Candidates suffering from a long-term or recurring condition must be made aware that:
- they may not meet the derived grade eligibility criteria
- their results may be affected because the ongoing effects of their condition have compromised their performance throughout the year.
Derived grades are for temporary issues
Derived grades are for temporary illness at the time of the exams.
Any illness or chronic condition or trauma being present and/or managed that has been affecting a candidate before 1 October is regarded as ongoing and does not meet the eligibility criteria.
Schools focus on providing the best possible assessment conditions
For candidates suffering from an on-going illness, condition or trauma the primary focus should be on providing the best possible conditions for them to get well or recover.
This could involve:
- reducing external assessment pressure by modifying a candidate’s assessment programme to include a limited number of externally assessed standards
- providing a candidate, whose illness compromises their attendance, with an individualised internal assessment
- programme to support them to meet their qualification goal.
On this page
When a long-term condition qualifies for a derived grade
Candidates with a long-term illness or disability can only be approved if there is a documented current and significant change to their condition/illness.
The change must occur immediately (within a week) before the examinations or during the examinations.
The change must be documented by a consultation with a registered professional at the time of the examinations.
Examples of long-term and ongoing illnesses and conditions include:
- long COVID
- concussion symptoms
- physical disability
- anxiety and depression
- epilepsy
- anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders
- chronic relapsing conditions (e.g., glandular fever, Myalgic Encephalopathy (ME))
- ongoing personal trauma.
Schools may support candidates in other ways
These conditions are usually managed by modifying a candidate’s assessment programme to support them to get well and/or requesting special assessment conditions to mitigate the effect of the condition.
A candidate with a special assessment condition entitlement to mitigate a condition cannot also be granted a derived grade for the same condition.