What Happens If My Child Is Ill During A Levels

Key Takeaways

• If your child is ill before or during an A Level exam, contact the school or college immediately.

• The centre can apply for special consideration if illness affected your child’s performance or attendance.

• If your child misses an exam but has completed other papers in that subject, they may still be able to receive a grade.

• Clear medical evidence and prompt communication with the exams officer are important.

Introduction

Worrying about what happens if your child is ill for their A Levels can be stressful for parents, as career or university ambitions rest on the outcome of these exams. Of course, you’ll be primarily concerned about your child’s health. But it’s natural to worry about how illness could affect their results or offers.

The good news is that there are well-established systems in place to support students who are unwell during A Level exams. This guide explains what to do if your child becomes ill. We’ll explain how special consideration works in practice, what medical evidence is usually required, and what options are available if an exam is missed entirely.

What Counts as Illness During A Level Exams?

Exam boards recognise that illness and other serious circumstances can affect a student’s performance. However, not every minor ailment will qualify for special consideration.

In general, more serious or impactful conditions are more likely to be accepted. This might include a significant physical illness, injury, or medical condition that clearly affected your child on the day of the exam. 

Minor issues such as a mild headache or common cold do not usually count, unless they are severe enough to impair performance.

Mental health difficulties count as illness in the same way as physical conditions, provided there is appropriate medical or professional evidence. This could include anxiety, depression, or another diagnosed condition that affected your child during the exam period.

Reporting Your Child’s Illness: Immediate Steps

If your child becomes unwell around exam time, act quickly. What happens next will depend on when your child becomes ill and how serious their symptoms are. The steps below give you a simple, practical starting point.

Contacting the School or College

If your child is ill on the day of an exam, contact the school or college as soon as possible, ideally before the exam is due to start. In most centres, you should ask for the exams officer or the exams team.

When you get in touch, explain briefly what is wrong with your child and how severe their symptoms are. Inform staff whether you think they will be able to attend. If your child is already at school and becomes unwell, staff will assess the situation and advise you on the best course of action.

Prompt contact helps the school make any necessary arrangements and, if needed, begin preparing for a special consideration application.

Getting Medical Evidence

In most cases, the school or college will ask for medical evidence to support any absence or special consideration request. This could be a GP note, hospital letter, or medical certificate.

Try to arrange this as soon as you reasonably can after the exam. The evidence should confirm your child’s illness. Where relevant, it should explain how the illness could have affected their ability to sit the exam or perform at their usual level.

If your child was treated at home and did not see a doctor, tell the school or college as soon as possible. 

Special Consideration: What It Is and How It Works

Special consideration is a formal process used by exam boards when a student has been disadvantaged by something beyond their control. This includes factors such as illness, injury, or a significant personal event.

It is designed to keep the system fair when things go wrong. Special consideration does not mean your child automatically gets extra marks. Instead, the exam board takes their circumstances into account using national rules set by the Joint Council for Qualifications (opens in a new tab).

Who Applies for Special Consideration?

Applications for special consideration are made by the school or college, not by parents or students directly.

Your role is to inform the centre promptly if your child is unwell and provide any medical or supporting evidence they request. The exams officer will then submit the application to the relevant exam board on your child’s behalf.

Your child does not need to do anything themselves beyond attending the exam if they are well enough.

How Special Consideration Affects Results

If special consideration is granted, the exam board makes a small adjustment to your child’s mark on the affected paper. This recognises the disadvantage your child faced on the day, but it does not replace the exam.

In practice, the adjustment is usually modest. It can sometimes make a difference if your child was very close to a higher grade, but it is unlikely to move them up by a whole grade on its own.

The exact adjustment depends on your child’s circumstances and is decided by the exam board using national rules. Schools and parents cannot choose or change the level of adjustment.

What If My Child Misses an Exam Entirely?

If your child is too unwell to attend an A Level exam at all, this can feel very worrying, especially considering how much rests on these results. However, there are still routes forward.

What happens next will depend mainly on how much of that subject your child has already completed. If they have taken at least one other paper in the same A Level, the centre can usually apply for special consideration for a missed exam. In this case, the exam board may be able to award a grade using your child’s performance in the papers they did sit.

If your child has missed all the assessments for a subject, the exam board will usually not be able to award a grade. In that situation, a resit would normally be the most realistic option.

The exams officer will look at all the details of your child’s situation and advise you on the best option. 

Alternative Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments

Schools and colleges use two slightly different systems to support students: special consideration and reasonable adjustments. 

Special consideration is used when a student is affected by a temporary, unexpected illness around exam time. It is applied after the exam, as a small adjustment to marks where appropriate.

Reasonable adjustments are more considered arrangements, put in place before exams begin for students with longer-term conditions or disabilities. These adjustments might include extra time in A Level exams, a separate room, or the use of a laptop.

If your child already has a diagnosed condition, the school or college should have discussed reasonable adjustments with you well before the exam season. If your child develops a longer-term issue during Year 12 or Year 13, speak to the exams officer or SENCO as soon as possible so appropriate support can be considered.

Illness During Non-Examination Assessment (NEA)

If your child is ill during coursework, practical assessments, or other Non-Examination Assessment (NEA), there is slightly more flexibility than with written exams. 

If your child is unable to meet a deadline or complete an assessment because of illness,contact the school or college as soon as possible. In many cases, they may be able to grant an extension or arrange an alternative date.

If your child has already started the work, the centre will consider whether it can be completed later without disadvantaging them. If the illness is serious or prolonged, the school may need to speak to the exam board about next steps.

If your child is too unwell to complete any required NEA components, this can be more complicated because they count towards the final grade. The exams officer will advise on the next steps.

What Happens If My Child’s Illness Is Ongoing?

If your child has a chronic condition or long-term illness, it is important to plan ahead.

Schools can put reasonable adjustments in place, such as modified timetables, additional support, or exam arrangements tailored to your child’s needs. This support can be reviewed if your child’s needs change.

Can My Child Resit the Exam?

Yes, in many cases, your child can resit an A Level exam if illness caused them to miss it or perform below their usual standard. Consult our guide on retaking A Levels for further advice.

Some subjects offer a November resit opportunity, which can be useful if your child recovers quickly and wants another chance soon after the summer exams. For most subjects, the next resit opportunity will be the following summer.

Your child’s school or college will explain the available options, the likely timing, and whether a resit is the most sensible route for your child.

How Illness Affects University Applications

If your child’s results are affected by illness, this does not automatically mean their university plans are ruined. Most universities are used to dealing with these situations and will consider each case individually.

If your child has a conditional offer, it is a good idea to inform the university as soon as possible through UCAS or via the admissions team. The school or college can usually support this with evidence if needed.

If your child narrowly misses their grades, the university may still accept them, particularly if there are mitigating circumstances. Options such as Clearing or a resit year are also available. Consult our clearing guide for parents to find out more. 

Supporting Your Child’s Wellbeing

If your child is unwell during A Levels, it is natural for emotions to run high. Remember, your support at home can make a real difference both to their recovery and their confidence.

Try to keep things calm and realistic. Reassure your child that their health comes first and that there are clear processes in place to support them academically. Avoid putting extra pressure on them to “push through” if they are genuinely unwell.

Encourage rest, good nutrition, and medical care where needed. If your child is feeling anxious, it can help to break things down into small, manageable steps, such as focusing on one exam at a time or agreeing on a simple plan with the school. Our guide on how you can help your child prepare for their exams may provide some useful tips.

Frequently Asked Questions

What medical evidence do I need for special consideration?

Schools usually ask for a GP note, hospital letter, medical certificate, or written confirmation from another healthcare professional. 

The evidence should confirm your child’s illness and the relevant dates. You do not need to share detailed medical information.

How much can special consideration increase my child’s grade?

Any adjustment is usually small. It may help if your child was close to a higher grade, but it is unlikely to move them up by a whole grade on its own. The exact amount is decided by the exam board using national rules.

What if my child was ill before the exam but sat it anyway?

The school can still apply for special consideration if your child attended but was clearly disadvantaged by illness. 

You should tell the exams officer as soon as possible and provide medical evidence if requested.

Can my child get special consideration for exam stress or anxiety?

Only if there is appropriate medical or professional evidence of a diagnosed condition that affected your child at the time of the exam. 

General exam nerves on their own would not normally qualify.

How long does the special consideration process take?

Applications are submitted by the school during the exam period, and any adjustment is applied when results are issued. 

You will not normally receive a separate decision before results day.

Will universities know my child received special consideration?

No. Exam certificates and results do not usually show that special consideration was applied.

Universities normally see only the final grades.

What if I disagree with the outcome of special consideration?

Speak to the school first. They can explain the decision and advise whether there are grounds to request a review or appeal through the exam board’s official process.

Final Thoughts

If your child is ill during A Level exams, act quickly. There are clear processes in place, including special consideration and reasonable adjustments, to make sure students are treated fairly when things go wrong.

If your child is preparing for future exams or a possible resit, Save My Exams can help. With expert-written, exam-board-specific A Level revision resources, it can support your child’s confidence while you focus on their wellbeing.

References:

• A guide to the special consideration process | JCQ (opens in a new tab)