St Leonard's

If a student is fully prepared for the exam but is disadvantaged due to illness or unavoidable circumstances beyond their control at the time of the exam or when they complete their coursework/controlled assessment.

In these cases, a small percentage is added to the raw mark. The percentage is determined by using the guidelines agreed by all the awarding bodies and published by JCQ.

If a student is absent from an exam for a valid reason.

In these cases, a mark is calculated for the missing unit provided the student has completed enough of the specification to meet the minimum requirements specified by JCQ – this is known as a ‘z-score’. The calculation of the missing mark takes into account the student’s performance in the other comparable units of the exam and the national average for those units. The assumption is that the student will perform as well – no better, no worse – on the paper with the missing mark compared to their performance on the other papers when compared to the national cohort.

This method is considered to be fair and consistent, and is applied the same way by all exam boards offering GCSEs and A-levels.

How do I apply for special consideration?

Please review the below linked documents from the JCQ to ensure that your criteria is regarded as eligible, if so an application should be made to school using this form, parents & pupils cannot directly apply for special consideration to the awarding body or the JCQ and must go through St Leonard’s Catholic School as a centre. We will be informed as to whether the application has been accepted or rejected but not informed as to the % applied until results day.

The information that you provide in the form will be reviewed by St Leonard’s and submitted as approprite to the relevant awarding bodies, should we feel that your request does not fulfil the criteria set out by the JCQ we will contact you to discuss it further.

For the 2025 series the deadline set for applications is Friday 27th June.