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Q and A: about special arrangements (access arrangements)
Q1. I'm dyslexic and I'm worried that this will affect my performance in the examinations. Are there any special arrangements I can apply for?
Yes there are, but I would be surprised if your school has not already done this on your behalf and informed the exam boards involved. Check with your school to ensure that this has been done and ask what provision has been made for you. Special arrangements (now often referred to as 'access arrangements') are usually given in the form of extra time allowed on the papers where your condition would put you at a disadvantage, compared to other candidates.
There are many conditions that qualify for special arrangements to be made, for example blind students can have their exam papers in Braille, and sometimes people are appointed to write down a student's answers when, for example, someone has broken their arm before the exams and is unable to write normally. But in all cases, arrangements must be made through the school and appropriate documentation authenticating the condition submitted to the examining boards.
It is worth mentioning that any special arrangements agreed should not give that candidate an unfair advantage over others. The intention is, as far as possible, that all students should have an equal opportunity when sitting their exams, and not be placed at a disadvantage over others because of the means used to examine them.
Q2. I want to do a GCSE double award in engineering, but I'm worried that this won't be viewed as being as valued as a GCSE in business studies
It depends on what you want to do. Any qualification will be judged by the user - that is an employer, university or college - as to how relevant it might be to their industry or their courses. It is therefore important to look at your options and interests to see which direction you would like to take, and if it is engineering as your question implies, then you should enquire as to how acceptable this GCSE would be to an employer or a further course of study. To help you do this, it would be worth looking at the Connexions website which can give you some very useful help in terms of careers, courses and qualifications. And ask your teachers too, they should be able to help.
Q3. How many GCSEs are there?
GCSEs are available in over 45 subjects, from English and maths to economics and psychology. There are eight GCSEs in vocational subjects that relate to work in a particular vocational field, such as health and social care or engineering. So there is plenty of choice, although it is unlikely that every GCSE will be offered in any one school. They can also be taken alongside National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), other vocational qualifications, key skills and various information and communication technology (ICT) qualifications.