Fair access information for candidates with dyslexia, dyspraxia or other learning difficulties
Entering for the exam
- Once you are sure of what’s needed for the exam, select the correct Specific Needs code when you make your exam entry. In order for the correct provisions to be made, it is important that the correct code is used each time a candidate is entered for an exam. Where additional arrangements are needed, these must be discussed and agreed with ABRSM before entry.
- Any candidate who has been diagnosed as having a specific learning difficulty must send an official document to support this diagnosis. This is used to confirm the candidate’s needs and the support they are likely to require, eg extra time, enlarged sight-reading tests or use of a scale book for reference purposes.
- On occasion, none of the Specific Needs codes will be relevant, in which case you should include a covering letter with your entry form or send an email to accesscoordinator@abrsm.ac.uk once you have submitted your online entry. Alternatively, you may wish to select one of the codes below and send a covering letter or email to give us more detailed information. The more information you can provide the better.
- We provide all examiners who are scheduled to examine candidates with dyslexia, dyspraxia or any other learning difficulties with general guidelines about what to expect when examining a candidate with these Specific Needs. If there is any particular information you feel it would be useful for the examiner to be aware of, please let us know at the time of entry, in order for us to inform the examiner in advance of the exam.
The supporting document
In accordance with the British Dyslexia Association’s advice, we require supporting documentation to be up-to-date; signed and dated within the last three years. This document can be:
- an assessment from an educational psychologist or specialist teacher. The summary pages usually provide enough information for the purposes of our exams, but please ensure it includes information about recommended support or arrangements for exams.
- a letter from the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) or head teacher at the school, on headed paper.
- a letter from the Local Education Authority (LEA), on headed paper.
Once we have a document on file, providing it includes sufficient information to support the concessions requested for the individual, you will not need to send another one until three years from the date of issue, at which point we will ask to see an updated version. If you are unable to provide us with an up-to-date document, we may not be able to issue the exam results as promptly as usual and we ask you to take this into account before making an exam entry.
Adult candidates
We recognise that adult candidates may find it difficult to provide a supporting document when they are no longer in the education system. In this case, please send the most recent document you have, with a covering note to explain the situation, and we will contact you. An alternative option for adults without an up-to-date supporting document is to complete a dyslexia screening test (see the BDA for further information).
Find out more about: