Exam Accommodations

• The deadline for Registering with the DSS to receive your Semester 1 exam supports is the 1st of November 2024.
   
• If you cannot get an appointment before this exam deadline, your exam supports will be processed in time for the end-of-year exams, May 2024.
   
• If you have a disability and wish to register with our service, please get in touch with our Main Office as soon as possible: disability.support@tudublin.ie

• Find out more information on how to register with our service.

 
Students should register with the Disability Support Service as early as possible in the academic year.
 
Students applying for reasonable accommodation with the Disability Support Service after these deadline dates will be accommodated in subsequent examinations.
 
Students can continue to register with the Disability Support Service throughout the academic year.
 

Timed Exams:

All students registered with the Disability Support Service and who have been approved for extra time should receive 10 minutes per hour for timed exams.
 
Non-Timed Exams:

Extra time is not necessary in non-timed assessments/assignments, as it is assumed that students are not working on the assessment for all of the time allocated.
 
Students who may feel unable to complete the work in the allocated time should contact their own lecturers to discuss. Deadline extensions can only be approved at the discretion of your lecturers.
 

Action to implement this for timed exams.
 
Written Assignment:
No extra time is applied.
 
Take home exam 1 day or more:
No extra time is applied, but of course a student may spend extra time on the task itself within this period.
 
Timed exam (2 - 4 hours):
Add extra time of 10 minutes per hour of the exam.
 

TU Dublin's Disability Support Service currently provides supports to over 2000 students. A significant number of these students may have been allocated the use of a separate room or smaller venue in which to sit their exams at secondary school and/or for the Leaving Certificate.
 
Due to the large numbers of students registered with the Disability Service requiring separate rooms/smaller venues, and the lack of availability of rooms/space, a prioritisation system has been put in place for the allocation of the available separate rooms and smaller venues.
 
The following arrangements apply:
 

• Students who have been allocated the use of a Scribe or a Reader and Scribe: Separate Room
   
• Students who have been allocated the use of a Reader only: Smaller Venue
   
• Students who have been allocated the use of a PC/Computer/Laptop on which to type their exams: Computer Lab where possible, or Smaller Venue otherwise.
   

 
Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (such as Dyslexia) are usually granted a spelling/grammar/punctuation waiver for their end-of-term and end-of-year exams. However, in cases where the student is being examined on their knowledge of a language itself (e.g. foreign language modules), this waiver will not apply.
 
Spelling/Grammar Waivers & Continuous Assessments
Important: Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (such as Dyslexia) are usually granted a spelling/grammar/punctuation waiver for their end-of-term and end-of-year exams. These accommodations are typically granted as in a timed exam situation, it can be very challenging for students to spell-check their work. Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation Waivers are not applied to continuous assessment assignments or theses, as students should have sufficient time to proofread and spell-check their work prior to submission.
 

The DSS and the Exams Office have an agreed process for the provision of exam accommodations; a brief summary is below:
 
Student meets with Learning Support Officer, undergoes needs-assessment, registers with DSS and exam accommodations are recommended The DSS adds the student's details to the relevant exam accommodations list and sends a notification to the relevant School Administrator. The Exams Offices advise the DSS of a deadline for submission of lists of students to receive exam accommodations. The reason for the deadline is so that the Exams Office staff have sufficient notice to arrange separate rooms, invigilators, laptops and other logistics. This deadline is typically around 4-5 weeks prior to the start of the exams session.  Dates for Semester 1, Semester 2 and Supplemental (Repeat) exams sessions can be found on the TU Dublin  Academic Calendar page of the website and is also shown in the table below. The completed exam accommodations spreadsheets are submitted to the Exams Offices on or before this deadline. The Exams Office proceeds to make any necessary arrangements - this includes booking rooms, arranging staff (and hiring staff where necessary), organising laptops, etc. Students who register after the deadline are not permitted exam accommodations for that exam period. They will be eligible for exam accommodations for future exam periods, however. Students who register after the deadline should submit a PC-1 form to the Exams Office within the appropriate timeframe if they feel that their exam performance has been impacted.
 

TU Dublin's policies and procedures for the provision of exam supports are informed by the Disability Advisors Working Network (DAWN) Examinations Guidelines, a copy of which can be downloaded here: DAWN Exam Guidelines
 
The University is committed to ensuring that students with disabilities are in no way disadvantaged in their Semester 1, Semester 2 and Supplemental (Repeat) examinations. Specific examination and other assessment arrangements may be made for students because of their disability. The specific arrangements are intended to enable candidates to perform to the best of their ability; they are not intended to give an unfair advantage to the candidate.
 
Students who have specific needs regarding examinations/assessments are advised to firstly register with the Disability Support Service to arrange appropriate facilities. This should be done as early as possible in the first semester. All supports must be in place one month before examinations start.
 
Students will be notified by email by our main office to remind them of exam support deadlines. It is important to inform your Learning Support Officer if circumstances change throughout the year for example, you will no longer require the exam supports put in place for you.
 
While every effort will be made to provide the necessary facilities, it may not be possible to meet all requirements in every case. The Disability Support Service team will advise on any evidence/needs assessment which may be required, (e.g. medical and/or psychological evidence) and will liaise with the Head(s) of Department and Examination Officer regarding appropriate examination arrangements.
 
A range of specific assessment and examination arrangements are available including extra time, the use of a Scribe or Reader and the use of assistive technology. Further details of specific arrangements for students with disabilities can be obtained from the Disability Services Office. 
 
T: 01 220 5097  
 
E: Disability.support@tudublin.ie