Do you have concerns about how exams & assessments will happen this year? Want to know how to get the right support in place for the style of assessments you will be sitting?
Listen to our podcast to get answers to important questions such as:
What will exams look like this summer?
I think I will have different reasonable adjustments or access needs –
what do I do?
How will the assessments compare to what I would be asked to do in a
normal year, or those I have sat before?
Will I even be able to sit my exams, or should I defer them?
Listen Now
Click below to listen to our podcast, produced in collaboration with Thomas Pocklington Trust.
Meet the panellists
Robyn, Specialist Support Professional for the Visually Impaired (SSPVI) and Qualified Teacher of the Visually Impaired (QTVI)
Robyn works with blind and partially sighted students from the beginning of their mainstream school journey, right through to Post-graduate studies at a number of universities. She supports them to reach their potential, by working on everything from research skills and data collection to workload planning and accessibility adaptions. If you have concerns about adjusting to new assessment styles or getting the most out of the support available to you, Robyn is here to help!
Nicky, Deputy Head of Disability Service at the University of the West of England (UWE, Bristol)
Nicky works with students with disabilities applying to and studying at UWE. She guides them through the process of disclosing and describing their disability, communicating their needs to lecturers, and working with the Exams team to organise reasonable adjustments or adaptions. If you are worried about how you will be able to sit your exams and how your support arrangements will be translated to suit assessments during Covid-19, Nicky is here to answer your questions. She can let you know how it works at UWE, and recommend the conversations you need to be having with your university to get ready for your summer assessments.
Jenna, RNIB Legal Rights advice team
Jenna works in the Legal Rights team at RNIB. She advises students on a wide range of issues including accessibility, reasonable adjustments and challenging disability discrimination in Further and Higher education. If you want clarity on the support you are entitled to and advice on what to do if you feel you are being treated unfairly by your university, come and talk to Jenna!
LOOK Mentors and Student Representatives
Charlotte Milburn
‘I’m Charlotte and I’m currently in my third year at university studying Education Studies with Special Educational Needs and Inclusion. As well as studying, I enjoy taking classes in cheer and dance, as well as being a LOOK mentor and staying connected with friends and family. I think the key to preparing for exams and assignments is organisation. Being organised is so helpful during the assessment period and it can make such a huge difference!’
Megan Adams
‘My name is Megan, I’m 22 and I’m currently an English Lit postgrad student. I’m also VI which made exams extra hard – especially the sciences and maths.
In High School and Sixth Form, I got incredibly anxious about exams and my grades suffered because of it. Looking back, I wish I could tell myself not to worry so much – it’ll all be okay in the end. Also, now but now that I’m at university I never have to do them again!
My tips for exams:
- Make a revision schedule and remember to plan breaks.
- Talk through your revision! This really helps me remember things and make sense of complicated information. Say it out loud to yourself or explain to someone else.
- If you know something is going to be a distraction (for me it’s video games) have someone take it away and promise to only give it back when you’re finished.
- Finally, go easy on yourself. Remember that grades don’t determine your worth! A bad grade is not the end of the world!’
After our Q&A with the panel, we spoke to Tiri, who is currently in her fourth year studying Medicine. She talks about how her study experience and life at university has shifted due to Covid-19, how the practical hands-on course has been adapted, and what it has been like to study at one of the institutions at the centre of vaccine research.
