Official documentation
Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments Guidance (Version 1.0, October 2024)
NCFE, awarding organisation, 2024
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- An awarding organisation's guidance on access arrangements for its external assessments, covering scribes, speech recognition technology, extra time and practice before exams.
- How much weight it carries
- Official guidance for NCFE's own qualifications. It applies the sector's access arrangement rules; the sector-wide JCQ publication could not be opened from this environment, so check JCQ's current version too.
Facts taken from this source
- A candidate must have had appropriate opportunities to practise with an access arrangement before the first examination, and the guidance names speech recognition technology specifically.
“The learner must have had appropriate opportunities to practise using the access arrangement(s) before his/her first examination.” (Access arrangements policy statement, practice requirement)
- NCFE's guidance for scribes and speech recognition says to consider applying up to 25% extra time, which does not need to be applied for.
“consider applying up to 25% extra time (this does not need to be applied for)” (Appendix C, Guidelines for using a Scribe/Speech Recognition Technology)
- NCFE says computer reader and speech recognition technology is not compatible with its Secure Assess online assessment platform.
“computer reader/speech recognition technology is not compatible with our online assessment platform, Secure Assess.” (Section 3.5, non-interactive electronic question papers)
- A UK awarding organisation requires centres to notify it in advance when a candidate uses a scribe or speech recognition technology in an external assessment.
“A notification to NCFE for the use of a scribe/speech recognition technology during an external assessment must be submitted” (Section 2.3.5, Scribe/Speech recognition technology)