Help with your post-exam queries

Special considerations

If you experienced unforeseen circumstances during your exam, and you are able to provide evidence that your exam performance was negatively impacted, then you may be entitled to apply for a special consideration.

Circumstances that could be considered for special consideration include:

• 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 on your performance
• where technical problems were experienced within the exam room
• Issues with a remote invigilated exam, such as:
• test platform failure
• exam set-up issue

(Please note that technical issues on the candidate's own computer, such as internet or bandwidth, may not constitute a special consideration.)

A candidate who is taken ill during an examination, or experiences other unexpected 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.

Evidence Required

When requesting a special consideration you need to demonstrate that:

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

It's up to you to provide evidence to support your application. We will not contact third parties on your behalf, but may consider the report of your exam invigilator. For full details on acceptable evidence you can view our special considerations policy.

How to apply for a special consideration

Step 1

Request a special consideration form by:

1. Notifying the invigilator when:
• Sitting in the exam room – inform an invigilator straight away and complete the special consideration form before leaving the exam, ensuring that it has been signed by both you and the invigilator. The invigilator will email the form to KPA.
• Sitting remotely – email kpaenquiries@kaplan.co.uk within 24 hours from when your exam finished. On receipt of the completed form, KPA will review the recording of the exam and, where it is live invigilated, will ask the invigilator to verify the statement.
2. Emailing the KPA team on kpaenquiries@kaplan.co.uk within 24 hours of finishing your exam.

Please note that all forms emailed directly to KPA will be verified with the invigilator, and any request received after 24 hours will not be considered.

Step 2

We will investigate your special consideration request.

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

Please note that:

• Where a special consideration request is accepted, the outcome may not change the overall grade to a pass
• If you have passed the exam, then the special consideration will not apply and no further action will be taken
• Special consideration applications will not be accepted after results have been released

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 request an appeals form by contacting 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 £50 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.