Sick or something goes wrong during QCE external assessment: illness and misadventure (2026)

Being sick in exam block is rotten luck, and it happens to real students every year. QCAA has a process for it called illness and misadventure, part of AARA (access arrangements and reasonable adjustments). You don't apply on your own: your school does, so the most important thing you can do is tell them quickly and get the right evidence.

The details below come from QCAA's policy handbook, its AARA pages and the myQCE results FAQs (linked at the bottom). Your school's AARA or external assessment coordinator can walk you through it.

Step 1: tell the supervisor and your school

QCAA says a student who becomes ill should tell the external assessment supervisor as soon as practicable. That can be before, during or immediately after the session. If you can't get to the exam at all, contact your school straight away.

If you need to leave the room during the session because you're unwell, a supervisor goes with you.

Step 2: get independent evidence

For illness, QCAA wants a report from an independent health professional that includes details of the illness, condition or event (a diagnosis where relevant) and an explanation of its probable effect on you in the assessment. See a doctor as soon as you can, and tell them it's for a QCAA illness and misadventure application. QCAA has a page with information for medical practitioners that they can use.

For misadventure (something that happened rather than an illness), your school can help you gather other evidence. QCAA's examples of eligible events include a court summons or subpoena, the death or funeral of a close family member, and Sorry Business.

Step 3: your school applies

• The application is made by your school, in the AARA app in the QCAA Portal.
• The window: from 14 days before the external assessment period starts until seven days after your final external assessment.

Get your evidence to your school early; seven days goes quickly when you still have exams.

When can you apply?

QCAA says an illness and misadventure application can be made when a student:

• can't attend or attempt an external assessment because of illness or misadventure;
• attends and completes it but their performance was significantly and adversely affected; or
• starts it but has to abandon it.

What doesn't count

The illness or event must be unforeseen and beyond your control. QCAA says it can't be something you or your parents/carers chose, such as a family holiday. Ongoing conditions are dealt with through AARA applied for in advance, not illness and misadventure; see AARA special arrangements.

How is my result worked out?

For a General subject, your result combines your internal assessment and external assessment marks into a mark out of 100. If an illness and misadventure application is approved, QCAA uses established procedures to calculate your final subject result. QCAA's results FAQs explain that for this kind of calculation, your internal assessment results are the starting point, and QCAA uses statistical analysis of how students with the same internal assessment results performed on the external assessment. Ask your school how this applies to your case.

Look after yourself

Being unwell during exams is stressful on top of stressful. myQCE's support page points students to services including Kids Helpline, and our exam-week stress guide has quick things that help in the moment and who to talk to. Kids Helpline is free and open 24/7 on 1800 55 1800. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000.