| Special Arrangements |
| Cambridge ESOL provides a Special Arrangements
service for some candidates, for example those with learning
difficulties, hearing difficulties or visual difficulties.
|
| How to apply for Special Arrangements |
| You must apply through your Cambridge ESOL
centre as soon as possible. In the case of IELTS you must
apply through your IELTS centre. |
| Please check the latest dates for application,
which vary according to the examination and are usually
several months before the exam. Your centre will tell you
when you must apply. |
| The centre will ask for full details of your
particular learning difficulty and you will be asked to
provide a report from a qualified educational, clinical
or chartered psychologist (see the Important notes section
below for further details). |
 |
| Learning difficulties |
| What Special Arrangements can you request? |
| 1. Extra Time |
| If you have dyslexia or another specific
learning difficulty, you may need extra time to complete
a paper. This might be necessary if, for example, it takes
you a long time to read the questions or write your answers. |
| You may normally apply for an extra 25% of
the time allowed for a paper. Remember, however, that too
much extra time may make you very tired. |
| You should talk to your centre about your
particular needs. |
| 2. Writing your Answers |
| You may apply to write your answers using
a typewriter or word-processor, if you normally write this
way. If permission is given for you to use a word-processor,
it must not have a spell-check or thesaurus facility. |
| 3. Answer Sheets |
| In most Cambridge ESOL papers, candidates
are asked to transfer their answers to a computer-marked
answer sheet. If this is going to cause you particular problems
(for example if you find it difficult to follow the numbers/order
of questions on a page), you may be allowed to write your
answers on a separate piece of paper, or, if appropriate,
directly on the question paper. |
Important notes
Once you have received permission for the above Special
Arrangements, your answers will be marked on the same basis
as all other candidates. |
| You must obtain a report from a fully qualified
educational, clinical or chartered psychologist. This must
have been written within two years of taking the examination.
It must give details of the specific learning difficulty
and certify that appropriate and recognised tests have been
carried out. However, if you have problems obtaining such
a report, please contact your centre, as other medical evidence
may be acceptable. |
| Hearing difficulties |
| What Special Arrangements can you request? |
| 1. For the Listening Test |
| If you suffer from partial hearing loss and
can hear with the help of headphones or special amplification
equipment, you may ask your centre for permission to use
this type of equipment. |
| Please note that you will not be allowed
to use a Walkman or similar personal stereo. |
If you want more help than this, you can
ask for a lip-reading version of the listening test. Please
note that this may not be available for some exams.) Your
supervisor will read the listening texts to you. You will
hear each text three times, and the supervisor will make
sure you have enough time to read the questions and to write
your answers.
The first time, the supervisor will read the text straight
through without stopping.
The second time the supervisor will pause while reading
the text. This is to give you time to think about the text
and questions, and/or write one or more answers.
The third time the supervisor will read the text straight
through again so you can check your answers.
It is important that you work with past examination material
before the test so that you know what to expect. |
| We can send you past tests so you can practise
this type of test with your teacher. |
| 2. For the Speaking Test |
| For KET, PET, FCE, CAE, or BEC you must normally
take the speaking test with a partner. |
| If you have hearing difficulties, you can
apply to: |
- have extra time if it takes you longer than usual
to say things or to understand what people say to you
- take the test with a partner who is not doing the
examination. This may help you to lipread what he or
she is saying more easily
- take the test without a partner (i.e. in the parts
of the test which usually ask both candidates to talk
to each other, you talk to the examiner instead). (Please
note that this option is not available for BEC or CELS.)
|
| Your teacher and the centre will be able
to help and advise you. |
| Please note that you will not be allowed
to use signing in the speaking test. |
| 3. Endorsed Certificates |
| If you have severe hearing difficulties and
the Special Arrangements described above are not sufficient,
for example if you are unable to lip-read, then you can
apply for exemption from either the listening test or the
speaking test in certain exams. (You can only be exempt
from one paper, except in the case of IELTS, see below.) |
| If this would be best for you, you will not
have to do the listening test or the speaking test. If you
pass the examination, you will then get a certificate which
is endorsed (i.e. it has the following statement printed
on it): |
| 'The candidate was exempt from satisfying
the full range of assessment objectives in the examination.' |
| NB: For all ESOL exams, you must apply for
exemption before you take an examination. |
| Important notes |
| Please note that it may not always be possible
for a lip-reading version of a particular examination to
be prepared. |
| Visual Difficulties |
| What Special Arrangements can you request? |
| 1. Extra Time |
| If you have visual difficulties, you will
almost certainly need extra time to complete a paper. You
may ask for an extra 25% of the normal time allowed for
a paper. |
| You may ask for more than 25% extra time.
This might be necessary if, for example, it takes you a
long time to read the questions or record your answers. |
| Remember, however, that too much extra time
may make you very tired. |
| You will also be allowed to have breaks whilst
taking a paper, in addition to any extra time you need.
Ask your centre to tell you what you will be allowed. |
| 2. Reading the question papers in a
different way |
| If you are partially sighted you may use
the following equipment: |
- magnifying glass
- closed-circuit television (CCTV)
- hand-held scanning apparatus
- You may ask a 'reader' to read and re-read questions
to you (but see the Important notes section below).
|
| 3. Writing your answers in a different
way |
| If you wish, you may record your answers
in the following ways: |
- you may use your Braille machine
- you may use your Braille machine, linked to a printer
- you may use a typewriter or word-processor. If you
want to use a word-processor, it must not have a spellcheck
or thesaurus facility
- you may dictate your answers to an amanuensis (see
the Important notes section below).
|
| 4. Braille question papers |
| Braille versions of KET, PET, FCE, CAE, CPE,
and BEC, can normally be made available. |
| Please tell us whether you need your papers
in contracted or uncontracted Braille. |
| Please note: |
| The supervisor will also have a print version
of each Braille paper. In some papers we arrange for the
texts and the questions to be brailled in separate booklets.
|
| We can send you past exam papers in Braille
as practice material. Please ask us in good time, if you
would like us to send you some past papers. Contact the
ESOL Special Circumstances Unit (see the Further information
section below). |
| 5. Enlarged Question Papers |
| You can ask for two different kinds of enlarged
question paper. |
| Type 1: |
| We enlarge the standard question paper making
no changes to the layout or material. You will receive A3
size question papers. (Usually 15.5 point) |
| Type 2: |
| We change the question papers, removing 'visual'
material which is not essential for answering the question.
We then make large-print versions of the papers in A4 size.
(Usually 18 point bold) |
| Note that we can also supply reduced print
question papers. |
| 6. Listening Tests |
| We make special arrangements for these tests.
|
| Many of the questions in the listening tests
ask candidates to make notes while they listen to a tape.
If you are blind or have visual difficulties you may not
be able to do this. |
| We produce a special version of the listening
test. |
| You will hear the same material and answer
the same questions as other candidates. |
| However, the supervisor will: |
- stop the tape before each part of the test to allow
you enough time to read the questions
- stop the tape at certain points during each part to
allow you enough time to write one or more answers
- stop the tape after each part to allow you enough
time to check your answers.
|
| You should note that when the tape is paused
during a part, you: |
- may not need to write an answer at all.
- may need to write more than one answer.
|
| 7. Speaking Tests |
| For KET, PET, FCE, CAE, or BEC you must normally
take the speaking test with a partner. |
| If you have visual difficulties, you can
apply to: |
- have extra time if it takes you longer than usual
to read any exam material or decide what you want to
say
- take the test with a partner who is not taking the
examination
- take the test without a partner (i.e. in the parts
of the test which usually ask both candidates to talk
to each other, you talk to the examiner instead). (Please
note that this option is not available for BEC or CELS.)
- use adapted visual material (see below).
|
| Parts of the speaking test for some exams
are visual - they use pictures taken from newspapers or
magazines, for example. |
| If you are partially sighted we can supply
enlarged copies of these pictures. If you find it difficult
to use enlarged pictures we can supply enlarged print versions
of written descriptions of the photographs. Talk to your
centre about which would be best for you. |
| We can also supply material in Braille for
blind candidates. For example, in the Braille version of
the FCE Speaking Test: |
- the examiner will spend a few minutes asking you to
talk about yourself
- you will then be given short written descriptions
of two photographs in Braille. The examiner will ask
you to compare and contrast the situations in the descriptions
and give your opinion about them. You will have about
a minute to do this
- finally you will be asked to take part in various
conversational activities using brailled notes or information.
|
| 8. Having a 'reader' or an amanuensis |
| A reader is a person who will read the questions
out to you. Note that the reader will not explain the questions
to you or offer any advice. A reader is not usually allowed
to read out the texts in a Reading Test. |
| An amanuensis is a person who will write
down your answers. If you would like an amanuensis to write
down your answers, you should note that: |
- you will be asked to spell certain words
- you must also indicate punctuation.
|
| The amanuensis will also read your answers
back to you if you wish. |
| We recommend that you practise with a reader/amanuensis
before the examination. For example, you should make sure
that you can spell out the letters of the alphabet. |
| Important notes |
| Please note that it may not always be possible
for a Braille version of a particular examination to be
prepared. |
| British Standard Braille is moving over towards
the optional use of capital letters. Skills for Life Level
1 & 2 Reading may specifically test the use of capitals.
Capitals will therefore be included in Braille versions
of Skills for Life Reading in those tasks which test their
use, and candidates who are preparing to take a Braille
version of Skills for Life should be made aware of this.
Capitals will not be included in texts or questions for
other tasks for the time being. |
|
| For further
information or advice about Special Arrangements contact: |
|
Paul Filippetto
Cambridge Examinations Officer
New Cambridge Institute
Feltre / Treviso / Bassano del Grappa |
|
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