What is special consideration and how do I apply?

Special consideration is a post-examination adjustment made to a candidate’s mark, to make allowances for any adverse circumstances, for example illness, bereavement or temporary injury. 

General information on special consideration can be found in section 5 of the Cambridge Handbook, whilst more series-specific details are included on our website here.

We are currently reviewing our special consideration policy on a yearly basis (and had previously done so on a series by series basis), so the guidance specific to the series in 2025 on our website supersedes the generic information in the Handbook.

If a candidate is unable to attend an exam due to illness or other circumstances outside their control, special consideration may be applicable.

Candidates entered for any 2025 exam series must:

• have covered the whole course and
• have completed a minimum of 15 per cent of the total assessment by component weighting in the relevant exam series. Carry-forward marks do not count.

To add to this, there are two exceptions to this 15% special consideration rule to be aware of:

• even where the candidate has a legitimate reason for special consideration to be applied, we cannot generate a full A Level result if they have not completed any of the A2 components of a syllabus. This is because there would be no A2 evidence upon which to base a full A Level result - an A Level result cannot be produced solely based on AS evidence.
• similarly we cannot produce a result for a syllabus where a candidate has only completed a component that does not have a weighting, such as a separately endorsed Speaking component.

As long as neither of these exceptions applies, we can produce results for candidates based on the component(s) they are able to complete. Where special consideration has been approved for a missed component, we would calculate the mark for that component using the method outlined here.

However, if the candidate is unable to complete any components of a syllabus, we would be unable to produce results via the special consideration process because we would have no assessment evidence from which to derive a grade.

How do I apply for Special Consideration?

You can apply for special consideration online through Cambridge International Direct. Simply log on, click on Administer Exams and Special Considerations Online. You can submit applications for:

• present but disadvantaged candidates
• absent candidates - the candidate must have completed 50 per cent of the total assessment
• shortfall in coursework
• lost or damaged coursework
• coursework extensions - these requests can only be submitted by emailing info@cambridgeinternational.org 

You can also apply for Special Consideration on Exam Day - Form 7, which is available to download from the Support Materials section of Direct. Please follow the instructions in the Guidance Notes.

You can apply for coursework-related special consideration applications using Teacher Assessment - Form 2 for a shortfall and Teacher Assessment - Form 3 for lost coursework (also only available on Direct).

Please submit applications within seven days of the last examination in the syllabus affected.