's impact on the candidate's exam performance. It’s up to the candidate to supply appropriate evidence, KPA will not contact third parties on the candidates’ behalf.

Where relevant, we will also consider the statements of centre invigilators in the context of your application and corresponding evidence.

Specific exclusions

In addition to the requirements above, for avoidance of doubt we will not accept applications:

• that are supported by statutory sick notes with insufficient detail of the illness or where the evidence is provided by the candidates family or friends
• that relate to:
  • minor illness such as colds or headaches
  • where the candidate chose to attend in an unfit state
  • minor disturbances such as mobile phones ringing, or keyboard noise
  • travel or lateness
  • where you were eligible for access arrangements but did not inform KPA
  • set-up issues with remote invigilated exams, where the root cause is the candidates own computer.
• where the candidate failed to:
  • report the incident to the test centre or remote invigilator on the day of the exam
  • email their application within 5 working days and supporting documents within the agreed time
  • attend their exam at the right time and location or not attending the exam at all.

This list is not exhaustive and only represents common circumstances that are not eligible for special consideration.

Any questions? You can view our special considerations policy in full, or contact us at kpaenquiries@kaplan.co.uk, we'll be happy to help.

Mark review

KPA assessments are marked either by a human or computer marked. We follow a rigorous procedure to ensure that high standards are maintained throughout marking and the awarding of results, so errors are very rare. However, you can make a request for a mark review to be carried out.

How can I request a mark review?

If you are studying with a training centre, you should initially discuss your result with your tutor. If you are still unsatisfied, you can contact us to request a mark review.

I’m unsatisfied with the outcome – what should I do next?

At Kaplan Professional Awards, we are committed to providing the highest quality service to our candidates, and hope your experiences with us whilst studying a KPA qualification have been positive, responsive and supportive. If, however, you are unsatisfied with any element of our service, and wish to submit an appeal or make a complaint, you can learn more about our straightforward complaints process or how to submit an appeal.

Submit an appeal

Our team is committed to upholding the high standards set by the regulators, Ofqual, and KPA. We combine rigorous quality assurance procedures and meticulous adherence to KPA policies to ensure we make the right decisions for centres and candidates.

However, if you would like to appeal against a decision made by Kaplan Professional Awards (KPA), we provide a clear appeals process for you to follow. You can use this process to appeal a decision regarding:

• Centre approval or reapproval
• The provision of access arrangements or special considerations
• Assessment results, where you think examination procedures have not been followed correctly

Before submitting an appeal, please read through our appeals policy for more information on scenarios that warrant an appeal, rather than an enquiry or complaint.

If you are a candidate studying with a training centre, you must go through your centre’s internal appeals process before contacting KPA.

How can I submit an appeal?

To submit your appeal, you must complete an appeals form or contact us at kpaenquiries@kaplan.co.uk. You have 15 working days, from receipt of the decision you wish to appeal against, to complete the form and submit your appeal.

You will receive an email to acknowledge receipt of your appeal within 48 hours, and we will respond within 14 working days with a decision to either:

• Amend the original decision in light of the new rationale/evidence put forward
• Affirm the original decision and provide a rationale for doing so

You must confirm in writing, within 14 days, whether you accept our decision or wish to proceed to the independent review appeals process.

Independent review

If you are not satisfied with KPA’s decision following your initial appeal, KPA will arrange for an independent review to be carried out. This entails an independent reviewer examining the evidence from the previous review stages and deciding whether KPA have applied the procedures fairly, appropriately and consistently in line with the KPA policy and procedures.

KPA will inform you of the final decision within 14 days of receipt of the independent review. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you are entitled to raise the matter with the relevant regulatory authority for the qualification. Each of these organisations will have a formal procedure in place to handle appeals.

Successful appeals

We aim to ensure our services and procedures are carried out to the highest possible standard, and in light of any successful appeals will review our processes and take reasonable steps to ensure similar failings do not occur in future.

Charges

There will be a charge of £58 for the submission of an appeal to each of stages 1 (initial review) and 2 (the independent review), plus any additional expenses that may be incurred during the independent review in seeking the opinion of professional experts. These charges will be refunded in full if the appeal is upheld.

Make a complaint

Kaplan Professional Awards (KPA) is an Ofqual-regulated awarding body dedicated to providing the highest quality qualifications, assessments and support services to its clients, which include centres, employers and candidates. Our aim is to exceed your expectations, so if we have fallen short of them in any way, we would like to hear from you, so we can fully address your concerns and improve our service offering where necessary.

Find out how to make a complaint below or read our complaint policy for more details.

How can I make a complaint?

If you are a candidate studying with a training centre, you should speak with your tutor, as your centre will have its own internal complaints handling process. If you are a centre or a self-studying candidate, you can download our complaints form, which you must complete and submit to kpaenquiries@kaplan.co.uk.

Please note that making a complaint in relation to our qualifications and associated services is a separate process to requesting a mark review following an assessment decision by KPA.

The complaints process does not cover suspicion of malpractice within an examination or assessment, this is covered in our Malpractice and Maladministration policy.

When will I learn the outcome of my complaint?

We will acknowledge receipt of your completed complaint form within five working days and aim to investigate the complaint within 20 working days. We may contact you within this period to seek further information or clarification, and in some instances we may recommend a meeting. At the end of the investigation we will email our Complaint Investigation report with the outcome and our decision.