January 2021: Special Consideration (Cambridge Nationals and Cambridge Technicals)

What happens if a student is unable to sit a Cambridge National or Cambridge Technical exam in the January series?

If a student is certificating in the particular exam series and they miss an exam due to self-isolating, illness, injury or bereavement, they may be eligible for a special consideration absence. If they are not certificating or in a position to certificate i.e. have not completed or been entered for all the required other units, they will have to take the exam at a future opportunity. An absence does not count as an attempt for an examination/unit in Cambridge Nationals or Cambridge Technicals.

It is possible to put a certification entry in for a two unit option in Cambridge Nationals even if the candidate will eventually complete a four unit or more option. In the same way if sufficient units have been completed in Cambridge Technicals, a lower unit certification option can be achieved in January and a student can move up to a higher unit certification option at a later point. The missed examination needs to be the final piece to make certification possible, as the mark/grade calculated for the absence needs to based on the combination of completed other units that lead to certification.

Essential prerequisites to be eligible for a special consideration absence:

• Must have completed sufficient other units to be certificating or in a position to certificate
• The other units already completed must account for a minimum of 25% of the overall assessment towards certification

We encourage you to use the normal special consideration process and to contact us if you have any concerns/complex cases that you need more detailed guidance on.