Exam and assessment access arrangements
Standardised evidence for exam access arrangements
You own the access-arrangements decision, and it has to hold up when an awarding organisation asks. The Speed of Working result gives you the exam access arrangements evidence you need, for every learner.
- Every learner
- Completes one standardised cognitive assessment, no specialist needed to run it
- Most awarding organisations
- Recognise the Speed of Working result as evidence toward extra time
The gap you're working with
You can't route every learner through a specialist first
Exam access arrangements evidence has rested on two things that don't scale: a specialist assessing each learner, and learners disclosing a need. Needs stay hidden, and the evidence is inconsistent when an awarding organisation asks to see it.
- The systems you already run, such as a management information system or e-portfolio, store and track the access-arrangements decision. They do not generate the standardised cognitive evidence behind it.
- A whole-cohort cognitive assessment, completed by every learner with no specialist to administer or interpret, surfaces who may need arrangements early.
- The Speed of Working result gives standardised evidence of a learner's normal way of working: a signal for your professional judgement, never a diagnosis.
How it works
A below-average result supports the case for additional time
The Speed of Working result measures how quickly a learner works, their processing speed, and reports it against population norms as part of the assessment every learner completes.
A result in the below-average range, or one significantly slower than the learner's own other domains, is standardised evidence that can support a reasonable adjustments application to an awarding organisation for additional time, at qualification and end-point assessment (EPA) stage.
- Recognised by most awarding organisations and end-point assessment organisations as evidence toward additional time.
- It follows the recognised below-average standardised-score convention set out in the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and PATOSS access-arrangements guidance, 7th edition.
- The Cognassist assessment has been reviewed by PATOSS against the JCQ scientific-validity requirements, 7th edition.
The honest boundary
A recognised first step that targets specialist time, not a replacement for the specialist
The Speed of Working result gives you the recognised, standardised evidence of a learner's normal way of working that supports a reasonable adjustments application for additional time. Because every learner completes the assessment, you also see early who is likely to need arrangements, without triaging a whole cohort through a specialist.
Where formal exam access arrangements require a JCQ Form 8, a separate Level 7 specialist assessment completes and certifies Form 8 Part 2. Cognassist is evidence toward that case, not the completed Form 8, and it does not replace the Level 7 specialist assessor who conducts the full diagnostic assessment.
The result: you already hold recognised, standardised evidence, and you have pinpointed exactly who needs the formal route, so specialist time goes where it counts.
- Some adjustments, such as overlays, rest breaks or prompts, are centre-delegated: the centre can apply them directly, with no Level 7 route.
Customer story · Aspiration Training
Evidence that stood up when an end-point assessment organisation pushed back
An end-point assessment organisation (EPAO) had rejected Aspiration Training's Form 8 applications: there was no valid processing-speed evidence to show a learner needed extra time. The Cognassist assessment supplied exactly that, a standardised Speed of Working result that put an objective number on processing speed and stood up to the EPAO's scrutiny, giving Aspiration valid evidence toward additional-time arrangements at gateway and end-point assessment.
“It became a battle. The specific gap the EPAO pointed to was processing speed. There were no numbers, no testing. They couldn't see how we could validate that a learner needed extra time.”
- 20%Uplift in learners receiving personalised support, in two months
- 2 monthsFrom rollout to embedded in enrolment
Go deeper
Go deeper
Where the Speed of Working result comes from, and how other providers put it to work.
See the cognitive assessment
Where the Speed of Working result comes from, and how every learner completes it.
ExploreSee how providers use Cognassist
Customer stories from colleges and training providers.
ExploreExplore the platform
The whole Cognassist platform, from assessment to evidenced support.
ExploreSee the other solutions
The full set of jobs Cognassist helps you do.
Explore
FAQ
Honest answers to the questions exams and quality leads actually ask
How does the Speed of Working result evidence access arrangements?
It is a standardised measure of a learner's normal way of working, reported against population norms. A result in the below-average range, or one significantly slower than the learner's own other domains, is standardised evidence that can support a reasonable adjustments application to an awarding organisation for additional time, at qualification and end-point assessment (EPA) stage. Most awarding organisations recognise it as evidence toward additional time.Is the Cognassist assessment a completed Form 8, or does it replace the specialist assessor?
No, and we would not claim it is. The Speed of Working result gives you the recognised, standardised evidence that supports a reasonable adjustments application to an awarding organisation, and it surfaces at scale who is likely to need the formal route. Where formal exam access arrangements require a JCQ Form 8, a separate Level 7 specialist assessor completes and certifies it. Cognassist is evidence toward that case, not the completed Form 8, so your specialist time goes where it counts.Which awarding organisations accept it?
Most awarding organisations and end-point assessment organisations recognise the Speed of Working result as evidence toward additional-time arrangements. The awarding organisation makes the final decision on any arrangement; the result supports the case you put to them.Is the assessment a diagnosis?
No. It measures the cognitive differences associated with specific learning differences and is a signal for professional judgement, not a diagnosis. A below-average Speed of Working result reflects slower processing speed as a characteristic of how a learner works; it does not by itself establish disability under the Equality Act 2010.Do we need a specialist to run the assessment?
No specialist is needed to administer or interpret the assessment itself. Every learner completes it, so you surface who may need arrangements early and use your specialist capacity where it counts. A separate Level 7 assessment is only needed where a formal JCQ Form 8 is required.Does this work across further education, apprenticeships and higher education?
Yes. The same standardised evidence applies whether the arrangement is for a qualification exam or an end-point assessment, across further education, apprenticeship and training providers, and higher education.
Book a demo and see the evidence for yourself
Standardised, defensible evidence toward access arrangements, for every learner, and an honest first step that targets your specialist time. See how the Speed of Working result works for your provider.