Students whose ability to attend or participate in an assessment is adversely affected by illness or an unexpected event may be eligible for illness and misadventure access arrangements and/or reasonable adjustments. Illness and misadventure can affect a single student or a group of students.
The following principles apply to illness and misadventure applications:
- The illness or event is unforeseen and beyond the student’s control, such as personal circumstance or emergent cultural obligation, e.g. summons/subpoena to appear in court or close family member's death/funeral.
- An adverse effect must be demonstrated.
- The situation cannot be of the student’s own choosing or that of their parents/carers, such as a family holiday, or something that the student could have avoided, such as misreading the examination timetable or instructions in examinations
- For internal assessment, schools implement principal-reported AARA if possible, before considering an application for illness and misadventure.
- For external assessment, an illness and misadventure application cannot be made for the same condition or circumstances for which QCAA-approved AARA have been approved, unless it can be demonstrated that a significant deterioration or complication of the condition occurred that diminished the student’s performance in external assessment.
- AARA are designed to assist students where there are barriers to their ability to demonstrate what they know and can do in assessment — not to compensate for learning that has not occurred.
- When a group of students is affected by an illness or adverse and unforeseen event leading up to or during the summative internal assessment schedule, or during an external assessment session, the above principles apply. If all other AARA is exhausted, schools should contact the QCAA.
6.5.1 Illness and misadventure — internal assessment
A student who is ill, becomes ill during the assessment, or is unable to attend or complete an internal assessment should inform the principal’s delegate or assessment supervisor as soon as practicable. This may be before, during or immediately after the assessment session.
Principal-reported AARA must be implemented to provide opportunities for the student to complete the assessment. Arrangements such as comparable assessment and an extension (or new due date) may be considered if illness or misadventure is established.
- If the school has implemented principal-reported AARA, such as extension of time, the student may not be able to respond within the timelines for quality assurance processes, as published in the SEP calendar.
- If the assessment was not able to be implemented due to the illness or event, or the student is unable to provide a final response to the assessment instrument by the new due date, the school may use evidence of work gathered in response to the instrument, such as the draft, to make a judgment about the student’s work. This evidence should only be used once other AARA have been exhausted.
See Section 8.2.7: Gathering evidence of student achievement and Section 9.6.7: Confirmation requirements for illness and misadventure, or contact the QCAA.
An illness and misadventure application should only be made once all principal-reported AARA have been exhausted. If the school is unable to collect any evidence in response to the assessment instrument by the new due date, but the student has completed the required learning as outlined in the relevant syllabus or course, the school or student should complete an application for illness and misadventure. If necessary, schools complete the application and provide supporting documentation via the QCAA Portal (see Section 6.5.4: Supporting documentation). Note: applications for QCAA approval are not required for Applied subjects.
6.5.2 Illness and misadventure — external assessment and Senior External Examination
The QCAA advises students to attend every external assessment. However, the QCAA does not expect students to attend an external assessment against specific written medical advice. When students are in doubt about attendance to complete an external assessment, they should contact the external assessment (EA) coordinator (see Section 10.1: External assessment roles and responsibilities). An illness and misadventure application should be submitted for students who are unable to attend or attempt an external assessment due to illness or misadventure.
A student who is able to attend the external assessment but becomes ill during the assessment should inform the external assessment supervisor of their illness as soon as practicable. This may be before, during or immediately after the external assessment session. If illness, or other circumstances beyond a student’s control, occur in the lead-up to, or during, the external assessment schedule and affect a student’s performance in an external assessment, it may be appropriate to submit an application for illness and misadventure.
Applying for illness and misadventure
An application for illness and misadventure may be made by the school or MLP on behalf of a student or group/s of students. Applications are submitted in the AARA application in the QCAA Portal.
An illness and misadventure application cannot be made for:
- the same condition or circumstances for which QCAA-approved AARA have been approved, unless it can be demonstrated that a significant deterioration or complication of the condition occurred that diminished the student’s performance in external assessment
- matters that the student could have avoided (e.g. misreading an examination timetable, misreading instructions in examinations)
- circumstances of the student’s or parent’s/carer’s own choosing (e.g. family holidays or sporting events)
- variations in the administration of the assessment.
The QCAA will seek background information and a recommendation from the principal or the principal’s delegate, observers and invigilators where relevant, to verify a student’s application for illness and misadventure.
Senior External Examination
As there is no internal assessment and the final result is based on the external assessment alone, students must complete a Senior External Examination to receive a result in a General (Senior External Examination) subject. If a student cannot attend the oral component of a language examination, they must notify the QCAA’s AARA Unit as soon as practicable by emailing aara@qcaa.qld.edu.au or phoning 1300 381 575. If the reason for non-attendance was illness or misadventure, it may be possible to arrange a telephone examination for the oral component only.
6.5.3 Application timelines
For internal assessments, applications may only be submitted once all other AARA options have been exhausted. Where relevant, submit applications by the end of the external assessment period. For further information, see dates published in the SEP calendar. For advice, contact the AARA Unit.
For external assessments, applications can be submitted from 14 days before the start of the external assessment period to seven days after the student’s final assessment. The QCAA’s decision about the application will not be available before the assessment.
6.5.4 Supporting documentation
To make an informed decision about an illness and misadventure application for medical reasons, the QCAA requires a report from an independent health professional that includes the following details:
- the illness, condition or event (including details of a diagnosis, where applicable)
- date of diagnosis, onset or occurrence
- treatment or course of action related to the condition or event
- explanation of the probable effect of the illness, condition or event on the student’s participation in the assessment.
Illness and misadventure applications for non-medical reasons, require written evidence from a relevant independent professional or other independent third party, such as a social worker, member of the clergy, police officer, solicitor or funeral director
In all circumstances, the person providing the supporting documentation must have specific knowledge of the illness, injury, personal trauma or serious intervening event, and must not have a close personal relationship with, or be related to, the student.
Currency of supporting documentation
Supporting documentation must cover the date/s of the assessment/s for which the application is made.
A health professional providing evidence of temporary illness must have examined or treated the student, or have been consulted by the student, in the days immediately preceding or following the external assessment. If schools become aware of unique circumstances that will delay the collection of evidence they should consult the AARA Unit.
