I have already been assessed and have a diagnosis...

Please send a copy of your full Diagnostic Assessment Report to spld-dyslexia@reading.ac.uk as soon as possible.

Don't wait until just before exams to do this - it can take some time for reports to be reviewed, recommendations made and provisions put in place, especially at busy periods.

The specialist teacher assessor will review the report and make recommendations for reasonable adjustments.

We cannot guarantee that you will get adjustments for the exams in May if you have not submitted any evidence by the end of January.

Sharing information about your assessment

All assessments and advice sessions are confidential. You need to give permission for us to tell your department if you would like to take up your special provisions. This information will not appear on your degree certificate.

Important things to be aware of:

• The University's regulations may be different and your report does not guarantee that we will be able to match the arrangements you had at school.
  
• Exam access arrangements reports will not be sufficient on their own. If you only have an exam access arrangements report, we will review it and ask you to complete the screening form, to help assess your risk of a SpLD.
  
• If you have a full diagnostic report carried out since you were 16, this will usually be sufficient evidence for recommendations to be made for your whole course and to apply for the Disabled Students 'Allowance (DSA).
• If you have an old (pre-16) full diagnostic assessment, it may give us enough evidence to recommend extra time in exams and other university-based reasonable adjustments. In this case, we will not recommend reassessment unless you tell us you want to apply for DSA. We can advise you on how to get an updated assessment if you request it, but at the usual cost.

What kind of support can you expect from the University?

When recommendations are made, with your consent, we will send a very brief report to your school for in-class tests, essays and the Exams office.

Suggestions are also made to the lecturers, such as making lecture notes or slides available in advance and granting permission for you to record lectures. You will get a copy of this summary; these are known as “reasonable adjustments”.

Recommendations are personal and based on your diagnostic assessment report. They may include:

• extra time - usually 15 minutes per hour (exam and in-class tests only)
  
• green stickers for coursework and yellow stickers for exams - these mean no penalty for spelling and grammar errors.
  
• your arrangements will normally apply to in-class tests
  
• (occasionally) use of a computer to type exams
  
• exams in a room with other people having extra time, so you shouldn't be disturbed by people leaving before you.

Special provisions help markers to know which aspects of your work may be especially difficult for you, so that they can make a proper evaluation of your achievement in assessments.

All students at the University, have the support of the Study Advice team, who are always happy to advise on effective study strategies.

For advice on course and department related issues contact your personal or senior tutor.