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Access Arrangements Part 2

28/5/2016

 
This is the second in a series of posts about applying for Access Arrangements in exams as a home educated candidate.

The process for applying for Access Arrangements can be thought of as in this timeline. It is possible that this entire process could take about a year:
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  1. Teachers (parents, in this case, and any other tutors etc that the child comes into contact with during the course of their home education experience) find that they have to regularly adapt the way the child learns. For example, they allow more time than the task could normally be expected to take. The child may need someone to write his ideas for him because he is, despite appropriate instruction, unable to write legibly. The parent may suspect a significant learning difficulty or medical condition of some kind.
  2. This ‘history of need’ prompts the parents to seek an assessment for exam access arrangements. If there is no ‘history of need’, the exam centre is unlikely to be able to justify the application for AAs and so may decide not even to assess. Evidence of this ‘history of need’ needs to be supplied to the exam centre. Evidence of a medical diagnosis, if there is one, preferably at consultant level, will be helpful at this point.
  3. The Assessment for AAs must be conducted by a Specialist Assessor who is appointed by the exam centre, who works with them regularly and is known by them. The centre is not obliged to accept any assessment conducted by anyone with whom they do not work. The assessment must not be conducted before the child is in Year 9, or it will not be accepted.
  4. If the assessment finds that the child has a long term disability with a ‘substantial adverse effect’, the Specialist Assessor may recommend specific AAs such as 25% extra time or a reader. If the centre is able to provide the candidate with these, they will then be applied for by the centre’s SENCO.
  5. The application for the recommended AAs is made to the awarding body (exam board).
  6. If these are approved, the exam centre informs the candidate.
  7. Evidence of the history of need (including observations from any tutors), the report on the assessment by the Specialist Assessor, the approved application for AAs, a candidate’s signed Data Protection Notice are all kept on file at the centre for inspection by JCQ.

Writing a good English Literature Essay

17/5/2016

 

  1. The first thing you need to do is to read the question carefully, underlining the key words. The question is your starting point and your guide throughout. Address the question in your opening sentence. Show the examiner that you mean business and know how to answer.
  2. Write a quick paragraph plan before starting to write the essay. This will help to ensure that you cover all the aspects of your answer to the question in a logical, progressive way.
  3. You will often be building an argument, so do have a logical order to the points you make. There’s no place for random remarks. Make sure all your arguments answer the question and are ordered sensibly in your plan.
  4. As you write, keep checking, ‘Is this actually answering the question?’ Stay on track.
  5. As you make a point, use a quotation to re-inforce it and then show how the quote builds your argument. This is the Point Evidence Explain method. Appropriate, embedded quotations will raise your mark.
  6. Remember that writing about literature involves an informed personal response with close reference to the text. The examiner wants your opinion and analysis, not your teacher’s, not Google’s and not your mum’s. Engage with the text and answer the question!

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    I am a qualified and experienced teacher and home educating parent who helps home educating families with examinations.

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