Exam Access Arrangements
At the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, we want all candidates to feel welcome. We are committed to providing support and fair opportunity to all. We want everyone who sits an examination with us to have the same opportunity to demonstrate their skills, knowledge and abilities.
We welcome requests for access arrangements from candidates with a temporary medical condition, Specific Learning Difficulty, a long-term condition and/or disability, as well as those who are neurodivergent. We will fully consider all access arrangements requests submitted with appropriate evidence in a fair, transparent, consistent and justifiable manner.
What are Access Arrangements
‘Access arrangements’ encompass any additional support candidates may need because of temporary medical conditions, neurodiversity, Specific Learning Difficulties, long-term conditions and/or disability.
The aim of an access arrangement is to enable candidates to overcome any barriers that prevent them from accessing assessments without affecting the assessment’s competence standard or providing an unfair advantage over candidates who did not request an access arrangement.
There are two types of access arrangements: reasonable adjustments and discretionary adjustments.
Qualifying for Access Arrangements
Reasonable Adjustment Requests
These should be submitted with appropriate supporting evidence when a candidate applies for a diet.
Requests for reasonable adjustments should be submitted within one working week of applying for a diet.
Any request for a reasonable adjustment submitted less than four weeks prior to a diet will not be considered.
For more information on making a reasonable adjustment request, including accepted supporting evidence, see our full Access Arrangement Policy.
Discretionary Adjustment Requests
These should be submitted to the relevant examination application email as soon as possible on the commencement of the temporary medical condition.
Please note that the earlier a request is made, the more likely it is that it can be accommodated.
Requests for discretionary adjustments made on the day of the assessment cannot be accepted.
For more information on making a discretionary adjustment request, including accepted supporting evidence, see our full Access Arrangement Policy.
Reasonable Adjustment Process
- Request and supporting evidence submitted within one working week of applying for a diet to be guaranteed consideration (and no less than four weeks prior to a diet).
- We will confirm no later than four working weeks before the diet if/what reasonable adjustments have been granted.
- If granted, the candidate will be asked to acknowledge and agree to the reasonable adjustments by email within one working week. If they do not, the reasonable adjustments will not be made.
- If the request is not granted, we will let the candidate know why. Candidates can withdraw from the diet without financial penalty within two weeks’ notice of the decision.
Discretionary Adjustment Process
- Request and supporting evidence should be submitted to the relevant examination application email as soon as possible on the commencement of the temporary medical condition.
- We will respond as soon as practicable to confirm if/what discretionary adjustments have been granted.
- If the request is not granted, we will let the candidate know why.
Appeals
We will consider appeals/complaints in relation to access arrangement requests with due regard to the fairness of an outcome. The appeal/complaint should be submitted to exams@rcsed.ac.uk.
For further information on the appeal process, see our full Access Arrangement Policy.